1 It was the third year of my engagement to Kris Stone when he found a dazzling racing star abroad. The day before Valentine’s, he deliberately brought the girl to me to break off our engagement. “Skye and I share the same passions,” he’d declared, his gaze dismissive. “A sheltered girl like you will never understand the thrill of racing.” I asked, my voice barely a whisper of protest, “Does it have to be today?” He chuckled. “Does calling off an engagement require a special date?” I simply nodded, offering no further argument. Only to enter the same race as him the following month. What he didn’t know was that I understood the allure of racing long before he ever did. Later, I married someone else on his birthday. His eyes bloodshot, he asked, “Does it have to be today?” I smiled back. “Weddings need an auspicious date, you know. Today is perfect.” When Kris came looking for me, it had been nearly half a year since I’d last seen him. He’d spent three years studying abroad, only to return home without a single word to me. Just days prior, an audio recorder had arrived in the mail, sent from overseas. The moment I pressed play, a chorus of laughter erupted. “Hahahaha, Ollie, you’re something else! Not only did you get your racing license, but you also snagged our hottest racing star! Come on, Skye, tell us, how fast does Ollie drive in bed?” A sultry female voice purred in response: “Is that even a question? Straight to the fast lane, baby!” A chorus of piercing shrieks immediately followed, threatening to rupture my eardrums. I lowered the volume on the recorder, continuing to listen. “So, Ollie, what are you going to do about your fiancée back home? Heard you two have been engaged for three years. Aren’t your folks pressing you to marry her?” My hands instinctively clenched into fists, and I cranked the volume to its maximum. “Fiancée? What did we know about love as kids? Chloe and I haven’t seen each other in over six months. At this point, she’s barely more than a free, high-end housekeeper for my parents. She’s obedient, easy to get rid of.” Someone snickered: “Well, leave it to our Ollie, managing to get the Hayes family’s eldest daughter to willingly play housemaid.” The recording paused for a few seconds. Then I heard Kris’s dismissive scoff: “Heh, well, who told her to like me so much?” After listening to that recording, my mind went utterly blank. I waited, numb, for Kris to return and offer an explanation. Now, his red Porsche was parked right outside my front door. The window was down, and he sat in the driver’s seat. One hand cupped the chin of the girl beside him, the other cradled the back of her head. They were locked in a deep, lingering kiss, utterly unconcerned by the world. Suddenly, I remembered the day Kris left for his studies abroad three years ago. In the departure lounge, he had gently kissed my cheek, his eyes bright with promises. “Chloe, wait for me. When I graduate, I’ll come back and marry you.” But it was as if he’d forgotten every single one of them. I took a shaky breath, stepping back awkwardly, forcing my gaze away. It seemed no explanation was needed now. A full ten minutes passed before I heard the car door creak open. Kris sauntered leisurely towards me, wiping the corner of his mouth. “Saw everything, did you?” he asked, his expression utterly nonchalant. “Let’s just call off our engagement, shall we?” “You’re a good person, but you just lack… personality.” “The kind of woman I like is confident, bold, full of life. And you, well, you’re none of those things.” The Porsche’s window rolled down a few inches. The girl in the passenger seat blew a casual whistle in our direction, throwing a playful kiss for good measure. Kris clearly adored the gesture, his face softening with doting affection. “Her name’s Skye. She shares my passions.” “A sheltered flower like you will never understand the thrill of racing.” Moonlight spilled across his face, but his gaze, when it found Skye, was softer than the moonbeams themselves. I struggled to suppress the turmoil churning inside me, my voice laced with a bitter edge. “Are you sure about this? Does it have to be today?” Kris paused for a few seconds, then chuckled. “Does calling off an engagement require a special date?” Right, I thought. I nodded slowly. “Alright, I understand.” Perhaps my calm reaction was more unsettling than he expected, because Kris looked subtly uncomfortable. “If there’s anything you need help with, let me know. For example, with your family, do you need me to explain things for you?” “No need.” Thanks to that audio recorder, I already knew everything I needed to. The Hayes and Stone families had been close for generations. When I was eighteen, my mother fell critically ill. It was thanks to Kris’s mother, who donated a kidney, that my mother’s life was saved. Before the surgery, she lay in her hospital bed, tears streaming down her face. “How will we ever repay this kindness?” Kris’s mother, half-joking, half-serious, had replied, “If you truly want to repay me, then let Chloe become my daughter-in-law, eh?” I stood rooted to the spot, completely bewildered, but it was Kris who spoke first, eager to agree. “It’s settled then, Auntie. I like Chloe. I’ll definitely marry her someday.” The young man made his solemn vow, as if he’d never break his word. And so, three years ago, Kris and I became engaged. I remained in the country, while he went abroad. Perhaps out of a sense of obligation, I diligently learned cooking and nursing, spending every spare moment caring for Kris’s parents. The rumors around town grew increasingly unpleasant. They whispered that I was Kris’s “doormat,” shamelessly acting as his family’s housekeeper even before marrying him. But thinking of my mother, I swallowed my pride and endured. To vent my frustration, I secretly took up racing, even winning several competitions. 2 Later, my mother’s illness returned, and she passed away. My father remarried, finding new happiness, and my standing in our home grew increasingly insignificant. It felt as if, other than Kris, I had no one left to lean on. But now, he was telling me he’d fallen for someone else. It dawned on me that to him, I was merely a fleeting infatuation from childhood, nothing compared to the rapid, intense spark he found in a matter of days. I expected tears, but not a single one fell. Instead, I silently retrieved the tokens we had exchanged during our engagement from the safe. It was an exquisite antique hair ornament, symbolizing a wife’s lasting bond with her husband. The one I had given him was a double-sided, intricately carved jade pendant from my mother, signifying the refined character and gentle nobility of a true gentleman. That pendant was the last, most precious thing my mother had left me. I arranged to meet Kris again. Since the engagement was off, it was only right to exchange our tokens back. Just after midnight, Kris updated his social media. He and Skye were tightly embraced, their hands forming a heart shape together. Kris’s caption read: “No special skills, just managed to snag the one I wanted on Valentine’s Day.” So, he was in such a hurry to break off our engagement because he wanted to go public with his new relationship on Valentine’s Day. I simply ‘liked’ the post. If they were so smitten, they might as well be locked together forever. Minutes later, a new message popped up on my phone. Adrian Vance: “Happy Valentine’s Day.” My brain froze for a few seconds as I stared at the name. I never expected him to be the first one to say that to me. The whispers in our circles always painted Adrian as someone of impossibly high standing, utterly out of reach. And I had only met him a handful of times through racing. Perhaps he’d sent it by mistake. But the very next second, another message suddenly appeared. “You deserve better.” Before I could even process Adrian’s words, I was drowned in a tidal wave of rumors. Practically everyone around me was buzzing about Kris having dumped me. My father lectured me harshly that morning, and even my stepmother offered sarcastic remarks about my worthlessness. I found it darkly amusing. When did the one who was wronged become the one to be shamed? Soon after, my inbox began to flood with private messages. “Heard Ollie found a new girlfriend? Hahahaha, and on Valentine’s Day, no less! Don’t know how you’ll ever recover.” “Well, you didn’t lose out completely these past few years. At least you learned how to cater to people, right, Chloe?” “He’s actually soft-hearted beneath that tough exterior. Just beg him nicely, and maybe he’ll come around. If not, a good old-fashioned scene might do the trick.” I ignored their taunts, blocking and deleting them one by one. All I wanted now was to retrieve my mother’s memento. I placed the hair ornament and the audio recorder into a small box. At the appointed time, I arrived at the designated location. But upon arrival, I realized I’d been tricked. A large table full of people, all of them Kris’s usual friends from back home. He and Skye sat in the center, laughing and chatting jovially with everyone. At the sound of the door opening, every eye in the room shifted to me. Kris offered an explanation: “Skye said she really wanted to meet my friends, so I took the opportunity to invite everyone. You don’t mind, do you?” Someone, eager for drama, quickly pulled out a chair for me. “Oh, Chloe’s here! Come, come, we were just waiting for you!” I didn’t sit. Instead, I placed the box containing the hair ornament on the table. “Here’s your item back,” I said. “Now, where’s mine?” Kris froze for a few seconds, then clicked his tongue. “Oh, damn, I completely forgot.” “Then please mail it to me as soon as possible. I have other commitments.” “Chloe, don’t leave! If you go, everyone will think I’m the home-wrecker!” She frowned slightly, feigning an innocent expression. I just smiled. “Aren’t you?” The private room fell silent. Skye’s face visibly darkened. Kris shot me an annoyed glance. “Sit down, Chloe. I’ll call my driver; he’ll bring it over in a bit.” While waiting for Kris’s driver to deliver the item, the group resumed their lively chatter. Kris was right; Skye was indeed quite audacious. She spoke with lively confidence, clearly the center of attention. Someone asked, “Skye, we heard you used to be a grid girl when you were abroad? Tell us all about it!” At that, her eyes lit up, and she grew even more animated. While I quietly sipped my tea, she launched into a detailed monologue, covering everything from racing rules to techniques, sounding as if she’d been a veteran of the sport for years. “Do you know,” she gushed, “I absolutely adore the racetrack! Not only do you get that adrenaline rush, but you also meet so many amazing, handsome drivers.” Skye shot a pointed glance at Kris, who was already gazing at her, his eyes full of tender admiration. She sighed dramatically. “Oh, it’s a shame, though. That racing license is just impossible to get! I’ve tried so many times and failed.” The others, unfamiliar with the racing world, found her stories utterly captivating. “Wow, Skye, you’re already incredible! None of the girls we know have ever even touched a race car.” “Yeah, Ollie, you’ve got great taste. Finding such a gorgeous and fierce girl!” Kris instinctively glanced over at me, but I just kept my head down, sipping my tea, not uttering a word. 3 Skye followed his gaze to me, then suddenly asked, “Chloe, do you know anything about racing?” At her question, a ripple of laughter immediately spread through the group. “Her? How could she understand such a thrilling sport? Miss Hayes barely steps foot outside her family estate; she’d probably faint dead away at the racetrack!” “Now, now, don’t say that. Who says Chloe never leaves the house? I’ve seen her running to Ollie’s place often enough. Tsk, who says knowing how to cater to someone isn’t a skill?” Skye’s eyes widened, and she gasped, covering her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh? Really? My apologies, then. That was rather tactless of me. But it’s fine, really. Everyone has their own unique value, after all.” Then she turned to Kris, pouting playfully. “Ollie, I’m terrible at catering to people. When we get married, you’ll definitely have to find your parents a maid as competent as Chloe, won’t you?” A fresh wave of laughter erupted around the table. I clenched my fists, then relaxed them. As soon as I had my memento back, I wouldn’t stay here for another second. Skye pulled a ticket from her bag and had someone pass it to me. “Chloe,” she said, “this is a ticket to next month’s race. I just happened to have an extra one. Ollie and I will both be competing, so you should definitely come and broaden your horizons, alright?” I looked at the ticket and smiled. Wasn’t this the very race I’d just registered for? Too fed up to argue, I drained my teacup, then looked up at Kris. “Ask your driver where my item is,” I demanded. Kris made the call, then his brow suddenly furrowed. “Chloe, it seems I can’t give you your item just yet.” I shot to my feet, a bewildered expression on my face. Kris rubbed his temples, not bothering to lie. “I distinctly remember putting it in the box, but… it’s suddenly gone.” What did he mean, ‘suddenly gone’? That was the only thing my mother had left me. I would turn the entire place upside down if I had to, but I would find it. Skye paid no attention to my exchange with Kris. She was standing, reaching for a bottle of red wine in the center of the table. As she bent, something around her neck was perfectly exposed. It was my intricately carved jade pendant! “Wait!” I quickly stopped her, pointing to her neck. “That jade pendant you’re wearing right now – that’s mine.” Everyone fell silent, their gazes fixed on us. Skye turned to Kris, unhurried. “Ollie, Chloe says this is hers, but how can she prove it?” Kris was momentarily speechless. He had never truly cared for me, so it was unlikely he had ever really looked closely at the token. But I remembered. “The carving on it depicts two dragons playing with a pearl, intricate and pierced through, with their bodies intertwined. On one side, there’s a faint yellow spot, a slight imperfection.” That pendant had never left my side before I turned twenty; every single detail of it was etched into my memory. Skye held up the pendant, examining it front and back, then turned to Kris, smiling. “Ollie,” she cooed, “even if it is Chloe’s, I’ve taken a liking to it. Can’t I just keep it?” “No, you can’t,” I stated, my voice firm. “You need to return it to me right now, immediately.” On this, I would not yield an inch. Kris stood, gently patting Skye’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort, then frowned at me. “Come on, Chloe, don’t make such a big deal out of it. It’s just a pendant. Name your price, and I’ll transfer the money to you right away.” What on earth was he talking about? I was so frantic, I felt tears welling. I shouted, “That’s the only thing my mother left me! It’s her memento, her last belonging! Don’t you understand?!” At my words, the private room plunged into an even deeper silence, a stifling, death-like hush. “A memento? Why didn’t you say so sooner! I don’t want anything so ill-omened!” Skye abruptly ripped the pendant from her neck and, as if it were trash, slammed it onto the table without a thought. CRACK— With a single impact, the jade pendant split in two, right down the middle. In that instant, an emotional tsunami crashed over me, swallowing every last shred of my composure. I finally snapped. I lunged forward, seized Skye by her hair, and slammed her head onto the table. With my other hand, I smashed a wine glass and aimed its sharp, jagged edge at her terrified face. “Ah! You’re insane!” Skye shrieked. The entire room erupted into chaos. Kris instantly grabbed my wrist, halting my next move. Glass had sliced into my hand, and blood trickled from between my fingers, staining his hand as well. “Chloe Hayes, can you calm down?! The item is already broken, and you’re bleeding!” I suppressed the murderous urge surging within me, violently yanked my arm free, and trembling, picked up the shattered jade from the table, trying to piece it back together, but it would never be whole again. Tears finally streamed down my face. I hadn’t cried when the engagement was broken, nor when others insulted me. But this time, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Kris tentatively touched my shoulder, a hint of guilt in his voice. “Stop trying. It’s already broken. Be careful; don’t hurt yourself further.” “Get lost!” I screamed at him, slapping him hard across the face. Under his stunned gaze, I carefully gathered the broken pendant pieces and walked out without a backward glance. Every last shred of affection I had ever felt for Kris was, at that moment, finally ripped out by the roots. I had nothing left to lose, nothing left to hold me back.

