When I felt our baby kick for the very first time, I was so thrilled I recorded a five-second video and sent it to my husband, Ethan. But by sheer, cruel luck, the video was seen by his childhood best friend, Chloe—a woman suffering from a severe phobia of pregnancy. That very night, overwhelmed by a panic attack triggered by my video, she attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. In a blind rage, Ethan marched into my mother’s hospital room and yanked her oxygen mask off for exactly five seconds. “I warned you over and over again! Why the hell did you send me that video?!” “You love recording the baby kicking so much, huh?” “Fine. Let’s see how much you love it now!” For five agonizing seconds, my mother’s face turned deathly pale. The monitor flatlined into a horrific, steady scream. Tears streaming down my face, I dropped to my knees, begging him, promising over and over that I would never send another video. Ethan rejected me with ice in his eyes. He forced me to wear a 24-hour fetal movement monitor strapped to my chest. “From now on, for every second your baby moves, I will have someone pull your mother’s oxygen mask off for the exact same amount of time.” “This continues until Chloe wakes up from her coma!” For an entire month, I walked on eggshells, desperately trying to control my own body. But you cannot stop a baby from moving. After watching my mother’s oxygen ripped away for the sixth time, my tears completely dried up. I didn’t try to stop Ethan anymore. I simply took out my phone and booked an appointment for an abortion. If he wanted the kicking to stop permanently… getting rid of the baby was the only way, wasn’t it? BEEP… BEEEEEEP…! In the ICU room, my mother’s oxygen mask was removed for the sixth time. This time, it lasted exactly seventeen seconds. Watching the jagged peaks on the heart monitor slowly flatten out into a straight line, my mind was consumed by pure, suffocating terror. “Enough!” “Ethan, time is up!” “The baby only moved for seventeen seconds last night!” Tears blurring my vision, I scrambled forward desperately to put the oxygen mask back on my mother’s face. But Ethan’s expression was as cold as a glacier. “Twenty-five seconds!” “Mia, you secretly took the monitor off for eight seconds last night.” Spitting the words out like venom, Ethan began tapping his finger against his luxury watch. Tick. Tick. Tick. Until, an agonizing eight seconds later. He finally signaled his guards to let me go. “Mia, I don’t ever want to see you sneaking that monitor off again.” “This is your absolute final warning.” My ears were ringing violently. With trembling fingers, I strapped the oxygen mask back onto my mother’s face. My eyes were glued to the heart monitor. One second… Five seconds… The heart rhythm slowly, painfully, returned to normal. My entire body went limp. I carefully leaned against the wall just to keep myself from collapsing. Over the past month, I had tried a million different, agonizing ways to force my baby to stay still. But it still happened six times. And my mother’s oxygen mask had been ripped off six times. Every single time the mask was finally put back on, I was terrified I had lost her forever. My heart had been shredded and glued back together over and over again. I was physically and spiritually broken. This time, it was twenty-five seconds. What about next time? With a deafening buzz in my head, I opened my phone to a forum post I had made earlier. [How can I stop my baby from moving in the womb?] Below it, a random user had left a mocking comment: [You want to be pregnant but you don’t want the baby to move?] [Then why the hell are you having a kid?] [Just get an abortion, then it’ll never move again!] Yeah. If I just got an abortion, the kicking would stop forever, wouldn’t it? My hand gently rested on my swollen belly. In a daze, I remembered the day Ethan found out I was pregnant. He had hugged my stomach so tightly, his eyes shining with tears and absolute joy as he asked me over and over again. “Mia, I’m going to be a dad?” “I’m really going to be a dad?!” That day, he bought a mountain of parenting books and subscribed to dozens of pregnancy health blogs. He even created a group chat just for us called: [Mia’s Pregnancy Journey]. In his phone, cluttered with endless corporate chats and executive emails, that group was always pinned to the very top. Every single time I sent a message about the baby. He would reply instantly. Chapter 2 