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I’d just hit the jackpot, winning a whopping fifty million dollars on the lottery, and I immediately called my boyfriend to share the unbelievable news. But the first thing he did was roar, “I’m swamped with work, I don’t have time for your pointless chatter! Unless you’re dead, don’t ever call me again!” The line went dead. I sighed, resigned, planning to deliver my last food order before claiming my prize. When I knocked on Room 301 at the hotel, the door opened to reveal my boyfriend, John Miller, who was supposed to be out of town on a business trip. John was wearing nothing but a bath towel around his waist, and behind him stood my best friend, Sarah Jensen, similarly wrapped in a towel. John and I stared at each other, eyes wide, for a full minute. “What are you doing here?!” “That’s what I should be asking you, isn’t it? Weren’t you supposed to be out of town on a business trip? Too busy to even pick up my calls, yet you’re here, playing cards with her?” John roughly yanked me into the room, then slammed the door shut. “Don’t yell out there, aren’t you ashamed?” My eyes blazed red with fury. “You should be ashamed! You two were cheating on me!” Sarah, still draped over John’s shoulder, drawled, “Don’t use such harsh words. I’m John’s real girlfriend. We’ve been together for over seven years.” So, I was the other woman. “You’re despicable!” I raised my hand to slap John, but he caught my wrist. “Natalie Sinclair, that’s enough! I never even liked you. Sarah was the one who encouraged me to be with you. Otherwise, do you honestly think I’d have stayed with you this long?!” Tears streamed down my face as I screamed at them, “Why?!” “For your money, of course, you idiot! You didn’t even go to college. You started delivering food right after high school, just to earn a few extra bucks to support John.” “You spent all your money on John. And when John took me on dates and bought me gifts, he was spending your money. I should actually thank you. Without you, what would John and I have spent?” I trembled with rage. “You’re utterly shameless! I’ll fight you both!” I lunged, grabbing Sarah by the hair, and we collapsed into a furious tangle. “Natalie, you’re pushing your luck! Let go of Sarah!” John, with surprising force, tore me away and landed a punch square on my face. I was stunned. Sarah seized the opportunity, lunging forward, pulling my hair and clawing at my face, cursing a blue streak. I was pinned to the ground, beaten by both of them. John showed no mercy, his punches landing with chilling force. All I could do was cry out in pain. I thought of all the years I’d spent with him. What an utterly pathetic joke it had all been. John and I both came from humble backgrounds. I was an orphan, and his elderly parents were struggling farmers with poor health. We had both gotten into college, but he’d convinced me to drop out and work, promising that once he graduated and found a good job, he’d marry me. I, foolishly, believed him. To earn more money and improve his living conditions, I didn’t even take Christmas Day off. While everyone else was celebrating, I was out in the snow and freezing temperatures, delivering order after order. Thinking back now, my seven years felt utterly ridiculous. They stopped only when they grew tired of beating me. I lay on the floor, bruised and battered, unable to get up. “John, how can you do this to me?! Aren’t you afraid your parents will disown you?!” Three years ago, John’s father had a stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. I had brought both of his elderly parents to the city and nursed them back to health. They had always told me I was like a daughter to them, swearing that if John ever dared to betray me, they would be the first to disown him. John scoffed. “You don’t actually think my parents treated you like a real daughter, do you? They just sweet-talked you to butter you up. If they didn’t say nice things, how would you have served them like a maid?” I refused to believe him. “No! Auntie and Uncle truly cared about me!” “You don’t believe me, huh? Fine, I’ll call them now.” With that, John dialed the number and put it on speakerphone. “Hello, Mom? I broke up with Natalie. I don’t want to pretend anymore. I want to be openly with Sarah.” “Son, your mother supports you. But if you break up with Natalie, will she still wait on your father and me? Will she still give us money for living expenses?” “Don’t worry about money, I just closed a huge deal. As soon as it’s signed, I’ll get a two hundred thousand dollar commission. Then I’ll hire a housekeeper for you two. She’ll definitely be better than Natalie.” “Oh, that’s wonderful! Natalie can finally get out of here. A food delivery girl who didn’t even go to college? How could she ever be good enough for my son!” I was completely dumbfounded, unable to believe what I had just heard. John hung up the phone and kicked me again. “Heard that? In my parents’ eyes, Sarah is the only daughter-in-law they want. And I’m about to be rich. Once I get that two hundred thousand, we won’t be in the same league anymore!” I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “Just two hundred thousand?” Sarah, now wearing her high heels, brought her foot down hard on my hand. “You wouldn’t make two hundred thousand delivering food for twenty years! Who are you trying to fool?!” She hooked her arm through John’s. “Darling, let’s go. This was supposed to be our special time, and Natalie the b*tch ruined it.” They walked out brazenly. I quickly called an ambulance, then the police. Luckily, I was wearing thick winter clothes, so no bones were broken. After my wounds were treated at the hospital, I went home. But when I reached the doorstep, I saw all my belongings thrown out onto the curb. My blood pressure shot through the roof. I pounded on the door. John’s mother opened it, and when she saw me, her face instantly soured. “Natalie Sinclair, my son has broken up with you. Now grab your things and get out!” I had already planned to move out, but I never expected them to just discard my belongings. “I paid the rent for this place. If anyone’s moving, it’s you! What right do you have to throw my things out?!” “The right of three people living here! That makes this our home!” In that moment, her true, conniving nature was fully exposed. I didn’t want to waste another second arguing. I was about to call the police again, when John returned with Sarah. “Why aren’t you two in jail?!” Sarah smirked triumphantly. “It was mutual combat, and you threw the first punch!” My lungs felt like they were about to burst. My hands clenched into tight fists, my nails digging into my flesh, but I didn’t feel the pain. John pushed me. “Why aren’t you gone yet? Are you still trying to cling to me? Let me tell you, there’s no way we’re ever getting back together!” I glared at them, my eyes burning. “You’ll all regret this. You’ll come crawling to me!” They burst into laughter, telling me I was dreaming. I only took a few things from the heap on the ground. After all, I had won fifty million dollars; there was nothing I couldn’t buy. After settling into a hotel, I went to the lottery office to claim my prize. The moment the fifty million dollars landed in my account, the knot of tension in my chest finally loosened. I couldn’t wait to see the expressions on John and Sarah’s faces when they found out I was a multi-millionaire. Just after I acquired a lavish, fully furnished penthouse apartment, I received a call from Sarah. “Natalie, we’re having our high school reunion this weekend. You absolutely have to come; everyone from our class will be there.” “Alright, I’ll be there.” “You’re not just saying that, are you? Will you actually show up, or just disappear that day?” “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come. It’ll be good to see old classmates after so many years. I’d like to see how everyone’s doing.” Sarah was organizing this reunion specifically to show off John’s two hundred thousand dollar earning, and to use the opportunity to humiliate me. Little did she dream that I was now the most powerful one in our entire class. The reunion was held at a five-star hotel. I made a point of arriving a little late. Under the gaze of all my former classmates, I glided in, impeccably dressed in a limited-edition haute couture outfit, and elegantly took my seat. “Excuse me, everyone, I apologize for being late.” Sarah immediately rolled her eyes at me. “Natalie, you’re being so pretentious. Does that fake outfit even buy you a ticket? Do you really think our classmates don’t know quality when they see it? Pfft.” Jessica Chen, the former class belle, sitting next to me, kept staring at the Hermes “White House” bag in my hand. “Natalie, can I borrow your bag for a closer look?” I generously placed the bag in her hand. “Of course.” “Jessica, what’s there to see in a fake bag? The real one costs over two million dollars. Even if you sold Natalie, she wouldn’t be worth that much.” Her comment drew a burst of laughter from the guys nearby. “This bag is real. I work at the Hermes store.” “Then Natalie bought a knockoff that fooled even you, the store employee.” “This bag is definitely real. A knockoff can’t replicate this craftsmanship.” Sarah immediately chimed in, dripping with sarcasm: “Oh, Natalie, you didn’t happen to ‘acquire’ that bag from some rich lady while you were delivering food, did you?!” “I know you’re afraid your classmates will find out you never went to college and are still delivering food, but you can’t steal someone else’s things to make yourself look good! That bag is worth a fortune; it’s enough to get you years in prison.” “Out of consideration for our past as classmates, we won’t report you. Just return the bag immediately and make a public apology. Maybe the rich lady will take pity on you and not press charges.” “Sarah, you need evidence when you make accusations. If you falsely accuse me of theft, I can sue you for defamation!” “I’m doing this for your own good, and you want to sue me? Everyone knows you’re broke. Stop pretending.” Jessica couldn’t help but remark, “Maybe Natalie hooked up with a rich guy.” “Jessica, you’re giving her too much credit. What rich guy would be blind enough to be interested in her?” Sarah walked directly in front of me, placing her own designer bag on the table beside mine. “See this? This is what real money buys. Ten thousand dollars.” She rolled her eyes at me. “Still pretending, you pauper.” Our classmates immediately looked at her with envious eyes. “Sarah, looks like you’re doing the best among us, carrying a ten-thousand-dollar bag!” Sarah beamed, thoroughly pleased with herself. “My husband is amazing. He just closed a huge deal, and his commission alone will be two hundred thousand dollars. Today, order whatever you want, everyone. My husband’s paying!” Everyone immediately began to flatter John, who was so puffed up with pride his chest seemed about to burst. John, menu in hand, lifted his chin and addressed the waiter: “Bring us all your most expensive dishes. One Australian lobster for each person. And open ten bottles of your most expensive wine!” I smiled. “As far as I know, that contract of yours hasn’t been signed yet, has it?” Sarah looked scornful. “So what? It’s a done deal, just needs the final signature.” “You haven’t even earned the commission yet, and you’re already buying such an expensive bag and ordering such costly dishes. What if the deal falls through, and you end up deep in debt?” “Shut your jinxing mouth! This deal is absolutely foolproof!” Once the food arrived, everyone started chatting idly. “Have you guys seen the trending news? A while ago, someone got incredibly lucky and won fifty million dollars in the lottery!” “Oh my God, I’m practically crying with envy! How many lifetimes would it take to spend that much money?!” “And I heard she donated a hundred million dollars right after winning, and even acquired several companies and invested in numerous projects. Those projects are all super profitable; it’s like money just makes more money!” “That person’s life is just too perfect. Not only did they get a windfall, but everything they invest in turns to gold.” Seeing their animated discussion, I couldn’t help but say, “Actually, that lottery winner is me.” The table fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproarious laughter. Sarah laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. “Natalie, stop dreaming! With your pathetic luck, you couldn’t even win ten dollars, let alone five hundred million!” I merely offered a slight smile, offering no further explanation. Sarah then made a public announcement. “Classmates, John and I will be having our wedding in Bali! Everyone is invited; we’ll cover travel and accommodation!” “A Bali wedding must be incredibly expensive! You two are so extravagant!” “My husband is a top sales executive! He’ll have a continuous stream of big deals and commissions coming in. Of course, a top executive’s wedding needs to be grand!” After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, John called the waiter to pay. He swiped three credit cards, but it still wasn’t enough to cover the bill. “How is that possible? The credit limits aren’t enough! Bring me the bill; I want to see it!” The waiter handed him the bill. Our table’s total consumption was five hundred thousand dollars. John’s face immediately flushed with anger. “How can it be this much? Are you ripping us off?!” I scoffed from the side. “If you can’t afford it, don’t show off. I thought you were so rich, ordering all those expensive things.” John’s face burned with embarrassment, and he nudged Sarah with his elbow. “Lend me the five hundred thousand from your house sale first. I’ll pay the bill!” “No way! That’s my pre-marital asset!” “I’m not saying I won’t pay you back! I’m signing the deal tomorrow. As soon as the commission hits, I’ll pay you back immediately!” Sarah reluctantly pulled out her debit card and swiped it for the five hundred thousand dollars. My phone, lying on the table, suddenly chimed: “Bank transfer notification: Five hundred thousand dollars received.” All my classmates looked at me. Our class president, Mark, joked, “Natalie, how is it that as soon as John paid, you received five hundred thousand dollars? Could it be that the money they paid went directly to your account?” “Exactly,” I replied. “It went straight to my account. I just acquired this hotel. I was originally planning to treat everyone to dinner. But John and Sarah were so enthusiastic about treating you all, I didn’t want to argue with them.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Natalie, can you stop pretending? You’ve been putting on an act since you walked in. You’re not embarrassed, but I’m so mortified for you I’m practically digging a hole with my toes.” “That voice notification? You can download any amount you want online.” I didn’t need to prove myself. I wasn’t there to flaunt my wealth. They had no idea yet that the company they were supposed to sign with had also been acquired by me. That deal was definitely not going to happen. Now that they had maxed out their credit cards, and wouldn’t be getting their commission, I wondered how they would repay their debts!