Time and time again, his love had slowly erased the terrifying anxiety I felt about pregnancy. Until his childhood best friend, Chloe, returned to the States. The moment she saw my slightly swollen belly, she started trembling violently, convulsing in a full-blown panic attack. Without a second thought, Ethan ripped off his suit jacket and threw it directly over my stomach. “Cover it up!” That “cover-up” lasted for three agonizing months. Whenever Chloe was around, I was forced to hide in corners where she couldn’t see me. I questioned him. I screamed at him. The only response I ever got was the same cold, dismissive sentence from Ethan. “She suffers from severe tokophobia (fear of pregnancy). Why are you being so petty and fighting with her?” “Her condition is a lifelong illness. You’re only pregnant for a few months.” The words I wanted to scream back were forced down my throat. The pain and the suffocating injustice wrapped around me like a spiderweb, tightening day by day. “Mia. Did you hear a word I just said?” Ethan’s freezing voice snapped me back to reality. I took out my phone and confirmed the abortion appointment. “Ethan, the baby will never kick again.” “What did you just say?” I put my phone down and looked up. Ethan was staring at me, his brow furrowed in annoyance. “If you’re done throwing a tantrum, go home.” “I have to stay and help the doctors with Chloe’s therapy.” He spat the words out like ice and turned on his heel, striding away without looking back. I moved my feet slowly, dragging myself down the long, sterile hospital corridor to the OB/GYN ward. Two hours later, the surgery was over. I was resistant to the anesthesia, so I was fully conscious as the nurse wheeled me into the recovery room. “Ms. Vance, if the pain gets to be too much, please take these painkillers immediately.” “Otherwise, your body might go into shock from the pain.” The nurse handed me a small paper cup of warm water and left. Enduring the horrific, tearing agony in my abdomen, I forced my mouth open and swallowed the pills. Before the pain even began to subside, my phone buzzed violently. [Hey Mia, want to see exactly how Ethan is ‘helping’ Chloe with her therapy?] A random, anonymous text. I frowned, just about to lock my screen. Suddenly, one of Ethan’s frat brothers flooded my phone with dozens of photos and videos. Blindingly explicit, half-naked photos assaulted my eyes. My entire body turned to stone. [Mia, Ethan’s ‘therapy’ is just one step away from finishing the job!] [The doctors said this is the fastest way to wake Chloe up from her coma.] [Don’t go blaming Ethan for this. After all, you brought this on yourself!] My mind went completely blank. It felt like a rusty saw was violently hacking at the raw flesh inside my stomach. Trembling fingers clutching the phone, tears burning my eyes, I stared at the endless stream of photos and videos. I always knew Ethan was assisting the doctors with Chloe’s therapy. But I never imagined it would be this utterly repulsive. My finger stopped on one specific photo. Ethan was leaning down, gently and intimately kissing Chloe’s neck. My vision went black. When it finally cleared… [Mia’s Pregnancy Journey] Those words flashed through my mind. That group chat had remained pinned to the very top of my messages app. But Ethan had unpinned it months ago. The group he had created with so much joy had long since been buried under an avalanche of his work chats. His new pinned chat was [Chloe’s Recovery Team]. I pulled up the camera app and snapped a photo of my abortion discharge papers. I sent it directly into our pregnancy group chat. Exactly as I expected, it sank like a stone in the ocean. No reply. I unpinned the chat, stood up, and walked out of the recovery room. When I got back to our house, Ethan wasn’t there. I lay down in our bedroom and fell into the deepest, most peaceful sleep I had had in months. I didn’t have to worry about the baby kicking anymore. I didn’t have to worry about accidentally bumping the heart monitor. It wasn’t until the next afternoon that Ethan finally came home, trailing two massive bodyguards behind him. His expression was as cold and detached as ever. “Mia. It’s time to check yesterday’s fetal movement logs.” He didn’t waste a single breath on small talk. He just gestured for the private doctor to step forward. Chapter 3 The fetal movement monitor was unstrapped from my chest, and the doctor plugged it into a tablet to extract the data. I