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On my wedding day, my fiancée publicly called off the ceremony, walking down the aisle with my best man instead. I stumbled out, shattered, only to be struck by a car in a brutal accident. The crash left me paralyzed, ending my dance career. In my darkest hour, Julian’s aunt, Seraphina Hayes, pulled me back from the Silverleaf River, where I’d considered ending my life. She married me in what tabloids called the “wedding of the century.” But on our third anniversary, I overheard her whisper to her assistant: “Same routine—switch Henry’s leg meds to vitamins. Delay his therapy again.” The assistant hesitated: “But if we keep delaying, he may never walk… You had him hit to paralyze him for Julian’s sake. Now Julian’s the star dancer, favored by your family. Must you still guard against Mr. Goldstein?” Seraphina snapped: “What does it matter? I’ll support him forever.” Her gaze turned distant, voice heavy with sorrow: “Since society won’t let me be with Julian, I’ll ensure his happiness—no matter who suffers.” 1 The truth hit me like a physical blow. I clapped a hand over my mouth, stumbling backward in sheer disbelief. How could I have been so blind? Every misfortune, every moment I thought was salvation, had been meticulously engineered by Seraphina herself! Tears streamed down my face, relentless and scalding. My heart felt as if it were being torn apart. Footsteps approached from inside. Panicked, I spun my wheelchair around, fleeing to the villa’s secluded backyard. Just then, the door to Seraphina’s private storage room, a place she always kept strictly off-limits, stood ajar. Inside, the walls were adorned with countless photographs and portraits of Julian, charting his life from infancy to adulthood. His dance certificates, his trophies, even replicas of the dance shoes and costumes he’d worn over the years – Seraphina had meticulously collected them all, displaying them like priceless treasures in glass cabinets. Every item, every inch of this room, screamed of her obsessive devotion to Julian. In the very center of the room lay adoption papers, clearly detailing her true relationship with Julian. Seraphina, I learned, had been adopted by Julian’s grandfather in her teens, meaning there wasn’t a single drop of shared blood between them. I laughed, a bitter, broken sound, tears still streaming. Seraphina, you truly played me for a fool! Very well then. Since this is the stage you’ve set, I will ensure they get the performance they deserve. Gathering my shattered composure, I left the room. As I exited the backyard, I bumped directly into Seraphina, who was hurrying towards me. She froze. “Henry, darling, why are you out here? And so far from the house? You didn’t… see anything, did you?” “No,” I replied, my voice flat. “Just took a wrong turn. Haven’t been out in the garden for a while.” Seraphina visibly relaxed. She knelt beside me, gently stroking my hair. “Silly boy,” she chuckled, “you’re getting more absent-minded as you get older, aren’t you? The guests are all here. Your wife will take you in for our anniversary celebration.” Her warm lips pressed against my forehead, but all I felt was a chilling, bone-deep cold. As we entered the grand ballroom, guests watched, their eyes filled with envy, as Seraphina guided my wheelchair. My gaze, however, locked onto the three-tiered strawberry cream cake dominating the center of the room. I am severely lactose intolerant. And strawberries? They’re Julian’s absolute favorite flavor. Sure enough, no sooner had Seraphina settled me into the seat of honor than Julian practically bounced over, tugging on her arm. “Aunt Sera, when can we cut the cake?” he whined playfully. “It’s your and Uncle Henry’s anniversary, but you got my favorite cake! That’s just cheating!” Seraphina, without a hint of shame, playfully tapped his nose. “Little glutton,” she teased. “First, let me give your Uncle Henry his gift.” Seraphina produced a bracelet and fastened it onto my wrist. I remembered a collector friend recently telling me, excitedly, how Seraphina had commissioned him to acquire a unique, fifty-million-dollar Patek Philippe timepiece. As a thank-you, he’d included a complimentary bracelet. Now, that very Patek Philippe gleamed conspicuously on Julian’s wrist. Meanwhile, the ill-fitting bracelet dangled loosely from mine. Later, during the dance segment, I sat below the stage, just as I did every year. Julian linked his arm through Seraphina’s and then addressed me: “Uncle Henry, since you can’t move your legs, I’ll take the opening dance with Aunt Sera. You don’t mind, do you?” Without waiting for my response, they glided onto the dance floor. Seraphina’s left hand rested on Julian’s shoulder, a gesture both restrained and possessive. Her right hand was intertwined, fingers locked, with his. Her almond-shaped eyes, brimming with tender affection, held no one but Julian. Though it was supposedly our wedding anniversary, this moment had become entirely about her and Julian. I had always believed Seraphina grandly celebrated our anniversary each year out of devotion to me, to ensure other high-society figures wouldn’t look down on me. Now, it was painfully clear this was her true motive all along: using our special day as a pretext, to legitimately draw closer to her true beloved. Whispers drifted from nearby guests: “Wow, Young Julian truly lives up to his principal dancer title, doesn’t he? He dances with such flair! If he and Ms. Hayes weren’t related, they’d look far more suited for each other than her crippled husband!” “Exactly! And while Ms. Hayes’ husband was once a prodigy in the dance world, he’s a mere shadow of his former self now, practically a wash-out! I bet Ms. Hayes will only keep him around for a few more years, then this used, broken man will be utterly worthless!” Seraphina, however, was utterly engrossed, dancing one number after another with Julian, oblivious to my predicament. Without her presence, these so-called high-society elites never bothered to mask their contempt for me. Their mocking voices grew louder, more spirited. Helpless, I fled the scene. I called my lawyer, instructing him to draft a divorce agreement. While I was at it, I secretly arranged for a ‘staged death’ service. 2 When the banquet finally concluded, I watched from my bedroom window as the last guests departed. Beneath the shadow of a sprawling oak, Seraphina stood for a long moment, her gaze fixed on Julian’s retreating figure, before she finally turned and came upstairs. The moment she entered the master bedroom, she pressed me onto the bed with an almost desperate urgency, raining down a torrent of kisses. “Henry, darling… tell me you love me, won’t you? I love you so much, so incredibly much. You’re mine! Only mine!” Fragments of past memories began to click into place, a horrifying mosaic forming in my mind. I finally realized: every time Seraphina was most desperate for me, it was always after she had seen Julian. Was I truly nothing more than a convenient substitute for her affections? A wave of nausea washed over me. I choked back a sob, tears welling in my eyes and spilling down my cheeks. Seraphina kissed away the dampness, finally regaining some semblance of control over her earlier, almost wild abandon. “Darling, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you somehow?” She began to murmur reassurances, kissing my skin, but her touch only intensified my revulsion. I pushed her away, scrambling to the bathroom. I leaned over the toilet, retching again and again, emptying the contents of my stomach. Seraphina gently patted my back, her expression one of profound concern, as if her heart was breaking for me. “Are you feeling better, sweetie? Should your wife call for a doctor?” A bitter laugh bubbled up inside me. A doctor? To prescribe more useless vitamins? “It’s nothing,” I mumbled, pulling away. “Just ate too much. I’ll be fine now that I’ve gotten it out of my system.” Seraphina nodded, helping me back into bed. Her soft hands gently massaged my stomach, attempting to soothe my discomfort. Suddenly, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was Julian. Her eyes lit up instantly. She answered the call, then rushed out of the room. “Julian has a stomachache,” she explained, already halfway out the door. “His wife’s out of town, and he’s terrible at looking after himself. I should go see what’s wrong.” I had no intention of stopping her. Once Seraphina was gone, I opened the divorce papers my lawyer had emailed, then went to the study and printed them out. On social media, Julian was already broadcasting updates: [Just mentioned I felt sick from too much cake, and Aunt Sera immediately rushed over to take care of me! ~] The photos showed Seraphina bustling in the kitchen, gently coaxing Julian to eat, and tenderly wiping his mouth. In three years of marriage, even when I was at my sickest, I had never once seen Seraphina cook for me. Another update popped up: The video showed Seraphina gently hand-washing a stained pair of Julian’s underwear. Julian, wrapping his arms around her neck, playfully teased: “Aunt Sera, you’re so good to me. What if I get divorced someday and marry you instead?” Seraphina’s expression turned serious. “You’re a grown man now, stop talking nonsense!” But I could clearly see the tremor of excitement in her hands when Julian said that. I switched off my phone and signed my name onto the divorce agreement. 3 Seraphina didn’t return that night. The next day, I made my way to the dance company alone. Today was the celebration banquet for Julian’s promotion to principal dancer, an event Seraphina and I were expected to attend together. Since my paralysis three years ago, I hadn’t set foot in this place, a place where I once earned countless accolades. And after the accident, the dance company had been swiftly acquired by Seraphina. She had told me then that she wanted to preserve this place for me, as it held so many of my memories. Now, it was blindingly clear: her sole intention, from the very beginning, was to personally elevate her beloved Julian to this coveted position. A bitter smile touched my lips as my gaze fell upon Seraphina, who was now stepping out of a car, arm-in-arm with Julian. She hurried towards me. “I’m so sorry, darling,” she began, a practiced apology on her lips. “The road was blocked last night, so I couldn’t get back.” Her excuse held no weight with me. I merely nodded, my expression blank. Seraphina seemed about to offer further explanation, but Julian suddenly stepped forward, taking control of my wheelchair. “Aunt Sera, there are so many industry bigwigs wanting to chat with you over there! I can keep Uncle Henry company here, so go on and network, don’t worry about us!” Seraphina hesitated, glancing at me with a flicker of indecision, before she walked away. The truth was, ever since Julian and my former fiancée betrayed me, I’d had no private dealings with him. Any interactions we had were usually due to his connection with Seraphina. I had no idea why he was suddenly acting so chummy. Before I could even speak, Julian wheeled me, unprompted, down the company’s Hall of Fame. Where my performance photos, certificates, and trophies once proudly stood, there was now only a display of his images and accolades. Julian didn’t even bother to keep up the pretense any longer. His smug voice drifted down to me from above: “So what if you were a prodigy? Henry Goldstein,” he sneered, “now you’re nothing but a pathetic cripple, stuck beneath my heel!” As he spoke, he moved in front of me, extending his leg in a blatant display of arrogance. “See these top-grain alligator leather shoes on my feet? Aunt Sera had them custom-made by the brand, just to congratulate me on becoming principal!” He paused, then his grin widened. “Do you like them, Uncle Henry? Oh, wait, how silly of me! You’re paralyzed, aren’t you? Even if you did like them, you couldn’t wear such precious shoes! Oh, and since I’m in such a good mood today, I’ll be merciful and tell you a little secret! Aunt Sera and I aren’t actually related by blood, you know~ Not only that, but we secretly dated for years! The only reason she married you was because I had my eye on your fiancée, and I didn’t want you getting in the way, so I asked her to string you along! Henry Goldstein, you’re truly pathetic now! You’ll never out-dance me again, and even the woman you married was just my cast-off, a charity case I threw your way. If I were you, I’d have died of shame by now, wouldn’t you?” I met his gaze, my eyes cold. “Shouldn’t you be the one dying of shame? You couldn’t compete with me on talent, so you only got your chance to shine once my legs were broken. With such dismal dance skills, have you ever considered a career change?” My words hit a nerve. Julian’s face contorted in a furious sneer, and he violently kicked my wheelchair. “Bastard! You’re a worthless cripple now, and you still dare to act so arrogant in front of me!” He wheeled me furiously towards the ornamental pond in the dance company’s outer garden, all the while chuckling darkly: “Doesn’t Aunt Sera just adore calling you Henry in bed? Oh, and my nickname is ‘Sugar,’ you know, because I loved sweets so much as a kid. Aunt Sera even gave it to me herself! Henry Goldstein, I want you to watch as I take everything from you! How about we conduct a little experiment? You can see for yourself who Aunt Sera truly cares about!” With that, Julian seized my wheelchair, pulling me, and himself, headfirst into the pond.

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The entire Stellar Federation knew it: Marshal Orion Thorne was notoriously brutal in bed—tireless, inventive, and utterly uninhibited. As his designated Psychic Stabilizer, I had replaced my organic limbs with mechanical prosthetics, transforming myself into the most “durable” woman by his side. One day, after my fourth mechanical arm had been twisted clean off, I went to the cybernetics lab for repairs. There, I saw Orion, his touch tender, gently kissing a fragile, un-augmented Human. His adjutant, startled, jokingly asked him, “Can’t you control your rampaging psychic energy? Why are you so rough with Seraphina Vance, yet so gentle with her?” Orion’s eyes were cold, dismissive. “I have to release it somehow. Lily is too delicate; I’m afraid of hurting her.” My heart shattered. Tears streamed down my face, hot and stinging. I pulled out my comm-unit and dialed a professor at the Federation’s Cybernetic Institute. “I agree to the body decomposition and consciousness upload to the Cloud. Come for me in three days.” 1 “Ms. Vance, have you chosen your new mechanical arm?” The gentle voice of the cybernetics salesperson broke through my daze, snapping me back to the present. I painfully pulled my gaze away from the sight of them, my voice hoarse and raw. “Just a standard model.” Before, to ensure Orion’s utmost pleasure, I always chose the most advanced, top-tier components for my replacements, then had them covered with a layer of premium bio-synthetic skin, indistinguishable from real flesh. But now, I had no intention of catering to him anymore. From the core-chamber behind me, Lily Carmichael’s saccharine voice floated out. “Orion, darling, you really shouldn’t! Such an expensive core, and you just bought it like that!” She giggled. “I only said it looked pretty; it’s not like I’d ever use it.” A core was what powered a mechanical prosthetic. I had struggled for a long time, trying to work up the courage to ask Orion about getting a better core for myself, just to lighten the burden of repair costs. But Orion, his back to me as he dressed, casually tossed a cheap, obsolete core my way. “You don’t need anything expensive. You’re always replacing your prosthetics anyway.” At the time, I thought his logic made sense. After all, one good core could buy thousands of prosthetic parts. But today, I knew the truth: it wasn’t that I didn’t need a good one. It was that I wasn’t worthy of one. My chest ached, a swollen, throbbing pain. I paid the bill, a dazed emptiness consuming me, and stumbled out the door. Repairs here were exorbitantly expensive; I always installed them myself once I got home. Late that night, Orion returned. He hung up his coat, then strode over and pulled me into his arms. “Seraphina,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble, “look what I brought you.” A dull gray core was pressed into my palm. Orion waited for me to jump up in surprise, to lean in and kiss his cheek. But I merely managed a stiff, strained smile, then gently refused. “I don’t need such a fine core.” This core, I knew, was nothing more than a complimentary gift that came with Lily’s purchase. Earlier, while scrolling through my datapad, I’d seen Lily’s shared life photos. That astronomical “pigeon blood” crimson core had been polished down, its essence removed, leaving only the useless parts, which she wore as a necklace around her neck. Orion’s brows instantly furrowed. He scrutinized me, his gaze sharp. “What are you trying to pull?” he demanded. “Didn’t you say before you wanted a good core? Now that I’ve given it to you, you’re giving me attitude?” Orion Thorne was the Federation’s Marshal. Even the supreme ruler of the Imperial Senate had to defer to him; no one dared defy him. What’s more, his psychic energy was notoriously unstable, liable to erupt at any moment. What I was doing was pure suicide. He grabbed my wrist, his lips twisting into a cold sneer. “I think I’ve given you too much leeway lately.” His voice dropped, laced with menace. “Strip. Now. And kneel.” 2 This was his usual method of humiliating me. Before, I always worried about angering him, afraid he would cast me aside. No matter how degrading his commands, I would obey. But this time, I acted out of character. I met his dark, brooding eyes, and softly, calmly, said, “Let’s end this, Marshal.” I never called him Marshal. Only Orion. I used that intimate address, hoping to pull us closer, to cling to that pathetic flicker of hope in my heart. Orion never corrected me, tacitly allowing my transgression. I was naive enough to believe I was special. The truth, however, proved how deluded I had been. The woman he truly cherished, the one he held in the palm of his hand, was Lily Carmichael. A storm brewed in Orion’s obsidian eyes. He gripped my throat, his voice low and menacing. “I’ll give you one more chance, Seraphina Vance.” His grip tightened. “What did you just say?” This was the prelude to his rage. I could already feel the agitated hum of his psychic energy, potent enough to crush me in the next second. But I offered a faint, sardonic smile. “Marshal, wouldn’t Ms. Carmichael mind you playing so… rough with me?” The mere mention of Lily’s name caused Orion’s expression to change instantly. His piercing gaze seemed to bore through my heart. “Don’t test my limits,” he snarled. Lily Carmichael was his limit. I was merely a tool for his release. I laughed at myself, a bitter, self-deprecating sound, but the tears, unbidden, streamed down my face. “I wouldn’t dare, Marshal.” Seeing my tears, Orion instinctively loosened his grip. He rubbed his throbbing temples, his brows furrowed. “Lily knows you’re my Stabilizer; she won’t mind. And when we’re married, you can still live here.” He never considered my wishes, dictating my entire existence. I had utterly had enough of this life. Fortunately, in three days, I would be free of it all. Orion seemed to think I had conceded. He reached out and ruffled my long hair. “Good girl. Go take a shower. Tonight, I’ll take you to see the Starglow Blossoms.” They were a critically endangered species across the entire galaxy, a symbol of unwavering love. Five years ago, Orion had brought one back for me. I treated it as a token of his affection, tending to it meticulously for a long time. When the flower withered, I was heartbroken for what felt like an eternity. Looking back now, I realized there was never any love there to begin with, which is why it never truly flourished. “I…” I wanted to say I didn’t want to go, but Orion’s sharp gaze pinned the words in my throat. Never mind. I couldn’t provoke him. If Orion suspected anything, a single command from him could make the Cybernetic Institute refuse my consciousness upload. Like a zombie, I followed him onto his private sky-jet. The landscape outside, from bustling metropolises to desolate wastelands, blurred past. My hands clenched tighter and tighter, afraid Orion was tricking me, leading me to my death. “Don’t be nervous. We’ll be there soon.” Orion’s voice was deep, sensual, carrying a hint of casual indifference. My choked breath slowly returned to a normal rhythm. He was right. If he wanted to kill me, he could do it in public, and no one would dare question him. In the distance, faint blue lights appeared, growing in number as we drew closer. I hadn’t expected so many. My eyes widened, a flicker of anticipation, however faint, stirring in my heart. Just then, Orion’s comm-unit chimed. Lily Carmichael’s helpless voice drifted out. “Orion, darling, I can’t sleep. I feel so awful.” She whined, “Come tell me a bedtime story.” 3 My heart plummeted, crushing all hope. All my expectations dissolved into nothingness. Orion had actually given her unrestricted access to his comms. No matter if he was in a top-secret meeting or on a critical mission, Lily Carmichael’s messages would play directly. My communications, however, were always on ‘do not disturb.’ My heart felt gripped again, each beat a thunderous ache. Even though I had decided to let go and leave, I couldn’t stop the anguish, pitying my past self. Orion slammed on the brakes after hearing the message, abruptly changing course. The Starglow Blossoms receded into the distance. As we passed a dark, barren planet, Orion opened the sky-jet’s hatch, his voice chillingly detached. “Get out.” I thought I misheard, turning my head stiffly to stare at him. This was a dangerous zone; space pirates were known to frequent these parts. But Orion, impatient, simply urged me again. “Lily always has trouble sleeping. I need to get her a companion droid.” The private sky-jet only had two seats. He wanted to buy Lily a droid, so I had to get off. I was abandoned on the desolate planet, my heart as dead and still as the world around me. Orion left without a backward glance, even accelerating to full thrust. My fingers trembled as I fumbled blindly with my comm-unit, trying to find a flight that could pick me up from here. I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until my comm-unit finally registered a response. I clasped my hands together, silently praying I would be safe until the flight arrived. “WHOOSH!” The deafening roar of a starship ripped through the silence of the void. I looked towards the vessel approaching in the distance, my face turning ashen. Space pirates! Ignoring everything else, I frantically initiated a video call to Orion. A regular message wouldn’t get through to him. The video connected, and I choked out a desperate plea for help. “Save me! There are space pirates here!” Orion’s voice, thick with suppressed rage, hammered against my heartstrings, shattering them further. “Seraphina Vance! I just got Lily to sleep! Is it really necessary to invent such a ridiculous lie just because I left you on another planet for a bit?! If you wake Lily, I swear I won’t let you get away with it!” He cruelly cut the video feed, convinced I was lying. The space pirates had intercepted the comms signal and located me. I was dragged onto their ship like a dead dog. “Isn’t this Orion Thorne’s Psychic Stabilizer?” A space pirate sneered, lifting my chin with the toe of his boot. “Stabilizer? She’s just a plaything for his release, isn’t she!” “You’re right! Probably already broken by Orion, too!” “Orion Thorne’s woman… just thinking about it gets me excited, hahahaha!” The inhumane torment lasted through the night and continued into the next day. My torso convulsed, my mechanical arms and legs completely ruined. I lay on the deck, my eyes empty, filled with utter despair. Around noon, the pirate captain’s comm-unit buzzed. Lily Carmichael’s delicate voice drifted from it: “Is she dead yet?” 4 I struggled to open my blood-crusted eyes, glaring at Lily Carmichael’s projection on the comm-unit, my heart seething with hatred. The pirate captain, confused, asked her, “No, she’s not dead. But wouldn’t it be better if she was?” Lily sneered, her voice turning venomous and chilling. “Sometimes, being alive can be far more painful than being dead. In a bit, just dump her back. Make sure it’s a big, noticeable commotion. I want to see what face she’ll have left to cling to Orion.” I had already decided to leave! Why were they doing this to me?! My throat was shattered, I could only scream and wail internally. My still-intact left eye, a mechanical one, stared blankly ahead, and I heard the faint whirring of gears grinding. A robotic voice chimed: [Recording complete.] No one knew that my left eye was a prosthetic. When I decomposed my body tomorrow night and uploaded my consciousness to the Cloud, Orion would receive this perfect gift. Lily Carmichael was so deeply entangled with these space pirates; if Orion continued to favor and protect her, it would be an act of treason and colluding with enemies! Even as Marshal, he would face the wrath of the entire Federation, eventually being annihilated by their combined forces. The space pirates, following Lily’s instructions, dumped me onto the busiest street of the Federation’s capital planet. In an instant, I became the focus of every passerby’s horrified attention. “Oh my God, so much blood!” “All her limbs are broken, and her right eye is gone. How horrifying!” Everyone exclaimed in shock. Suddenly, someone shrieked, “Look at her lower half!” A new wave of horrified whispers washed over me. I trembled with fear, desperate to hide, but with only my torso intact, I couldn’t move an inch. Someone recognized me, and many unpleasant words hung unspoken in the air, only making the situation more agonizing. Orion, upon receiving the news, arrived with astonishing speed. The surrounding crowds didn’t even need his troops to forcefully disperse them; they scattered like startled birds. This man, accustomed to battle and bloodshed, now trembled before my broken, mutilated body. His eyes reddened, veins throbbing at his temples. “Seraphina…” I remained utterly unresponsive, completely still. Orion, despite his severe germophobia, personally bent down and lifted me into his arms. “I’m so sorry. I never imagined it would be like this. I sent people to look for you, but they only found your comm-unit.” No matter what he said, I remained silent. He thought I was angry with him, blaming him. For the first time, he didn’t scold me for being unreasonable. It was only when he brought me to the Starfall Hospital that they discovered my larynx had been crushed; I simply couldn’t speak. He furiously ordered a relentless hunt for the space pirates. Then, in a rare display of tenderness, he spoke to me. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you always. I’ll get you the most expensive mechanical prosthetics, the finest core.” I finally reacted, my eye twitching. What’s the use of that? I thought. I won’t need a body anymore soon anyway. Suddenly, a knock echoed on the ward door. It was Orion’s adjutant. With Orion’s permission, he pushed the door open and whispered to him, “Marshal, Ms. Carmichael is here.” Orion abruptly stood up, striding quickly out of the ward. But it was too late; he collided head-on with Lily Carmichael. “Lily, why are you here? It’s all bloodstained in here.” Lily’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. “I came to apologize to Seraphina, boo-hoo.” She sobbed. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to tell me a bedtime story just because I couldn’t sleep.”