stared at Ethan’s icy face and opened my mouth. “Ethan, what exactly is this ‘therapy’ you’re doing for Chloe?” “What kind of medical treatment requires you to perform it on her alone, behind closed doors?” My voice was dry and raspy. I waited quietly for his answer. Ethan frowned, just opening his mouth to speak. Suddenly, the doctor gasped in shock. “Mr. Sterling! Your wife’s log shows… nine fetal movements yesterday?!” Nine times? I froze. The baby was aborted first thing yesterday morning. How could there be any movement? “The data has to be wrong…” I blurted out anxiously. But before I could finish, Ethan’s brow furrowed tightly. “Mia, you did this to yourself, now you take the punishment!” “We agreed: however many times the baby kicked, that’s how many times we pull your mother’s oxygen.” “Nine times. A total of two minutes and twenty-three seconds.” “Do you want it pulled all at once, or broken up into sessions?” He was as cold and indifferent as a block of ice. I stared at him in utter disbelief. His phone suddenly rang. “Ethan! Chloe’s condition just crashed! You need to get to the hospital right now!” The panicked voice on the other end echoed through the room. Ethan’s face darkened instantly, his voice laced with fury as he barked an order at his guards. “Supervise my wife. Make sure the punishment is carried out in full. Record a video and send it to me!” Spitting out every word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the house. The shock hadn’t even faded from my eyes. I scrambled forward, grabbing his sleeve desperately. “Ethan, our baby is already a—” “Mia, stop making excuses!” “You are absolutely disgusting to me right now!” The words died in my throat, cut off by the intense, overwhelming loathing and disappointment in Ethan’s eyes. My brain buzzed violently for several seconds. My fingers twitched uncontrollably. It felt like my nose and mouth were drowning in the freezing depths of the ocean. I literally couldn’t breathe. Outside the mansion, the roar of his sports car tearing out of the driveway echoed through the walls. My legs completely gave out, and I collapsed onto the hardwood floor. “Ma’am. It’s time to go to the hospital.” The bodyguard’s robotic voice sounded above me. They hauled me up by my arms and dragged me to the car. Standing in that ICU room once again, my eyes were dead and hollow. The person lying in that bed was supposed to be me. In the critical millisecond of the car crash, my mother used every ounce of her strength to shield my body with hers. Covered in blood, her final words before slipping into a coma were: “Thank god my Mia is okay…” Ethan used to hold me while I cried, swearing on his life, over and over, that he would spare no expense to save her. And now… it hadn’t even been a year… Tears fell silently, pooling on the linoleum floor. With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and texted Ethan. [I’m begging you, please don’t pull my mom’s oxygen mask again.] [Ethan, it’s all my fault. I never should have sent you that video of the baby kicking.] [Punish me however you want, do whatever you want to me…] [I’m begging you. My mom is all I have left…] I sent dozens of texts. Every single one vanished into the void. I stared at the screen over and over again. No reply from Ethan. “Ma’am, we are initiating the protocol.” The bodyguard hit ‘record’ on his phone, reached out, and ripped the oxygen mask off my mother’s face. I threw myself forward with everything I had to stop him. But I was brutally pinned to the floor by the other guard. Once. Twice. … Seven times. My mother’s oxygen mask was violently removed seven times. Each duration longer than the last. My tears had completely dried up. My throat was raw and bleeding from screaming. Two minutes and twenty-three seconds. It was finally over. The bodyguard let me go. I scrambled desperately to my mother’s side and strapped the oxygen mask back on. My eyes were glued to the EKG monitor. One second. Three seconds. Ten seconds. The green line on the monitor remained completely, horrifyingly flat. Chapter 4 “Doctor!” “Please save my mom!” “I’m begging you, please save my mom…” The heavy, metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I grabbed the doctor’s coat, begging in sheer terror. The defibrillator shocked my mother’s chest again. And again. And again. The line on the monitor remained a flat, unwavering green. “Ma’am. We did everything we could…” “I am so sorry for your loss.” The doctor’s words buzzed in my ears like a swarm of hornets. I stared blankly at my mother’s lifeless face. My brain completely refused to process reality. Right at that moment, brilliant, deafening fireworks exploded outside the hospital window. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The sky lit up with dazzling colors. I looked up and saw massive, glowing letters spelling out a message in the night sky. [CELEBRATING CHLOE WAKING UP!] Chloe was awake? My paralyzed brain slowly began to turn. I pulled out my phone. Five minutes ago, Chloe had posted an update on her Instagram. [In a coma for a month. So incredibly blessed to have had someone by my side the entire time!] In the photo, Ethan was kneeling on one knee, his head bowed, gently putting a pair of socks on her feet. The absolute tenderness in his eyes was so foreign to me it made my head spin. So, his gentleness was still there. It was just reserved for Chloe. So, Chloe had woken up a long time ago. He just intentionally ignored my desperate texts begging for my mother’s life. The final string holding my sanity together snapped violently. I put my phone in my pocket and walked, step by slow step, down the hallway to Chloe’s VIP suite. “Ethan, thank you so much for this past month.” “I heard everything… I heard that to help wake me up, you performed that special ‘therapy’…” Chloe’s voice drifted through the door, sounding shy and demure. My hand, resting on the doorknob, froze. “Don’t worry, I’m not saying this because I expect you to take responsibility for me.” “I’m just afraid that my being here will cause misunderstandings between you and Mia.” “Now that I’m awake, I’m planning to move back to the States…” Before Chloe could finish her tearful, disappointed speech. Ethan’s voice abruptly cut her off. “Why do you have to leave?” “Mia’s baby is due in five months.” “After she has this baby, I’m getting a vasectomy.” Through the crack in the door, I heard Ethan making that promise, pronouncing every single syllable clearly. The man who had once promised me we would have a boy and a girl. To appease Chloe, he was going to get a vasectomy. A hollow, mocking smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. I shoved the door wide open. “Ethan, you don’t need a vasectomy.” “Because our baby is already a—” Before I could finish my sentence. Ethan shot up from his chair, snatched a pile of dirty clothes off the nearby armchair, and hurled them directly at my stomach. “Mia!” “Are you trying to make Chloe pass out again by flaunting your pregnant belly?!” “Cover it up right now!” My body went completely rigid. I stopped walking for a few seconds. Then, stepping directly onto the dirty clothes he threw at me, I walked closer, step by step. “Mia!” “I said, cover your damn stomach right now!” “This is your final warning!” Standing protectively in front of Chloe, Ethan’s face was terrifyingly cold. Seeing that I didn’t stop, his brow furrowed heavily. His eyes were filled with exhaustion and profound disappointment. “Mia, stop throwing these irrational tantrums.” “Chloe and I have always been completely platonic.” “The bond we share isn’t the filthy, romantic garbage you have in your head!” Spitting the words out like ice, Ethan pulled out his phone, ready to call his security guards. I spoke, my voice raw and raspy. “Ethan. Let’s get a divorce.” “Divorce?!” “Mia, say that one more time!” His jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered in his cheek. Ethan stood completely stunned. His eyes were wide with utter disbelief. “You’re the one who completely crossed the line, and you’re demanding a divorce from ME?!” The words were practically roared out of his lungs. Furious and agitated, Ethan took a massive stride toward me.

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As the holiday season approached, I drafted the year-end bonuses based on each employee’s title and overall contribution to the company. Once I confirmed the numbers were flawless, I prepared to issue the payouts. Just then, our newest intern, Chloe, walked into my office and said: “Ms. Davis, I deeply admire how you always treat everyone in this company like family. Since we are a family, we should all be treated equally. Therefore, regardless of whether someone is a senior employee or a new intern, the year-end bonus should be exactly the same for everyone.” I treated it as a joke and dismissed her request. To my utter surprise, right before closing time, Chloe returned. This time, she was flanked by the managers of the HR, Sales, and Accounting departments. She presented a petition signed by nearly every employee in the company, demanding I agree to her terms. I remained silent for a moment before looking at the three department managers. “So, you’re demanding that all year-end bonuses be exactly the same? Even if that means your bonus is zero, just like this intern’s?” Chapter 1 The color drained from the three managers’ faces. The office was dead silent for a moment before the HR Manager broke the tension. “Ms. Davis, as the head of HR, I believe that the most critical factor in a company’s growth is employee cohesion. And making the year-end bonus equal across the board is the best way to boost that cohesion.” The Sales Manager immediately followed, his tone serious. “Ms. Davis, you built this company from the ground up. You’ve been in the trenches; you know how hard the hustle is. The interns are a part of this company too. Some of them have even generated more profit than our senior staff. Not giving them a bonus would really discourage them.” The Accounting Manager quickly chimed in. “The company’s profit margins are excellent this year. Both the senior staff and the new interns have contributed to that success. It’s just one year’s bonus, Ms. Davis. Why stubbornly cling to outdated company policies? I say we make it equal this year, and we can discuss a more structured system for next year.” I remained silent. Chloe slammed her hand down on the stack of signed petitions on my desk, staring right at me. “Ms. Davis, what are you hesitating for? Do you really want to go against the wishes of your entire staff?” I looked at her, gripping the fountain pen in my hand until my knuckles turned white. Right after graduating college, I threw myself into entrepreneurship. For ten grueling years, I poured blood, sweat, and tears into building this company until it finally got on track. I truly treated my employees like family, offering them top-tier benefits. Paid weekends off, generous holidays, catered afternoon tea, monthly birthday parties, an on-site gym, a breakroom with a pool table and gaming consoles… Anything other companies offered, we had. Things other companies didn’t offer, we had too. But I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that the very employees who had weathered the storms with me would allow a brand-new intern to lead a mutiny against me with their signatures. My heart ached. It took five full minutes before I finally released my grip on the pen. I looked up, locking eyes with Chloe, tapped the petition on my desk, and asked deadpan: “If I refuse, are you going to lead all of them to resign en masse?” Chloe’s face shifted. She clearly hadn’t expected me to refuse to back down. The three managers beside her panicked and hurriedly interjected. “Ms. Davis, you’ve misunderstood! We aren’t threatening you with resignation.” “Right, right! We just want to improve morale so the company can thrive.” “Ms. Davis, we’ve been with you for years. How could we ever stage a mutiny against you?” You wouldn’t? Then what exactly are you doing right now? I gave a tight, sarcastic smile, picked up the petition, and walked toward the door. “Since this is the demand of the entire staff, let’s gather everyone together and hash this out before clocking out.” I used to say this company was a home for all its employees, and that every employee was family. But now, they were the ones rejecting this home, refusing to treat me like family. Since there were pests in the house, it was time to exterminate them. Chapter 2 Half an hour later, the entire staff was assembled in the first-floor lobby. Acting as if she owned the place, Chloe stood in front of me and addressed the crowd. “Earlier, the three managers and I asked Ms. Davis to make the year-end bonuses equal for everyone. She accused us of staging a mutiny. Now is the time to speak up. Let Ms. Davis hear whether this is a mutiny, or if we’re genuinely doing this for the good of the company.” The moment she finished speaking, a voice called out from the crowd. “Ms. Davis, how could you think that? I started here right out of college, and I’ve been with you for seven years. I generate millions in profit for this company every single year. I am absolutely doing this for the good of the company.” With the ice broken, others quickly chimed in. “Ms. Davis, you’ve really hurt my feelings.” “Ms. Davis, you