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My two older sisters, Lily and Daisy, were in a car accident and lost their memories. They forgot all about me, mistaking our parents’ friends’ son for their own younger brother. Lily, the eldest, gave him the inheritance our parents had left for me. Daisy, the second sister, used her influence to have my postgraduate study slot transferred to him. I thought they had genuinely forgotten me. Until one day, I accidentally overheard Lily say to Daisy: “Faking amnesia is exhausting. How about we just kick Ryan Brooks out? Then we won’t have to pretend anymore.” They wouldn’t need to kick me out. I would leave on my own, joining a twenty-year closed medical research program. For those two decades, I wouldn’t be able to contact the outside world or return home. When my sisters found out, they wept, heartbroken. 1 I was still carrying the cake, not yet through the front door, when I overheard Lily, my elder sister, speaking. “Alright,” Daisy, the younger sister, chuckled in response. “And without him, we can focus all our attention on little Ryan. It’s a win-win.” My entire body stiffened, and the cake in my hands nearly slipped. So, for the past six months, my two most beloved sisters, the ones I revered… they had been deceiving me. They hadn’t forgotten me at all. They knew Ryan wasn’t their real brother. Why? I couldn’t understand why they would lie to me like this. “But it’s his twenty-third birthday today,” Lily suddenly spoke again. “Wouldn’t it be a bit harsh to kick him out right now?” Lily still remembered my birthday. They remembered everything, yet for the past six months, they had treated me like a stranger. Countless times, they had thrown me out of the house. Countless times, they had showered Ryan with affection right in front of me. “He’s really looking forward to this birthday,” Daisy’s voice was utterly devoid of warmth. “That’s precisely why we need to make him leave today, on the day he anticipates the most. Only then will he truly give up and stop clinging to us.” The word “clinging” pierced my heart like a dagger. Thud. The cake I had lovingly baked myself dropped to the floor, the creamy frosting instantly smearing into a messy pile. In the past, on my birthdays, Lily and Daisy always prepared my cake. They would also prepare many delicious dishes for me well in advance. So, every birthday was the happiest day of my year. This time, I had also been full of anticipation. I hoped that my birthday might trigger some of their lost memories. But now, I knew. They had been faking their amnesia all along. 2 I walked into the house, carrying the ruined cake. Lily sat on the sofa, shelling pecans for Ryan. Daisy was peeling an apple for him, carefully drizzling it with honey. They used to treat me that way. Every time I came home for the weekend, they’d buy me tons of snacks, and they’d both play games with me. Actually, they’d been treating Ryan like this for months. They treated me like a stranger, greeting me with cold indifference every day I returned. They never even cooked for me. I’d told myself they had amnesia, so I hadn’t dwelled on it. “Ethan, come join us,” Ryan said, flashing a wide smile at me. He was the son of my parents’ friends. A year ago, his parents and mine were on a business trip together when they were involved in a fatal car accident. I was there too. In that critical moment, my father shielded me, saving my life. With his last breath, he told me, “You’re a man now, you have to take good care of your two sisters from now on.” I took his words to heart, willingly giving up my own dreams to stay in Glendale with Lily and Daisy. But soon after, they were also in a car accident, which resulted in their amnesia. When they woke up, they had forgotten me, believing Ryan to be their biological brother, and lavished him with affection. 3 “You, darling, are just too kind. These are from your big sisters, Lily and Daisy. Isn’t it better to have them all to yourself?” Lily said, stroking Ryan’s hair with a doting expression. Ryan chuckled. “Even though Ethan isn’t usually very nice to me, I believe I can win him over with my kindness.” Daisy cast a cold glance at me. “People like him can never be won over. Look at him, we’ve taken him in for so long, and not only is he ungrateful, but he keeps pushing his luck, shamelessly staying here, claiming he’s our brother.” A chill ran through me. My grip tightened on the ruined cake. Ever since they started faking amnesia six months ago, they’d treated me like a stranger, telling me to leave the Vance family home. But this was my home. I couldn’t leave. So every day, I told Ryan to get out, and I insisted to them that I was their real brother. But even though I presented evidence, even had DNA tests done, they refused to believe me. They claimed I was only pretending for their money. They’d tried to kick me out countless times; it was only by stubbornly refusing that I remained. Back then, I didn’t understand why, even with all the evidence laid bare, they wouldn’t believe me. Now, I finally did. I looked at Lily and Daisy, taking a step closer to them. I placed the ruined cake on the coffee table. Through the clear box, I could see the cream slowly melting, distorting the cake’s original shape. “Lily, Daisy,” I began, my voice choked with bitterness, “it’s my birthday today.” I couldn’t believe that the two sisters who had once been so loving towards me would now treat me so poorly for the sake of an outsider. They had to have a reason. I didn’t want to expose their pretense. I wanted them to tell me themselves. “How many times do we have to tell you? We are not your sisters!” Lily snarled, a look of disgust on her face. She probably forgot how much she used to adore me. Back then, she’d spend hours playing on the slide with me. She would always tell me, “Ethan, your big sister will always be with you.” “Exactly,” Daisy added, her face equally cold. “What does your birthday have to do with us?” Normally, she was such a gentle woman, and so gentle with me. She owned her own company and once told me, “Ethan, don’t worry when you strike out on your own. Your second sister will pave the way for you.” But now, they had both changed. Just like this utterly ruined cake, its original form completely unrecognizable. 4 Lily snatched the cake and tossed it into the trash can, looking at me with cold fury. “Ethan Vance, please don’t come to our house anymore. You’re not our brother, you have no right to live here.” I should have noticed the signs earlier. They claimed to have forgotten me, yet they remembered my name, Ethan Vance. They treated Ryan as their biological brother, yet they never questioned why his surname was Brooks. I had simply trusted my sisters too much, to the point of foolishness. I desperately wanted to expose their charade, but I held back. If I did, they would surely be angry, and then they truly wouldn’t want me anymore. A dull ache spread in my chest. I looked at them with pleading eyes. “Please, don’t make me leave. I… I only have you two.” I would never forget my father’s dying words. I wouldn’t give up on them. Lily paused, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of emotion in her eyes. But after a few seconds, she spoke again. “No. You’re not our biological brother, so you can’t live here. Ryan is our brother.” Daisy rose and pushed me towards the door, her resolve unwavering. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t believe they hated me so much. “Fine. I’ll go.” If my absence would make them happy, I was willing to leave. I turned to go, but then I heard Lily say to Ryan, “Ryan, your parents left you a substantial inheritance. I’ve already transferred it to your name.” My body stiffened, and I almost thought I’d misheard. Because of the inherent risks in our parents’ work, before their accident, they had already transferred all their assets to my two sisters. At the time, because I wasn’t yet 18, they had asked Lily to manage my portion of the inheritance. But now, she had actually transferred it to Ryan. Even if they had a good reason to treat him well, they shouldn’t have given him my money. I had no income now, and that was the money I had set aside for my postgraduate studies. 5 “Lily, that’s my money! You can’t give it to him!” I spun around, glaring at Lily, a surge of anger rising within me. To my surprise, she grew even angrier. She stood up and slapped me across the face. “How dare you have the nerve! You’re not even part of the Vance family anymore, what makes you think that’s your money?! That money was left for Ryan by our parents!” My ears rang, and my face throbbed. “You keep saying Ryan is your and Daisy’s real brother, but why is his last name Brooks?” I stared intently into her eyes, catching a momentary flicker of panic. But it quickly vanished, and she calmly fabricated a story. “Ryan was living on his own for a long time, raised by other people, that’s why his name is Brooks. As for you, you probably just made up that name yourself! You’re not our brother at all.” A cold dread settled in my heart. I thought if I spoke my mind this bluntly, they would stop pretending. But they kept up the charade. Lily, Daisy, what hardship are you enduring that makes you treat me this way? 6 In the end, I was still thrown out of my home. On my twenty-third birthday, the only two family members I had in this world abandoned me. I went to the university alone, planning to stay in a dorm room. But when I went to complete the enrollment procedures, I was told I hadn’t actually been accepted into the university’s postgraduate program. I froze. I distinctly remembered receiving an acceptance letter. I frantically searched my backpack, only to find my acceptance letter was gone. The staff member then said to me, “Think carefully. Did you perhaps get it wrong, or did you offend someone, and your acceptance letter was stolen?” I wasn’t stupid. I immediately understood the implication of her words. It could only mean someone had deliberately prevented me from pursuing my postgraduate studies. As this thought crossed my mind, I suddenly noticed several of Daisy’s friends. They were laughing and chattering, “Daisy is so good to Ryan! For him, she didn’t hesitate to give him her own brother’s postgraduate slot.” “Right, I wonder how she could be so heartless, even faking amnesia to make her brother suffer.” “You don’t know, do you? It’s because Ryan’s parents died saving Ethan back then. So Daisy and Lily feel they owe Ryan a huge debt.” I froze. The accident had happened so fast. Ryan’s parents died instantly. In the end, it was my father who saved me. Just then, I saw Daisy’s friends walk over to a car parked by the curb. Daisy got out of the car, with Ryan following behind her. My heart tightened. I rushed over. “Daisy, please, let me explain. The car accident wasn’t like that at all.” 7 Daisy heard my voice and glanced at me. But her face showed no emotion, only cold indifference. “I told you, I am not your sister! Stop calling me that!” At that moment, I couldn’t care less about anything else. I just wanted to explain everything to her. “Ryan’s parents didn’t…” Slap! She struck me hard across the face. “Are you trying to disrupt Ryan’s enrollment today? I’m telling you, get out now, or I’ll have someone forcibly remove you.” Lily had slapped me earlier, and now Daisy had too. To think that in the past, they wouldn’t even let a finger touch me. Now, because of an outsider, they were repeatedly showing such cruelty towards me. I clutched my stinging face, looking at her. “Daisy, this postgraduate slot is mine. I worked so hard to earn it. You can’t just give it away to Ryan.” She knew perfectly well how much effort I had poured into preparing for that exam. I had studied day and night. Back then, she and Lily had even encouraged me: “Keep going, Ethan. Once you get in, we’ll take you to buy a car.” Daisy’s eyes flickered, avoiding my gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ryan earned this himself!” With that, she pulled Ryan closer, her cold expression softening into tenderness. “Your second sister will take you to complete your enrollment. Once that’s done, we’ll go buy you a car.” Then, without waiting for me to speak, she directly pulled Ryan away. Her friends, unable to watch any longer, tried to console me. “Ethan, postgraduate studies aren’t everything. Go find a job.” But I had already promised my mentor that if I didn’t get into postgraduate school this time, I would agree to join a twenty-year closed medical research program. Once I joined, there was no quitting mid-way. For those two decades, I wouldn’t be able to contact the outside world or return home. Now, my postgraduate slot had been stolen from me. I had to honor my word. 8 I wandered the streets, utterly lost. My comm-unit vibrated. A trending news alert on the HoloNet showed Daisy taking Ryan to buy a car. Because Daisy had a HoloNet account with a significant following, and people didn’t know her family background, only that she was a successful entrepreneur, they believed her when she posted that Ryan was her brother. This time, someone had filmed her taking Ryan to buy a car, and netizens were commenting on how envious they were. I was envious too. All of this should have been mine. But now, it had been stripped from me by my two own sisters. My heart ached with pain. Lily, Daisy, do you truly not want me anymore? I went to Lily’s company. Downstairs, I wove a small cat out of foxtail grass. Many years ago, when our family was still poor and lived in the countryside, Lily, Daisy, and I found our greatest joy in weaving various small animals from foxtail grass. Back then, they always told me, “As long as a family’s hearts are connected, we’ll always be happy.” But now, their hearts were no longer connected to mine. Lost in thought, I saw Lily exiting the company building. I rushed over, holding out the woven cat to her. “Lily, look, I made this myself.” I looked at her expectantly, trying to stir some familial affection in her. But she merely gave it a cold glance, then slapped my hand away, sending the little cat tumbling to the ground. Just then, Daisy and Ryan arrived. Daisy saw the woven cat and stepped on it, crushing it. My heart sank. I looked up at them. Lily said coldly, “Get lost. Just looking at you annoys me.” Daisy added, “Such a bumpkin. Only country folk make things like that.” And Ryan, looking utterly triumphant, seemed to be saying to me, See? Your sisters don’t want you anymore. I clutched my chest, a profound ache settling within me. Seeing them turn to leave, I quickly said, “Lily, Daisy, I’m leaving now. I won’t be coming back.”