call us family, but is this how you doubt your own family?” “Sigh, Ms. Davis, you are really making a massive mistake here.” … I didn’t say a word. I just looked at my employees, one by one. There were veterans who had been with me for years, and there were interns who had joined in the same cohort as Chloe. I understood the latter perfectly well. They wanted a bonus, which is why they banded together with Chloe. But the veterans? Why? I had never once shortchanged them. The voices kept buzzing in my ears. “Ms. Davis, we aren’t forcing your hand. We really just want what’s best for the company.” “Exactly! Think about it: if everyone’s bonus is identical, there won’t be any jealousy or comparison. We’ll truly become one big, united family.” “Ms. Davis, whether it’s us senior employees or the new interns, we all work our tails off for you. You can’t just slap everyone in the face like this.” “…” I looked at Chloe. The corners of her mouth were turned up in a smug, provocative smirk. “Did you hear that, Ms. Davis? You can’t fight the will of the people!” The three managers beside her nodded in agreement. “The law is the law, and company policy is policy, but neither can go against the will of the people. Ms. Davis, just agree to it.” “Ms. Davis, I’m going to be blunt. If you don’t agree today, these people might not quit, but their motivation will absolutely tank. Ultimately, the company’s bottom line will suffer.” “Ms. Davis, it took you ten years to build this company. Can you really bear to see it damaged over something so trivial?” I pressed my lips tightly together. Just as I was about to speak, a lone voice cut through the crowd. “Ms. Davis, I absolutely disagree with making the year-end bonuses equal!” I looked toward the voice. It was Leo. He had joined the company a year ago, and due to his exceptional performance, he had already been promoted to department supervisor. Chloe glared at him furiously. “Leo, I am fighting for benefits for all employees, including you. What do you mean you disagree? Are you trying to make yourself the enemy of the entire staff?” Leo looked at her with pure disdain. “Chloe, I have two hands, two feet, and a functioning brain. I can earn my own money. I don’t need you to ‘fight’ for anything on my behalf.” Chloe’s face turned ugly. Leo turned to me. “Ms. Davis, I’ve always believed that you earn what you work for. You shouldn’t take what you haven’t earned. If you compromise today, tomorrow they’ll start demanding ‘equal’ monthly salaries regardless of performance. That is a recipe for absolute disaster.” I felt a surge of relief. Thank God there was still one person with a functioning brain in the room. However, Leo had effectively made himself public enemy number one. The entire staff immediately began verbally attacking him. Chloe turned back to me. “Ms. Davis, I strongly suggest you terminate Leo immediately. A toxic employee who actively undermines team unity has no place in this company.” Before I could answer, she added, “Furthermore, I propose the company establish a new department exclusively for managing and distributing year-end bonuses. I volunteer to serve as the manager.” I laughed out loud. The fox was finally showing its tail. “Quiet!” I clapped my hands loudly. Facing the stares of every single employee, I spoke with absolute calm. “Since you all unanimously demand that the year-end bonuses be equal across the board, starting this year, your bonuses will be exactly the same as Chloe’s.” “And since Chloe is an intern and does not qualify for a year-end bonus, none of you will be receiving one either.” “Oh, except for Leo, of course!” The moment the words left my mouth, every single face in the room—except Leo’s—drained of color. Chapter 3 After two seconds of stunned silence, Chloe’s voice rang out. “Ms. Davis, are you threatening us?” I looked at her, genuinely amused. “Threatening? How so? You demanded equal bonuses across the board, and I agreed to your terms.” Chloe’s face darkened, glaring at me. “If this isn’t a threat, then why aren’t the bonuses equal to the highest earner’s standard, instead of zero?” “Ha!” I let out a dry laugh. “Chloe, are you the CEO, or am I the CEO? I have agreed to your demand: the distribution of the bonus is completely equal. Don’t push your luck.” “Yes, you agreed, but our demand is that the bonus be distributed according to the maximum standard. Everyone gets the highest possible bonus.” Hearing Chloe speak