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1 Immediately, all eyes fell on me. Ever since the previous department manager resigned, I had been in charge of all department affairs. Everyone had assumed my appointment as the new manager was a done deal, practically etched in stone. Then, right in front of everyone, Damien Voss pulled Cici Brooks into the company’s main chat group. They each posted a message, one after the other. Anyone with eyes could see their profile pictures were a matching set, clearly for a couple. The entire morning, the whole office was abuzz with gossip, completely engrossed in the drama unfolding. As for me, I was already planning to resign, so I didn’t much care about losing the position that should have been mine. After sending my resignation letter via email to HR, I took a rare moment of leisure and went to the breakroom to brew myself a cup of honey-ginger tea. I hadn’t even taken two sips when Cici walked in. She brewed a coffee and sat beside me, wearing the smug air of a victor. “Skylar Vance,” she began, her voice dripping with condescension, “I know you’ve been Damien’s little secret for five years, but I’m his real girlfriend. Now that I’m back, it’s time for you, the other woman, to know your place and quietly disappear. As long as you keep your mouth shut, just like before, I won’t cause you any more trouble.” As she spoke, she played a voice message. It was a little boy, Leo, buttering her up from yesterday: “Auntie Cici, wasn’t I awesome? You won’t forget the Transformers you promised me, right?” I knew it. I’d wondered why things had aligned so conveniently. Watching her malicious gaze, my gut screamed at me to leave immediately. But she snatched the tea cup from my hand and poured it over her own face. Then, she violently smashed the cup at my feet, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The already lukewarm ginger tea dripped from her face, soaking her clothes and disheveled hair, making her look utterly pitiful. This woman was truly ruthless in her schemes against me. She blocked my exit, then shrieked, her voice shrill and ear-piercing: “Skylar, what are you doing? Why are you doing this to me?!” Her screams drew a crowd of colleagues, eager for the drama. She didn’t forget to splash coffee on her chest, too, then, with practiced ease, rubbed her neck raw. I couldn’t take it anymore. I slapped her hard. Damien Voss, hearing the commotion, rushed over and saw me, perfectly fine, striking a disheveled Cici. Without a second thought, he raised his hand and slapped me back. “Skylar Vance! If you don’t want this job anymore, then get out!” Still seething, he shoved me violently, then scooped Cici up in a bridal carry and carried her to his office. I stumbled backward, my lower back slamming into the edge of the table. The pain made tears stream down my face. The HR Manager, who had been hesitating whether to approve my resignation, immediately waved a hand and signed it. Damien, still coddling Cici, didn’t even glance at the content, directly approving my departure. The Finance Department, quick to switch allegiances and curry favor with Cici, the future boss’s lady, immediately processed my final paycheck. I still had a substantial amount of client data to hand over, so I bundled all the files, preparing to send them to Damien. To my shock, my company email account had already been deleted. The only person with the authority to delete a departing employee’s account was Damien Voss. I sent him a breakup message on his phone, only to discover he had blocked my calls and messages there too. With a bitter understanding, I left the company. After going home to erase all traces of myself, I headed straight for the airport. 2 The plane taxied slowly down the runway. I forced myself to close my eyes and rest. My mind kept replaying the moment I opened Damien Voss’s safe while clearing out my last belongings. After we became official, I had personally crafted a pair of matching rings for us. Damien had refused to wear his, instead hiding them in his safe, protected by a password I didn’t know. He said they would be our wedding rings when we finally married. I had often ached with the desire to secretly open that safe, but no matter what combinations I tried, I couldn’t guess the password. Until I used the date of the concert—Cici Brooks’s birthday—and the safe clicked open. Inside, there were no matching rings I wanted to reclaim. Only carefully preserved photographs and a diary. The photos were of an eighteen-year-old Damien and Cici, smiling at each other. Even slightly faded with age, their deep affection for one another was palpable. The diary was filled with the mundane details of their passionate, youthful romance. After Cici’s sudden, unexplained departure, the diary entries had turned into endless yearning. No wonder, after being reunited, they had burned with such intense passion for each other. As for the rings I had made, they were likely long gone, tossed away by Damien just like all the other tokens of our relationship. If I had known he’d already discarded them, I wouldn’t have bothered to open the safe and pry into his sweet past with Cici. And I wouldn’t have had to see that, even while he was with me, his heart was still consumed by longing for his first love. They truly were a perfect match, a pair of absolute scoundrels. Cici hadn’t even broken up with him, just vanished. Damien hadn’t even broken up with me, just rekindled things with Cici. I had poured my heart and soul into loving him for five years, only to be nothing more than a passing amusement. Sleep began to claim me, a hazy fog creeping into my thoughts. For a moment, I found it hard to discern if the Damien Voss who once cherished me was real or merely a figment of my imagination. If he didn’t love me, why would he take on all the household chores, terrified I might suffer the slightest inconvenience? If he didn’t love me, why would he break into a sweat of anxiety when my Uncle George called, urging me to return to Northwood City, begging me not to leave him? If he didn’t love me, why would he plan with me to have two children and adopt a cat and a dog after marriage, even picking out their names? …But if he truly loved me, how could he turn around and be with Cici without even a decent breakup? If he truly loved me, he wouldn’t have denied me the most basic trust, letting me be gossiped about by colleagues as a conniving homewrecker trying to climb the corporate ladder. Dwelling on these things was utterly pointless now. From the moment I agreed to my Uncle George’s arranged match, Damien and I stopped belonging to the same world. The plane landed. Uncle George and my Mom had been waiting for what felt like an eternity. “Skylar, my dear, Mom finally has you back! What was so great about that Southern city anyway? All that rain, so much dampness. You’ve always been prone to illness since you were little, yet you insisted on staying there all these years!” “Sister, you shouldn’t have let Skylar go to college down South in the first place. If my old friend hadn’t been looking out for her, who knows how much hardship Skylar would’ve endured.” At the mention of Damien Voss, Uncle George quickly asked me, “You’re back to get married this time, did Damien say anything? He used to praise you to me constantly, saying you were a rare talent…” “He was just being polite, Uncle George, because of your connection. How could you take it seriously?” But my uncle disagreed. “I know him better than you do. He’s not one to easily praise anyone, his eye is incredibly discerning! Who knows who will ever catch his attention again? Back in the day…” It seemed everyone knew Cici Brooks was Damien Voss’s unforgettable, fiery first love. Only I, like a fool, had carried on a secret relationship with him for five years, wounding myself to the point of utter devastation.

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I couldn’t snag a train ticket home for the long Thanksgiving weekend, so I ended up booking a spot on a budget tour group. Desperate times, I guess. The tour guide, deliberately, ripped my tank top strap, then tried to strong-arm me into buying some ridiculously overpriced, ‘designer’ lingerie – almost three thousand dollars – threatening to leave me stranded if I refused. A mob of burly men surrounded me, closing in. I took one look, and a grin split my face. “Uncle Frank, Uncle Bob, Uncle Jim, Cousin Mark!” I chirped. “You guys came to pick me up?” The guide’s triumphant cackle choked in her throat. 1. The holiday travel rush was insane; getting a ticket home was a nightmare. So, I settled for the only option left: a tour group heading to a destination less than a mile from my own doorstep. It was basically a very expensive, very roundabout taxi. Departure was set for 4:30 PM. I arrived at the bus terminal at 4:20 PM, only to find the tour agency’s coach had already pulled out. My jaw dropped. I immediately called the agency owner, who, to his credit, ordered the bus to turn back right away. I stood there, fuming, for a full twenty minutes before the bus finally reappeared. The driver, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, was profusely apologetic. “I’m so sorry, miss! The guide told me everyone was accounted for, so I just drove off.” He seemed genuinely sorry, but the guide – Amber, I’d soon learn – stood blocking the entrance to the bus, her face a thundercloud. There wasn’t a hint of apology in her expression, even after seeing me, the passenger she’d left behind. She just rolled her eyes and marched back to her seat. She looked younger than me, her face artfully made up, but her gaze was cold, her tone sharp. “What are you staring at, old hag?” If I hadn’t been so utterly desperate for a ride home, I would never have chosen a tour bus during peak holiday season. But given my predicament, I decided to bite my tongue and endure. For now. I scanned the bus interior. Every single seat was taken. No spot for me. I forced patience into my voice. “Excuse me, where exactly is my seat?” Amber was engrossed in her phone, not even bothering to look up. A spark of annoyance flickered within me. I asked again. Amber slammed her phone down, then shoved me hard. “What’s there to ask? Everyone else showed up before four! You came so late, who knew if you were even coming? There’s no seat for you. Stand.” I burst out laughing, a furious, incredulous sound, and shoved her right back. “First, the confirmed departure time was 4:30, and I arrived at 4:20 – early. Second, you didn’t even do a headcount before telling the driver everyone was here; that’s your job, and you failed. What’s more, I asked you several times about my seat, and you ignored me, then put your hands on me. Looking for a fight, are we?” I leaned in closer. “And finally, a tour group has a fixed number of people. There has to be a vacant seat. If you can’t find one for me, then you can stand for the next five hours.” Five hours on a bus without a seat, after paying good money? Not a chance. Perhaps sensing I wasn’t a pushover, Amber glared at me, her eyes spitting venom. “You were late, so no seat. If you don’t want to go, take your refund and get lost.” I sneered. “Are you the boss? Did you decide 4:20 is ‘late’?” Just then, my phone buzzed. It was the owner calling. I answered, put him on speaker, and didn’t mince words. “Hey, sis,” I said, making sure Amber could hear every syllable, “the guide here says I was late and there’s no seat for me, so she’s telling me to ‘get lost.’” Amber’s eyes widened in panic. She lunged, snatching my phone and frantically pressing ‘end call.’ The very next second, her phone rang. It was the owner calling her. She got an earful, a blistering tirade that turned her face a sickly shade of green. She mumbled a grudging apology, then snatched back my phone with ill grace. The owner, still on video call with Amber, counted the heads on the bus. There was an extra kid. It turned out this boy was Amber’s nephew, Leo. When the poor kid was pulled from his seat, he started fussing loudly. Amber, without a shred of mercy, slapped him hard on the back. “Get up, and give your seat to this old hag!” My knuckles cracked as I clenched my fists. “I suggest you watch your mouth.” I’d been training in self-defense since I was little, and after starting college, I was practically living at the gym. My muscles were clearly visible even under my short sleeves. Amber bristled, but bit back her retort. Once the little boy was up, an elderly lady in the next seat immediately tugged my arm. “Come on, dear, sit down. Don’t bother with a crazy person. I’ve got some homegrown apples here, have a piece.” From the lady’s tone, it sounded like Amber had already made quite a scene before I even got on the bus. But just as the apple was almost in my hand, Amber snatched it away. “I said no eating on the bus! I get motion sickness! Are you deaf, old woman?” 2. Amber stuffed the confiscated apple into her own bag, glaring down at us. “Let me repeat the tour rules!” she announced, puffing out her chest. “Rule number one: Once you’re on this bus, I’m in charge. No one challenges me. Violators pay a hundred-dollar fine.” “Rule number two: I get motion sickness. No eating on the bus. See something, I confiscate it.” “Rule number three: No phone calls or video chats. Too noisy. I like peace and quiet. Anyone making noise gets kicked off.” “Rule number four: When we reach our destination, you buy whatever I tell you to. Otherwise, I’ll leave you there.” “Rule number five: To be determined later.” From behind me, a young man snorted. “Psycho.” Amber wheeled around, strutting up to him. “What was that? Think you can mess with me because I’m a girl?” She put her hands on her hips. “We girls are delicate flowers, you know? We need gentle care and protection. I bet you don’t even have a girlfriend, do you? Ugly, bad temper – no wonder no one wants you.” The young man bristled, about to rise, but his friend quickly pulled him back down. “Don’t bother with her. We’ll deal with this after we get home.” Amber continued her tirade for a while longer, until the other passengers, almost in unison, pulled out their headphones and slipped them on. I followed suit, hoping to catch some sleep and escape the madness. I’d barely drifted off when I felt a tugging at my bag. My eyes snapped open. Amber’s nephew, Leo, was there, his dirty little hands yanking hard at the character keychain hanging from my purse. When his hands couldn’t yank it off, he resorted to using his teeth. I was just about to get up when he suddenly plopped to the floor and let out a bloodcurdling shriek. “She kicked me! She kicked me!” Everyone who had been sleeping jolted awake. Amber rushed over, wrapping an arm around her nephew, her eyes glinting with calculated malice. “You kicked my nephew! You owe me money, right now!” She pulled Leo closer, her voice rising. “If you’ve hurt him, can you even afford the damages?” Little Leo, meanwhile, wailed dramatically. “I don’t want money! I want that toy! I want the toy!” The series was red-hot right now, and the one on my bag was a rare, hidden edition, easily worth a couple of hundred dollars on the resell market. Seeing the adorable rabbit now, slobber-covered and dirt-stained from the kid’s teeth, was utterly frustrating. But I had several more at home, and I just wanted to get through the rest of this awful trip smoothly. So, I unclipped the rabbit keychain and tossed it into the boy’s lap. He finally quieted down, clutching the rabbit and showing it off to Amber, who promptly snatched it and stuffed it into her own bag. That bag seemed to be a repository for all the things she’d forcibly taken from people. Leo, meanwhile, rummaged inside, pulled out a bag of chips, and munched away noisily. I just shook my head. A while later, the bus finally pulled into a service area. I got off to use the restroom, but when I returned, I found my carry-on bag being stomped on by Leo. The bag was full of expensive cosmetics I’d chosen not to take with me because of the weight, and now they were all shattered. My fists clenched. The anger that had been simmering all day began to boil. I marched straight to the small police station located beside the service area and filed a report. The station was swamped and understaffed due to the holiday rush, but they assured me an officer would be dispatched before the bus departed again. I returned to the bus, my bag still a chaotic mess from being ransacked. The fury in my heart intensified as I began to inspect the damage. Amber chose that moment to return from the restroom. Her nephew instantly held up a bottle of perfume. Amber’s eyes lit up. She snatched the bottle. “I told you I get motion sickness. I hate strong smells. This perfume is confiscated.” I looked her dead in the eye. “Your nephew destroyed my things. Are you going to pay for them, or buy me a new set?” Amber acted completely nonchalant. “He’s just a kid, he didn’t mean it! Why are you, an adult, nitpicking with a child?” “Besides,” she added with a dismissive wave, “your stuff looked like cheap fakes anyway. Probably not even worth a hundred bucks total. Are you trying to extort me?” My cosmetics were all high-end, genuine brands. Even just one of my foundations cost hundreds, not counting the rest. Amber, on the other hand, was decked out in obvious knock-offs. As she argued with me, her nephew was sitting in my seat, drawing all over my bag with my eyebrow pencil. Not only that, he stuck his finished chewing gum right on my bus seat. Amber just shrugged. “He’s just a kid. Go on, hit him if you dare? You wouldn’t.” Without a word, I grabbed the kid, gave him a swift, disciplinary swat on the rear, and he instantly burst into wails. Amber started to lunge forward, intending to rescue him, but I shot her a look. “You want a swat too?” She immediately bit her lip, holding back. Just then, a police officer finally arrived. Amber, the queen of pre-emptive strikes, immediately started yelling. “Officer! There’s a lunatic on our bus! She just assaulted my nephew!” “He’s just a kid, what does he know? This old hag just attacked him! Look what she did to my nephew!” The officer glanced at me, then turned his gaze to Amber. “He’s just a kid who doesn’t know better. What’s your excuse?” He folded his arms. “Willful destruction of private property. Do you know how many days that can get you in detention?” Amber’s face drained of color instantly. I didn’t want her detained, just compensation for my losses. I pulled out my mobile payment QR code. “These items were half-used, so you can pay half price.” My damaged items totaled around ten thousand dollars. With the officer present, Amber grudgingly transferred five thousand dollars to me. She glowered at me as if she wanted to skin me alive, then rolled her eyes and tried to sit back down. I grabbed her arm and firmly pressed her down onto my original seat. The chewing gum her nephew had stuck there? She could enjoy it herself. 3. After the police officer’s visit, Amber remained unusually quiet for the rest of the journey. The other passengers finally breathed a collective sigh of relief; people made video calls, chatted, and shared snacks. Amber kept glaring at me, hunched over her phone, typing furiously. I subtly peeked at her screen, catching a glimpse of a profile picture that looked strangely familiar. My mom texted again, asking where I was. Just ahead was the tour group’s first stop: a large department store. Our family owned it. I texted back: Almost at our store, I can just head home from here. But my mom wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted on sending someone to pick me up. “Your Uncle Frank and the others are already here. Don’t be a bother, just come straight home for dinner, okay?” The bus slowly pulled up to the back entrance of the department store. I was busy texting my mom, so I only got up after everyone else had already disembarked. But then Amber suddenly moved close, took a pair of small scissors from her pocket, and snip! Through my tank top strap. The holiday heat had been intense on the bus, so I’d shed my jacket much earlier, leaving me in just my inner camisole. Both the camisole strap and my bra strap, which were quite thin, were cleanly severed. I looked at her, my gaze icy, the anger accumulated throughout the day reaching its breaking point. “Are you seriously trying to get yourself killed?” Amber puffed out her chest, looking even more arrogant. “Let me tell you, my boyfriend is a cop. This is his hometown! You won’t get away with messing with me here!” She glanced around, lowering her voice slightly. “We still have the return trip, you know. If you keep crossing me, I’ll make your life hell. But, if you buy one piece of lingerie, we can call it even.” We were in the parking lot, and I instinctively clutched my chest, trying to cover myself. “How much?” She smirked triumphantly. “Not much. Just nineteen thousand.” Nineteen thousand dollars, and she called it “not much”? She was trying to pull a scam right on my family’s turf! I scoffed, a humorless, angry laugh. At that moment, a group of men started gathering around us. Amber’s eyes lit up when she saw them. “See?” she hissed triumphantly. “If you don’t buy it, I’ll have these men take you away!” I swept my gaze over the men’s faces, and my smile broadened. “Uncle Frank, Uncle Bob, Uncle Jim, Cousin Mark!” I called out, my voice clear and cheerful. “You guys came to pick me up!”