with such staggering entitlement, I literally laughed out of sheer anger. They want a bonus, they want it to be equal, and they want it set at the absolute maximum payout tier. Do they think I’m running a charity printing press in the basement? Nothing in this world works like that! I gave them respect, but that didn’t mean they could walk all over me. I was the boss. They were the employees. I had heard of employees walking on eggshells around the boss, but I had never heard of a boss having to cater to the whims of the employees. I looked at the crowd of employees and asked coldly, “Is this what all of you think, too?” They looked at me, then at Chloe, and guiltily lowered their heads one by one. My voice grew colder. “Many of you have been with me for six or seven years. You know exactly how I’ve treated you. Have I ever once shortchanged your salaries or your commissions? I can understand wanting a bigger bonus, but actually listening to a brand-new intern and demanding an ‘equal’ payout? You’d be laughed out of any other corporate building in this city.” Hearing that, many heads dropped even lower, and expressions of shame began to ripple through the crowd. Just as I suspected. I had been too soft on them. It made them think I was a pushover they could easily manipulate. “Ms. Davis, don’t change the subject,” Chloe’s irritated voice cut in. “I am an intern, but interns are a part of this company too. As long as it’s for the good of the company, I have every right to voice my opinion.” I gave her a long, hard look. “You are merely an intern. You are not an official, permanent member of this corporate family. Therefore, you do not have the right to voice any demands.” With that, I turned my gaze back to the rest of the staff. “I am only going to say this once. If you continue to insist on equal bonuses across the board, you will get absolutely nothing. If you regret this stunt, come to my office before 10:00 PM tonight, and I will personally issue your original, performance-based bonus.” No one spoke, but hesitation flickered across almost every face. I didn’t wait for an answer. I turned and walked away. I had given them an out. If they couldn’t grasp it, they couldn’t blame me for being ruthless. But I truly didn’t expect that not a single person would show up. Actually, no—Leo showed up. He pulled out his phone, opened a voice recording, and hit play. Chloe’s voice echoed through my office. “Don’t let her scare you! I guarantee you she doesn’t have the guts to fire all of us!” Chapter 4 The recording was chaotic and loud, painting a vivid picture of the frenzy that erupted in the lobby after I left. “It’s easy for you to say! What if she’s serious? Are you going to cover our financial losses?” “Yeah, are you going to pay us?” “Chloe, we only backed you up as a favor. I don’t care about anyone else, but my bonus was supposed to be around $3,000. If Ms. Davis doesn’t pay out, you owe me that $3,000.” “And mine!” “Mine too!” “…” “You guys…” Chloe sounded exasperated and frantic. “Can you grow a spine?! She said one sentence and you’re all terrified!” “Hmph, so what’s your brilliant plan then?” “Yeah, what do we do now?” “It’s simple. Tomorrow morning when she gets to the office, we’ll all be waiting by the front doors. We will hand in our resignations, one by one. I refuse to believe she’ll actually accept them.” “But what if…” “There is no ‘what if.’ Unless she literally wants to bankrupt her own company, she will cave.” The recording ended. Leo looked at me. “Ms. Davis, I hope you won’t compromise. If you yield now, it’ll set a disastrous precedent. They won’t appreciate your leniency; they’ll only see you as weak and easily exploitable.” I smiled and asked, “Do you honestly think I’m going to compromise?” Leo didn’t answer. I knew exactly what he was thinking. It was true. I had poured ten years of my life into this company. I absolutely did not want to see it damaged. Even if only half the staff quit—let alone everyone except Leo—it would severely impact operations. But Chloe, and the people blindly following her, were no longer the pillars supporting this company. They were termites eating it from the inside out. Keeping them around would only allow the rot to spread. Conversely, purging them would hurt the company, but the pain would be temporary. A brief, sharp pain is always better than chronic agony. The next morning, as soon as I stepped out of my car, I saw Chloe leading a massive crowd of