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After seven years together, Victor Caldwell and I were finally getting married. I was excitedly knee-deep in wedding preparations, when I accidentally found our chosen venue double-booked. Or so I thought. My meticulously planned venue had been taken over, and I complained to Victor, only for him to brutally cut me off. “Are you ever going to stop nagging? It’s just a venue. If this one doesn’t work, we’ll find another.” I stared at Victor, stunned, completely bewildered by his sudden, icy attitude. He stopped contacting me first. And whenever I reached out, all I got were terse, clipped replies about how busy he was. It wasn’t until ten days before the wedding that I went to his office to find him. His voice drifted through the closed door: “Amber, I promise you, on the wedding day, all our guests will be at this venue. Her side will only have a bride.” “I haven’t changed the address on the invitations.” I stood there, frozen, the world tilting beneath my feet. So it wasn’t a double-booked venue. It was a stolen groom. 1. I stumbled home, my mind a blank, my heart shattered. I bumped into countless pedestrians along the way, oblivious. “Hey, lunatic! Can’t you watch where you’re going?” “Is she an idiot? Bad luck!” “Blind? Donate your eyes if you don’t need ’em!” My body stiffened at the insults, and I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. “Yes,” I mumbled, “I am blind.” A flicker of surprise crossed the person’s face, and they walked past me without another word. They probably misunderstood. But I didn’t care to explain. Rain began to pour down, drenching me in an instant. Yet, I felt nothing, the icy drops tracing paths down my face. By midnight, I was predictably burning with a fever. In my feverish haze, my phone buzzed. “Chloe,” Victor’s slurred voice mumbled through the speaker. “Can you bring me a hangover remedy at The Golden Canary Social Club? These guys have gotten me totally wasted.” I froze, instinctively reaching for the medicine cabinet. Then, I caught myself, stopping mid-motion. “I’m sorry,” I rasped, my throat raw. “I have a fever. I can’t.” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a chorus of teasing voices. “Victor, you lost! Looks like you’ll have to buy your own hangover cure.” A sweet, lilting voice, sickeningly familiar, chirped into the phone. It was Amber. I let out a soft, mocking scoff, and the line disconnected abruptly. Later that night, Victor stumbled home, reeking of alcohol. He yanked me, sleeping soundly in bed, to a sitting position. “Are you out of your mind? My friends were getting me hammered, and you just made excuses instead of bringing me a remedy?” He swayed, leaning over me. “Do you even care about me, your boyfriend, anymore?!” The heavy scent of liquor cleared my head a little. I pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to steady myself. “I said,” I enunciated slowly, “I have a fever.” The deliberate emphasis made Victor actually look at me. My flushed cheeks were enough of an explanation. He fell silent for a moment, then muttered softly, “I’m sorry. I’ll sleep in the study.” I let out a cold laugh and collapsed back onto the bed. Sleep was now impossible. From the study next door, I could hear hushed giggles and whispers. Annoyingly loud. I spent the entire night wide awake. The next morning, Victor emerged from the study, looking refreshed, with Amber trailing behind him. The moment he saw me, Victor’s smile faltered. He instinctively put some distance between himself and Amber. “Morning.” “The party broke up late last night,” he stammered, “and Amber didn’t have her keys, so I just brought her back here.” I nodded, sidestepping him and heading for the door. Victor grabbed my wrist. I looked at him, bewildered. He stuttered, “Where are you going? Aren’t we supposed to go wedding dress shopping today?” I paused, then turned and smiled. “Why don’t you two go? I have something urgent at work.” Victor seemed to visibly relax, a genuine smile forming on his lips. “Okay, then. Amber always has impeccable taste; I’m sure she’ll pick something we both love.” “Of course,” I agreed blandly. I informed Victor’s family and friends about the change of venue, then notified my own loved ones that the wedding was off. After that, I turned off my phone. I simply couldn’t bring myself to explain it all, one person at a time. Instead, I headed straight to the passport office. I’d already secured a spot for overseas study ages ago. But being a newlywed, I hadn’t wanted to be separated from Victor for so long, so I’d put it on hold. Now, with the wedding clearly not happening, I absolutely couldn’t give up this opportunity. As I walked out of the building, I saw Victor and Amber emerging from City Hall next door. Both of them were beaming. And then our eyes met, and all three of us froze. “What are you doing here?” I asked, cutting Victor off before he could speak, wanting to control the narrative. Victor flinched, his gaze instinctively darting away. 2. Amber extended her hand, linking it through Victor’s arm. She smirked triumphantly. “Victor came with me to take care of some business.” I merely glanced at her, my voice flat. “Congratulations.” Victor tried to follow, to explain something, but his outstretched hand found only air. “Chloe!” I didn’t stop, quickening my pace. That evening, Victor returned, with Amber again. I looked at them impassively. “Do you want me to give you the master bedroom? I don’t think the study is big enough for two.” My words seemed to strike a nerve with Victor. His face darkened. “Chloe! Do you have to be so cutting?” He threw his hands up. “What’s happened to you? You’re acting like a shrew!” I found myself laughing, a dry, humorless sound. It seemed I hadn’t said anything, hadn’t done anything, yet the label of “shrew” had already been slapped on me. I pointed at my head, still smiling faintly. “I’ve worn so many hats lately, I don’t even know which one I should be wearing anymore.” Victor looked uncomfortable for a split second. Then, a stinging slap across my face. “Don’t push your luck! Don’t forget, this is my house! You eat my food, drink my wine, live under my roof! And you have the nerve to talk to me like that?” He grabbed my arm, shoving me towards the door. “Get out! Get out of my house!” He pushed me out before I could even grab my phone. My face paled, and by the time I registered what was happening, I was locked out. “Victor Caldwell! Give me my phone!” I pounded on the door frantically. But the door remained stubbornly shut. It was autumn, and the air was crisp. I rubbed my arms, goosebumps rising on my skin. This may have been the place I’d grown up in, but at that moment, I was homeless. Penniless and without a roof over my head, my only option was to walk to the office. By the time I arrived, I was utterly exhausted, collapsing onto my desk and falling asleep instantly. It wasn’t until the next morning, with the help of my colleagues, that I managed to buy a new phone. I immediately dialed Victor’s number. It wasn’t him who answered. Amber’s voice came through the receiver. “Victor, it’s an unknown number.” Victor sounded annoyed. “If you don’t know it, hang up.” But Amber didn’t hang up. She probably guessed it was me. “Victor, maybe you should apologize to Chloe? She is a girl, after all… she needs to save face…” An innocent facade. That was my assessment of her. I let out a soft, mocking laugh. It was a terribly clumsy trick. Yet, Victor’s next words froze me. “Why should I care about her? She has nowhere else to go in this city anyway.” He scoffed. “She doesn’t even have her phone. She won’t last long before she comes crawling back.” The line clicked dead. I remained rooted to the spot, unable to process it. So. He knew. I let out a bitter, mirthless laugh. I had thought my heart was numb, incapable of further pain, but a sharp ache still pierced through me. I immediately redialed the number. “Why are you calling again? Didn’t you hear what I just said?” Amber’s impatient voice snapped. “Don’t you know how pathetic you are, clinging to Victor like a bad rash?” I ignored Amber’s stream of insults. I just smiled faintly. “Let’s meet. I have something for you.” Amber sounded suspicious. After a moment of hesitation, she agreed. “Southside Cafe.” I hung up and headed straight out. When the appointed time came, Amber was nowhere to be seen at the Southside Cafe. 3. “Chloe! Are you trying to bully Amber again?!” Victor’s impatient voice rang out. “I told you, there’s nothing going on between me and Amber. Why are you still causing her trouble?” Then, a sharp, stinging slap across my face. My cheek burned. I let out a derisive laugh, looking at Victor as if he were a complete stranger. “Hitting people first, without knowing the full story – is that the Caldwell family’s ‘breeding’?” Victor’s face turned an ugly shade. He pursed his lips, seemingly at a loss for a comeback. But since Amber hadn’t shown up, I didn’t need to hand over what I had for her. “If I truly wanted to cause her trouble, would I be calling your phone?” I asked, a hint of disdain in my voice. “Did I somehow know she’d answer your phone? That’s laughable.” I took a step closer, slowly advancing on Victor. His face grew even more distorted, and he instinctively stumbled backward. I found it utterly boring, turned on my heel, and walked away. Victor didn’t seek me out again, but the wedding day was drawing nearer. With only one day left, he, in his great mercy, sent over a necklace. No wrapping, no box. Just a bare, tarnished necklace. “Didn’t you love this necklace?” he said, holding it out. “I bought it back for you.” A sudden, sharp humor bubbled inside me. I looked up, meeting Victor’s eyes, my expression serious. “If you think I’d care for a secondhand necklace that was originally mine, then was stolen by Amber, and now you’re ‘buying it back’ for me, then you severely underestimate me.” Victor looked guilty, his face flushed. He braced himself, gritting his teeth. “Why are you being so unreasonable?” “You have what you wanted most, and I’m here by your side. What else could you possibly want?” he pressed, stepping closer. “Tomorrow, we’ll be husband and wife.” I gave him a half-smile, saying nothing. “I understand,” I replied flatly, then turned and walked away. “Where have you been staying these past few days? Your ID is at home. You can’t possibly be…” He started, reaching out to grab my hand. For a moment, I felt a flash of shame. Then, anger surged through me. I yanked my hand away from Victor, my eyes filled with an unspoken pain. “Victor Caldwell! If you knew I had nowhere to go, why did you kick me out?!” “Did you really…?” His gaze darted away, guilt etched on his face. He turned his head. “I thought you’d give in to me after half a day.” At that moment, I was just tired. “Forget it,” I mumbled. I didn’t want to deal with him anymore, and strode purposefully forward. But just as I reached the ground floor of my office building, an uninvited guest was waiting for me. “Chloe.” I instinctively turned and saw Amber. “You got the necklace, right? Consider it a little compensation from Victor and me. You loved it, didn’t you?” I looked at Amber. Around her neck, glinting, was “The Eye of the Ocean,” a diamond necklace recently sold at auction for hundreds of millions. Catching my gaze, Amber tilted her head haughtily, her hand brushing the necklace. “Victor said you liked that old necklace, so he traded ‘The Eye of the Ocean’ for it.” Her tone was ridiculously smug. “It’s just trash,” I said, a faint smile playing on my lips. “Keep it yourself.” Amber instantly exploded, her face contorted in impotent rage. I ignored her. The next day, I boarded my flight overseas, ignoring the frantic, endless calls from those mad dogs – Amber and Victor. Just before boarding, a powerful shove sent me sprawling onto the ground. “You’re ditching our wedding for this?!” 4. Amber, dressed in a wedding gown, had tears in her eyes, looking utterly pitiful. As for Victor, he was absolutely seething. I glanced at their attire; they both looked a mess, splattered with what looked like mud or trash. “Tsk. Isn’t this the wedding you two dreamed of?” I asked, a mocking lilt in my voice. “What? Couldn’t go through with it without me?” Amber seemed to snap. She lunged, pinning me to the ground, her weight crushing me. “Do you know you ruined me?!” she shrieked. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be the happiest bride today!” A searing pain flared in my neck. Suffocation clawed at me. Victor stood nearby, watching me with a complex expression, making no move to help. After a few tense moments, airport security finally noticed my predicament. “Hey! What are you doing?” one shouted. “If you don’t stop, we’re calling the police!” Several security guards rushed over, pulling Amber off me. I finally gasped for air, relief flooding through me. I quickly thanked the guards, then sprinted towards the boarding gate, getting on the plane as fast as possible. The moment I turned my phone on after landing, my best friend, Lynn, called. “Chloe, you weren’t there today, but you have no idea how awkward it was!” Lynn exclaimed. “All the guests were tricked; the wedding venue was empty!” “Victor Sr. was furious,” she continued, “he called Victor and demanded he show up. And that’s when the whole ‘switching brides’ thing was exposed right there! Victor and Amber got a serious beatdown.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. I’d expected something like this. Victor Sr. was obsessed with appearances; he would never tolerate such a public humiliation, especially switching brides for a mistress. “I saw them,” I said, a dark amusement in my voice. “They looked like hell. Amber even tried to kill me, but security stopped her.” Lynn gasped, horrified. Her concerned questions warmed my heart. “But it’s a shame,” she finally said. “I didn’t fly all this way just to see that circus. I just wanted to see you.” I fell silent, a bitter taste in my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. Lynn seemed to smile faintly. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I just want you to be happy. Once you’re settled, I’ll come visit you.” The moment I hung up, the full weight of being in a foreign land settled over me. But without those annoying people in my life, things were surprisingly peaceful. Six months later, old friends started messaging me, one by one, checking in. This sudden, strange outpouring of concern surprised me. I tried to probe, but I couldn’t get any solid information. Outside, the rain poured down, and my heart felt just as restless. Knock, knock, knock, knock— A violent pounding on my door made me jump. I crept cautiously towards it, my voice trembling slightly. “Who’s there?” Through the peephole, I saw no one. My hair stood on end. All sorts of terrible possibilities flooded my mind. “Open the door! I want to come home!” A familiar voice sent a jolt of pure dread through me. It was Victor! “This isn’t your home! Get lost!” I yelled, my voice rough and angry. I’d tried to alter my voice as much as possible, and definitely wasn’t speaking my native language. But the person outside sounded delighted. “Chloe, it’s you, isn’t it?” “I know it’s your voice! I came for you! Let’s stay together, okay?” Victor’s voice was filled with a desperate, childlike joy.

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1 My husband, Ethan Beckett, was a man of strict habits, often distant. He didn’t seem to care for me. Every night, he’d button his shirt all the way to the top before bed, and, just to top it off, he’d slip a self-improvement guide under my pillow. I’d finally reached my breaking point. I was about to hand him the divorce papers when, suddenly, a string of comments appeared before my eyes: [Poor Dragon Lord, about to be heartlessly abandoned during his mating season.] [The clueless female lead is blind as a bat! That’s not a self-improvement guide he’s slipping under your pillow, it’s ‘Beastman’s 108 Positions’!] [Female lead, why don’t you just touch him? The Dragon Lord’s… well, his ‘firepower’ is about to explode! He’s only holding back because he’s afraid of scaring you!] I froze, my hand hovering, the divorce papers momentarily forgotten. Then, I tentatively reached out and brushed my hand over his abs. … Ethan’s expression remained indifferent, his amber eyes gazing at me with a calm, almost serene, detachment. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice still that familiar, cool tone. The comments continued to scroll: [Is the male lead a ninja? So much self-control, and it’s already the third day of his mating season.] [What’s the male lead doing wrong? He’s only holding back and going for a ‘pure’ romance because he’s terrified of scaring the female lead away. He’s absolutely crazy about her!] [It’s no wonder the female lead thinks the male lead doesn’t like her. Tonight, out of spite, she’ll go to a club to find a male escort and get caught! That’s how the male lead and the true female lead finally meet.] What?! A male escort? And getting caught? Don’t jump to conclusions about things that haven’t even happened! My gaze drifted casually away from the comments. “N-nothing at all,” I stammered, feeling a blush creep up my neck. “You just had something on your shirt. I was just wiping it off for you.” Ethan said nothing, simply staring at me for a long time. So long, I was convinced he’d realized I wanted a divorce. I started to nervously crumple the divorce papers in my hand, but then Ethan picked up his bathrobe and walked into the bathroom. My spirits plummeted. I’d only touched him, and he immediately went to wash. Was he truly that disgusted by me? The comments, however, were anything but calm: [Silly girl, he’s not disgusted by you at all, he’s, hehehe…] [Whoa, whoa, whoa! The male lead finally couldn’t hold it in! The female lead just touched him, and now he needs a cold shower!] [Ah! The male lead is whispering the female lead’s name in the bathroom!] My cheeks burned. Was this the comment section or a private chamber? An hour later, Ethan emerged from the bathroom, his voice much clearer, less strained. “The Beckett Foundation is hosting a charity gala tonight. I need you to accompany me.” I frowned. “Oh, I don’t know…” Those galas were always exhausting and dull. Ethan reached out and gently tugged my sleeve, his voice softening, almost pleading. “Just this once.” The comments went wild: [Ugh, it’s a shame the male lead is lowering himself and begging, but the female lead still refuses and goes to find a male escort at a club!] [The Dragon Lord, uncomforted during his mating season, then finds his wife flirting with an escort! Heartbroken, he’s ultimately ‘rescued’ by the true female lead, and their romance begins!] [Female lead, just agree! If you don’t, you two are doomed tonight!] [Not only doomed, but without the male lead’s protection, she’ll be tormented half to death by his obsessed admirer!] A shiver ran down my spine. My refusal caught in my throat, then twisted into a reluctant agreement: “Alright. Just this once, I’ll indulge you.” The comments exploded: [Wait, what? How did the female lead agree?!] Ethan seemed to let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. Normally, I wouldn’t have noticed. But now, with the comments incessantly reminding me that “a dragon’s Adam’s apple is a sensitive spot,” I braved a second, closer look. And that’s when I noticed it. His eyes were subtly reddened at the corners, a stark contrast to his usual cool demeanor, and a suspicious dampness seemed to cling to him. Impulsively, I reached out and gently brushed his Adam’s apple. Ethan flinched violently, his breathing suddenly ragged, his Adam’s apple bobbing with a muffled sound. “You, you…” Frightened, I pulled my hand back. “I’m sorry! You don’t like it, I won’t touch you again!” His reaction was nothing like the “begging for rubs” the comments had described! 2 The comments erupted in a furious barrage: [Female lead, do you even know how to touch him? If you don’t, let me! This isn’t ‘dislike,’ Chloe, this is pure excitement from Ethan Beckett!] [Ethan Beckett’s inner monologue: My wife touched my Adam’s apple! She touched me! Do I have a chance to be a father?!] I looked suspiciously at the comments, then back at Ethan. The next second, he suddenly grabbed my hand and pressed it firmly against his neck, his voice muffled. “I… I like it.” My titanium-reinforced eyesight nearly popped out of my head. At my core, I was a total simp for good looks. The moment I first saw Ethan Beckett three years ago, my heart had completely fluttered. A year ago, I’d heard the Beckett family was arranging a marriage. I had fought my way through a host of wealthy socialites, determined to marry into the Beckett family. Who would have thought? We got married, but I ended up a de facto widow. This man either slept in the study or the guest room. On the rare occasions he returned to our bedroom, he still maintained a distance as vast as the Milky Way. If it were just that, I might have endured it. After all, seeing Ethan Beckett’s handsome face every day was a small consolation. But these past few days! In the middle of the night, he’d started pulling me into his arms, then he’d groan and mumble someone else’s name. He’d just keep repeating “Babe, Babe.” My name, damn it, is Chloe, not ‘Babe’! I’d had enough. This morning, I was absolutely determined to file for divorce. But now… I looked at the man before me, his face flushed crimson from my touch. I rubbed my chin with my free hand, thinking, maybe a few more days wouldn’t hurt. Based on the comments, who knew, maybe we’d finally get to share a bed soon. At such a critical moment, let Ethan Beckett go to some other “true” female lead? Never! Ethan’s body stiffened, a flicker of embarrassment and irritation crossing his usually cool face. “Don’t do that…” He lowered his eyes, which seemed to glisten, like a wet puppy’s. “Touching my chin like that, it’s like petting a dog. It’s… it’s undignified.” Startled, I pulled my hand back, forcing a sheepish laugh. “Oh, sorry, I just zoned out for a second. Would you believe me if I said I meant to touch my own chin?” Ethan’s face darkened, and he scowled. “Zoning out? Were you thinking about another man in front of me again?” His gaze was stubborn. “I saw you touch someone else last time. Why don’t you want to touch me?” He mumbled, almost to himself, “Even though I don’t like it, you can’t not touch…” He pressed his lips together, swallowing the rest of his sentence. I was surprised by how much he was talking today, and a little exasperated. “You say you don’t like it, but then you insist I touch you?” “What on earth do you want?!” Comments: [The female lead is so stubborn, she’s practically pushing the male lead straight into the true female lead’s arms.] Ethan, offended by my crude language, turned and walked away. The comments sighed: [Now that he’s gone, things won’t be the same when they meet again.] 3 [I’m rooting for them so hard. If only the female lead could read minds, they wouldn’t have so many misunderstandings.] [Female lead, you’re so confused! No matter how good a male escort is, can he be as good as Ethan Beckett? As handsome? As… lasting?] Lasting or not, how would I know? I haven’t tried. And who said I was looking for a male escort? I’m going to make Ethan Beckett a loving wife’s lunch right now. Once it’s ready, I’ll take it to his office. I want to see if this guy truly becomes as passionate as the comments claim, just from a touch. While cooking, my dad suddenly called. “Sweetheart, I heard Ethan Beckett is taking you to a gala tonight?” I hummed in agreement, arranging boiled corn kernels into a heart shape. Dad, ever the concerned parent, lectured me earnestly: “Honey, don’t go messing around tonight, okay? And delete those numbers on your phone, don’t keep too many of those guys.” I paused, realizing he was referring to the contacts I’d added from a party with friends a few days ago. “Okay, Dad, got it. Can’t talk now, I’m making Ethan Beckett a lunchbox. Gotta deliver it soon.” Perhaps because my long-held crush finally had a chance to see the light of day, my hands were trembling with excitement by the time I reached the lobby of Beckett Industries. The comments suddenly flooded the screen: [Why is the female lead here at the office now? If I remember correctly, the true female lead is here today to interview for a secretary position, probably in Ethan Beckett’s office right now!] [This is some kind of alternative dumpster fire… I’m almost afraid to watch…] This wouldn’t do! I immediately quickened my pace, heading into the building. As I tried to enter the elevator, the front desk receptionist stopped me. “Hello, do you have an appointment?” An appointment? “No, but I…” The receptionist, Ms. Rogers, cut me off before I could finish. “If you don’t have an appointment, you’ll need to wait in the lobby. I can schedule one for you.” Another receptionist, younger, sniffed dismissively. “Ms. Rogers, don’t be so soft-hearted. Aren’t there enough women throwing themselves at Mr. Beckett? Why help her make an appointment? If you ask me, anyone trying to get ahead with their looks should be kicked out.” Ms. Rogers frowned at her. “Don’t talk nonsense.” I sighed, pulling out my phone and calling Ethan Beckett’s executive assistant, Mr. Davies. “I’m at the front desk. Could you please come get me?” Two minutes later, under the stunned gaze of the receptionists, I followed Mr. Davies into the private elevator reserved for the CEO. When we reached the office door, before even stepping inside, I heard voices. A soft, feminine voice exclaimed: “Mr. Beckett, what’s wrong?” “Oh my goodness, you’re burning up! Do you need help?” 4 Ethan Beckett’s cool voice followed, tinged with exhaustion. “No, I don’t. Don’t touch me. Please leave.” The sound of shattering glass followed, and the woman’s voice rose. “How can I leave you alone like this? Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital.” Ethan Beckett’s voice held a hint of anger. “I said don’t touch me. Stay away from me.” Mr. Davies glanced at me, a somewhat awkward expression on his face, but he still pushed the door open for me. The office was a mess. A woman with flushed cheeks was supporting Ethan Beckett’s arm. Her pretty, doe-like eyes met mine, filled with a hint of timidity, and she spoke blushingly. “Mr. Beckett is ill. As a secretary candidate, it’s my duty to take care of him.” Mr. Davies’ face hardened. He stepped forward himself and took over supporting Ethan Beckett. “You haven’t passed your interview yet. You’re not needed here at the moment. Please leave.” Ethan Beckett looked terrible; the hair at his temples was drenched with sweat. He looked at me, wanting to speak, but only managed a pained groan. Mr. Davies prompted me. “Mrs. Beckett, please come closer.” He added, his voice soft, “Mr. Beckett… he really needs you right now.” I hesitated, a bit afraid to step forward, feeling like something momentous would happen if I did. But then I reconsidered. At worst, we’d end up in bed right then and there. Isn’t that what I married him for? What was there to be afraid of? I braced myself, walked over, took Mr. Davies’ place, and supported Ethan Beckett. He was burning hot. The moment I touched him, he immediately pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my shoulder, his breathing ragged and chaotic. Mr. Davies closed the door and left. Ethan Beckett, unsettled, rubbed against me, like a lost, disheveled dog. [What’s going on? The male lead kicked the true female lead out?] [Isn’t it the true female lead’s job to help the male lead through this? How’d it switch to the female lead (me)?] [Female lead (me) is fine too! Is this car about to hit the highway? Female lead, don’t let Ethan Beckett, that dragon, get away!] I stiffened, not daring to move. “Um, I came to bring you lunch. Are you hungry? Want some?” [Ugh, no! The Dragon Lord only wants to eat you, you stupid female lead!] [Don’t ask him if he’s hungry! Kiss him right now! Only intense… activity… will satisfy him!] [Are you all crazy? If the female lead satisfies the male lead, what about the true female lead? The official pair is true love!] [Who cares about true love? I just want to see some action, otherwise, my VIP subscription will be wasted! Female lead, go for it!] The comments made my heart pound with a mix of excitement and lust. I was just about to cup Ethan Beckett’s face and force a kiss when he pushed me away, looking as if I’d offended him. “Apologies. I need to compose myself. I won’t hug you like that again.” I saw red. He’d hugged me, he’d rubbed against me, and now he was saying he wouldn’t hug me again? What did he mean? Was I uncomfortable to hold? “So,” I challenged, narrowing my eyes, “should I go call that secretary back in?” I waited for his answer. Suddenly, a cold, scaly pressure coiled around my calf. I looked down, and nearly fainted. 5 A thick, dark dragon tail, its scales gleaming under the sunlight. I trembled, raising a shaking hand. “You, you, you…” Do monsters not hide anymore? In broad daylight, he’s wrapping his tail around me? Ethan Beckett’s body stiffened for a second, and he reached down to pull his tail away. “I’m sorry, I…” I wasn’t listening. It was too terrifying. The tail was horrifying, and Ethan Beckett’s eyes had transformed into inky green vertical slits. For a moment, I felt like I was looking at Godzilla from Ultraman. I turned to run, but he yanked me back. The dragon tail coiled around my ankle again, and Ethan Beckett’s burning hot body pressed against my back. His hoarse voice, like a wet, pleading puppy, whimpered: “Don’t be afraid of me, please.” [Isn’t the male lead supposed to reveal his beast form tonight? How is he already…?] [His soft, sweet wife is right in front of him, he just couldn’t hold it in, could he?] [That’s what you get for being so reserved and secretive! Now it’s exposed directly, and you almost scared your wife to death.] [Doesn’t this mean it’s office play unlocked? Waiting eagerly!] I didn’t dare move, trying to sound calm. “I didn’t see anything. I won’t say anything, just don’t…” Before I could finish, sharp teeth lightly grazed the skin on my neck. It didn’t hurt, but it tickled, and I felt even more terrified. “Don’t scare me. Put your teeth away.” I pleaded, my voice thin. “I’m just a normal person; I can’t survive a bite from you.” Ethan Beckett was truly ruthless. I just wanted to sleep with him, but he seemed to want my life! His ragged breathing hitched, and the pressure on my neck vanished. Ethan Beckett released me, steadied his breathing, and said softly, “You can go. I won’t force you.” I bolted. I’d been terrified of Godzilla from Ultraman ever since I was a kid. I’d thought, based on the comments, that my lust might outweigh my fear. Ethan Beckett was so devilishly handsome, I was willing to accept him even if he was a dragon. But after today, I completely gave up. The moment his tail appeared, I started trembling. How was I supposed to handle this? I couldn’t! [No? Female lead, you just left the male lead like that?] [He couldn’t even hold back his beast form! Leaving him like that, aren’t you basically signing his death warrant?] [It seems that if beastmen don’t… relieve themselves… during mating season, it’s very dangerous. They can get high fevers and convulsions.] My steps faltered. My heart began to churn with conflict again. Ethan Beckett… would he be in danger? Maybe I should go back and check? I turned and walked back towards Ethan Beckett’s office. The comments instantly boiled over: [Here it comes, here it comes, the famous scene is about to happen!] [I just pray the female lead sees this famous scene and doesn’t blame the male lead.]

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The moment King Alaric announced his intention to crown Charlotte, his ‘fated one,’ as Queen, the System declared my mission a failure. Nearly a decade I’d spent trapped in this realm, enduring untold hardships, all to win the hearts of three men. Yet, the Prophesied Maiden merely had to appear, and effortlessly, she shattered every ounce of my effort. The System informed me that despite my failure, meaning no reward awaited me in the real world, it could, however, send me home. And so, with a singular burning desire to return, I embarked on a series of elaborate attempts to end my life. But just as my consciousness began to fray, fading into oblivion, a desperate cry echoed in my ears. 1 The news of King Alaric’s impending marriage to Charlotte spread like wildfire, painting the entire Royal Palace with a veneer of joyous anticipation. In stark contrast, my own chambers – not officially a prison, but certainly feeling more desolate than any—the Shadow Wing, became a tomb of profound sorrow. This realm, I knew, was a fractured tapestry, a ‘fated world’ where the core narrative had utterly unraveled. I, Elara, had been chosen by the System to mend its broken script, to guide three pivotal men and restore the cosmic balance. Succeed, and a hundred million crowns awaited me in the real world. Day after painstaking day, I had toiled, meticulously building their affections. The affection meters were agonizingly close to reaching one hundred percent when Charlotte, the ‘Prophesied Maiden’ who should never have existed, materialized. For her sake, the three men turned against me, their former devotion twisted into bitter animosity. They confined me to these secluded chambers, leaving me to languish like a forgotten spirit, half-dead, merely existing. Today, as King Alaric proclaimed Charlotte his Queen, the System finally succumbed to despair. “Host,” it sighed, its voice laced with regret, “I regret to inform you that your mission has failed.” “Though the hundred million crowns are lost to you, know this: once your physical form perishes, I can transport you back to your true world.” Though wealth was tempting, the call of life—my true life—was infinitely louder. As I desperately cast about for a means to escape this living death, a cruel realization dawned: there wasn’t even a single silken cord for a quick, decisive end! Gazing at the swirling snow outside, I gritted my teeth. Still clad in my thin nightgown, I dragged myself out into the frigid air and lay down in the deepening drifts. To freeze to death might not be a dignified end, but compared to the sweet promise of home, it was a trifle. As my body temperature plummeted, my limbs grew stiff, then rigid. When that strange, deceptive warmth began to spread through me in the icy embrace, I knew death was imminent. But in the final flicker of consciousness, a furious roar shattered the encroaching silence: “Elara—!” A searing heat assaulted me, and I struggled to pry open my eyes. Before I could even make sense of my surroundings, a deluge of scalding water crashed over me. The man standing over me wore robes of deep imperial purple, adorned with shimmering gold embroidery. Rage radiated from him in palpable waves. Lord Corbin—the last of the men I was tasked to ‘charm,’ and currently the powerful Lord Regent of the Solaran Kingdom. I remembered our first meeting, years ago, on another day of heavy snowfall. Back then, he was merely a junior scribe, unjustly imprisoned in the Royal Dungeons by King Alaric due to the machinations of a jealous colleague. I had knelt for three grueling hours outside King Alaric’s throne room, begging for his mercy, until the King finally relented and cleared Corbin’s name. I knew Corbin was a man of deep, guarded thoughts. For years, I had been his ‘little sun,’ slowly melting away the hardened shell around his heart. I had truly believed I would win him over completely one day. But then, a year ago, the Spring Royal Hunt shattered all my illusions. During the hunt, Charlotte’s horse bolted, and she fell, seemingly left crippled. Her personal attendant immediately accused me of sabotaging her saddle. King Alaric, without so much as a proper inquiry, banished me to these secluded palace chambers. Master Eldrin, the Grand Seer, whom I had once saved at the risk of my own life, declared me a ‘Harbinger of Doom,’ condemning me to be paraded through the streets for three days, reviled by the populace. And Lord Corbin? He sent his guards daily to slap me for an entire hour. Seeing my eyes flutter open, Corbin’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. “The Palace has just announced Charlotte’s elevation to Queen, and you pull this desperate little play, Elara? Do you truly believe His Majesty will suddenly soften his heart?” “Such cheap theatrics! A common streetwalker’s act!” It had been a year since I last saw him. The man who now stood at the pinnacle of power bore no resemblance to the one who once looked at me with tenderness. Now, only contempt filled his gaze. He seemed to relish flinging every vile accusation he could conjure at me. To rouse me, Corbin hadn’t bothered with a Royal Physician. He had simply ordered his guards to douse me with buckets of scalding water. “Today is a day of joy for Charlotte. Summoning a physician now would only bring ill omens upon her!” “Besides, your life is worthless, isn’t it? And look, you’re awake now.” The searing pain in my knees, a constant torment, rendered me speechless. My silence only deepened the oppressive aura around Corbin. Then, with another cold sneer, he drew the ornate sword from his hip and tossed it carelessly a few feet away. “If you want to die,” he spat, “then do it cleanly. Don’t disturb Charlotte or cause her any undue sorrow!” Corbin watched me with a mocking gaze, utterly convinced I wouldn’t dare take my own life. But a flicker of hope ignited within me. Before he could react, I dragged my agonizingly painful legs, seized the sword, and aimed it at my throat. Corbin was right. Freezing to death was a slow, miserable end. A blade to the throat? That was swift. As the sharp steel sliced through my skin, a genuine smile touched my lips. Finally, I could go home. See Mom and Dad again… 2 The gruesome sound of flesh being rent echoed in the frigid air, and a sharp, involuntary gasp of pain escaped me. Just as I was about to drive the blade deeper, an unexpected resistance stopped it, preventing it from piercing further. Warm blood splattered onto my face, and I opened my eyes in disbelief. Corbin had seized the blade with his bare hand, blood gushing from his palm like a winding river. I caught a fleeting glimpse of panic in his eyes, but before I could truly register it, he wrenched the sword from my grasp. “Elara, haven’t you put on enough of a show?! To burden Charlotte with ill omens, you’d even disregard your own life? You truly are beyond ruthless!” Though Corbin had intervened in time, the blade had still grazed my neck. I clutched my bleeding wound, a bitter sneer lacing my voice. “Ruthless, am I? Then why, Lord Corbin, did you stop me? Why didn’t you just let me die?!” At my challenge, Corbin’s lips pressed into a tight line, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. But quickly, contempt returned to his gaze. “Your movements were clumsy just now, weren’t they? Were you not waiting for me to intervene? If you truly wished to die, Elara, no one could have stopped you!” His words ignited a furious, derisive laugh within me. “Clumsy movements? My knees are shattered, Lord Corbin! And for whom did I shatter them?!” Those three agonizing hours kneeling in the snow had left my knees with an irreversible affliction. Back then, Corbin had stood by my sickbed, promising me, word for word: “My Elara, from this day forward, I will be your legs.” Years had passed, and now, he had clearly forgotten that vow. As if a forgotten memory stirred within him, Corbin’s hand clenched into a tight fist. “If you know the agony of crippled legs,” he retorted, his voice strained, “then why did you cripple Charlotte?!” Hearing him still convinced of my guilt, still clinging to the narrative that I was the orchestrator of Charlotte’s misfortune, I closed my eyes in weary resignation. Noticing the blood still trickling from my neck, Corbin roughly pulled me into his arms. “Charlotte’s coronation is almost upon us. If you die, you’ll only bring ill luck upon her celebrations.” He spoke with brutal pragmatism, then, disregarding my struggles, dragged me directly to a grand hall in the southernmost part of the Royal Palace. The path grew increasingly familiar, and a grim realization dawned: Corbin was taking me to Master Eldrin, the Grand Seer of Solara. Inside the Seer’s Sanctum, Master Eldrin stood, robed in flowing white, an ethereal figure reminiscent of a celestial being. He was meticulously grinding herbs in a mortar. Hearing footsteps, he assumed it was a palace attendant, and his voice held a gentle, almost tender quality. “Take the balm I’ve just prepared to Charlotte. Do not tarry.” However, the moment his eyes landed on me, Master Eldrin’s gentle expression vanished, replaced by stark fury. “You wretched blight! Who permitted you to escape the Shadow Wing?!” Hearing Master Eldrin repeatedly brand me a ‘blight,’ my mind drifted back eight years. The Solaran Kingdom was weakened then, and in a bid for peace, they sent their Crown Prince, Alaric, to my homeland, Veridia, as a hostage. With him came Master Eldrin, the sole heir of the renowned Eldrin family, famed throughout the lands for their prophecies and healing arts. Due to Solara’s diminished standing, both Alaric and Eldrin had endured harsh lives within the Veridian royal court. Master Eldrin, in particular, was often tormented by other princes for his constant fascination with herbs and poultices. One day, Eldrin was lured into an isolated manor where fierce, exotic beasts were kept. I, heedless of my own safety, had drawn my bow and, without hesitation, shot down the wild wolf just as it was about to tear into him. That day, after I helped him to his feet, Eldrin stared at me blankly for a long moment before finally whispering: “Princess, are you the divine being sent from the heavens just for me?” But with Charlotte’s arrival, everything changed. Charlotte, who hailed from the southwestern territories, insisted on keeping venomous insects and serpents within the Seer’s Sanctum, leading to numerous attacks on the palace staff. When I suggested eradicating those dangerous creatures, Charlotte’s eyes welled up, and Eldrin, his brow furrowed, immediately confronted me on her behalf. “Charlotte merely seeks a sense of home within this vast Solaran Palace,” he had snapped. “Why must you be so relentlessly aggressive?!” Later, when Charlotte framed me, Master Eldrin brazenly fabricated a divination, branding me a ‘blight’ and leaving me to be scorned by all. Hearing Corbin’s accusation that I was attempting suicide, Master Eldrin merely cast a cold glance at the wound on my neck. “You would resort to any means to contend with Charlotte,” he sneered. “A woman like you? How could you ever willingly embrace death?” “Corbin, do not be deceived by her…” But before he could finish, I thrust my hand directly into the cage where he kept his venomous pythons. The moment he registered my action, the pestle in Master Eldrin’s hand clattered to the stone floor. 3 True to its nature, the python’s venom was potent. The instant its fangs pierced my wrist, a searing numbness shot through half my arm. Master Eldrin, usually so impassive, for once had a face alight with uncharacteristic panic. He rushed forward, shouting frantically: “Elara, are you mad?! To compete for favor, you’d throw your life away?! Your actions are utterly despicable!” But his curses no longer held any power over me. As breathing became an agonizing struggle, I saw them—Mom and Dad—waiting for me at the end of a long tunnel of pure white light. Seeing my lips turn a deep, ominous purple, Master Eldrin’s eyes hardened with a fierce resolve. With a single, swift stroke, he severed the venomous snake that clung to my arm. “Elara, don’t imagine that dying will absolve you of your supposed debt to Charlotte!” He then swiftly made an incision on my arm and began to suck out the poisoned blood, spitting it onto the floor. At his urgent command, a palace attendant retrieved the ‘Elixir of Nine Revolutions’—a potent draught Eldrin had originally prepared for Charlotte. The ethereal white light receded, and the ornate, carved beams of the Seer’s Sanctum slowly sharpened into focus. Bloody hell, the System never told me killing myself would be this hard! Just as I wallowed in the bitter frustration of yet another failed attempt at death, a booming announcement echoed from outside the hall: “His Majesty, the King, approaches—!” King Alaric stormed in, his eyes blazing. But the moment he saw me lying pale and still on the floor, the fury on his face faltered for a brief, almost imperceptible instant. The next moment, however, he seized my throat with brutal disregard, his voice low and menacing as he spat each word: “Where have you hidden Charlotte?! Why was her handkerchief found in the well near the Shadow Wing?!” At the mention of Charlotte’s disappearance, both Lord Corbin and Master Eldrin blanched simultaneously. Alaric’s grip choked me, and my eyes rolled back, but I refused to utter a single word. If he could truly strangle me to death with his bare hands, I’d be grateful to him for sending me home! Just as the last vestiges of air were squeezed from my lungs, King Alaric abruptly released me, letting me tumble unceremoniously to the floor. His voice was laced with dark malice: “Do you think playing mute will stop me, Elara? If you refuse to speak, I have countless ways to make you suffer!” Gazing at the King, a man consumed by shadows, my mind drifted back to our first meeting, a decade ago. Alaric was the first ‘challenge’ I faced. Back then, he had no inkling he would one day return to Solara, let alone elevate it to the foremost power among the three kingdoms. I had stayed by his side through four years of his life as a hostage in Veridia, teaching him many skills from my own twenty-first-century world. Later, he brought me with him back to Solara. Within the kingdom, we battled the treacherous court together. Externally, I aided him in countering the other two kingdoms. He had once promised me that both his kingdom and his heart were mine. But then Charlotte appeared, and I was subjected to his suspicion, even imprisonment. After his guards roughly bound me to a wooden cross, King Alaric retrieved a long, slender knife from a nearby rack of torture implements. “The Grim Cells hold three hundred and sixty forms of torment,” he murmured, his voice chillingly calm. “One is known as the Thousand Cuts.” “If you refuse to confess, I will use this blade to slice away your flesh, piece by agonizing piece!” The revelation that King Alaric intended to subject me to the Thousand Cuts made my eyes widen in sheer terror. I wanted to die, yes, but swiftly, cleanly. This was a torture reserved for heinous criminals—no human being could endure such agony! Ultimately, the primal fear in my heart utterly overwhelmed my pride. I turned, pleading, to Lord Corbin and Master Eldrin, who stood impassively nearby. “No, please… save me… I can’t bear the Thousand Cuts… Please, save me…” Yet, faced with my desperate plea, neither man moved. Corbin’s voice was sharp with impatience: “If you want us to spare you, then tell us where Charlotte is, now!” “I don’t know!” I shrieked, my voice cracking. “I don’t know, I don’t know! Are you deaf?!” Seeing my continued defiance, King Alaric brought the slender knife down, drawing a decisive cut across my skin. As he made cut after cut, my plain white nightgown slowly became saturated with crimson. The excruciating, tearing pain across my body tormented every nerve ending. “Alaric, if you’re a man, then kill me…” “I will never tell you… where Charlotte is…” To hear me provoke him even as my breath faltered, barely a whisper, sent King Alaric into a blinding rage. His eyes turned bloodshot. With a furious roar, he plunged the small knife deep into my palm. The agonizing, soul-deep pain sent spasms wracking my entire body. Just before darkness swallowed me completely, I saw Charlotte being wheeled into the hall by a palace maid, a vibrant bouquet of crimson winter roses clutched in her arms, her voice light with delight: “Why is everyone gathered here? Look at the beautiful roses I just picked!”

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