employees outside the main entrance. Before I could even get close, they started speaking up one by one. “Ms. Davis, I’m resigning.” “Ms. Davis, I’m so sorry, but I have a family emergency. I’ve already printed my resignation letter, please sign it.” “Ms. Davis, thank you for the opportunity, but I don’t think this company is the right fit for me anymore.” “…” Chloe watched me, a sickeningly smug smile on her face. “Ms. Davis, I tried so hard to talk them out of it, but they just won’t listen.” I smiled back and asked, “Aren’t you resigning too?” Chloe’s expression faltered. Realizing everyone was looking at her, she quickly replied, “Of course I am. But I really don’t think it needs to come to this. There’s a solution to every problem. Right, Ms. Davis?” Before I could answer, she pressed on. “Ms. Davis, if we all quit, the company will completely halt operations. Can you really bear to watch ten years of your hard work go down the drain over something like this?” I nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. I can’t bear to see that.” A look of victorious joy flashed across Chloe’s face, but my next sentence wiped it out instantly. “But since you all insist, I have no choice but to accept.” Chloe froze perfectly still. It took her several agonizing moments to stammer out, “M-Ms. Davis… what do you mean?” “Nothing complicated. I’m just granting your requests.” I started walking toward the building doors. “Follow me inside. Line up outside my office, and I’ll sign your resignation letters, one by one.”

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I spent five days in the hospital with severe gastroenteritis, and Chloe never visited me once. That was when I knew we had to get a divorce. That night, I slid the finalized divorce papers across the desk to her. She looked up from her laptop, her gaze trying to pierce right through me. “The day before yesterday, I missed our dinner because I was helping Ethan format his data. You know he’s a new hire, his foundation is weak, and since we went to the same college, I’m the only one he can turn to.” “Yesterday, he left his tie in my car. I went to drop it off, and that’s why I missed our anniversary.” “Today, there was a massive error in his spreadsheet, and it was due in three hours. He’s my team member, I couldn’t just let him fail.” “I know you’ve always been bothered by his existence. I can give you my phone, or even pull the office security footage to prove there’s nothing going on between us.” “As for you being hospitalized, I saw your text. But the company Slack channels were blowing up, and I just forgot to reply. The damage is done, and I’ve explained everything clearly. But if you still want to get a divorce, I will cooperate.” I looked at her, completely numb. Over the past few days, she had done so much for Ethan. She, a person who normally kept a strict schedule, had stayed up for three days straight just for him. But she “forgot” to stop by the hospital to check on her husband. I nodded. “Let’s just get the divorce.” Chapter 1 I waited at the county courthouse until the clerk’s office closed. Chloe never showed up. She finally got home at 11:00 PM. Seeing me sitting on the couch, she didn’t say a word and walked straight to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. “I called you thirteen times,” I said. “You didn’t answer.” She paused mid-sip, pulled out her phone, and looked at it with a blank expression. “My phone died during meetings today. I never turned it back on. What’s up?” Her tone was so incredibly flat, like she was commenting on the weather. I knew it. She had forgotten our appointment again. She was always so forgetful. Over our seven years of marriage, this had happened countless times. Small things, like asking her to turn off the AC before leaving the house, or asking her to pick up takeout on her way home. Big things, like when my dad was critically ill. His dying wish was to see his family one last time. I begged her to take just one day off. Just one day to fly back to Chicago and see him. She promised she would. But my dad passed away, and she still hadn’t arrived. I only found out later. That day was Ethan’s first time leading a project pitch, and he was nervous. She promised him she would be in the room to back him up. That was the very first time I realized how little weight I carried in Chloe’s heart. The realization was like a plastic toy knife dragging hard across my chest—it stung, but it didn’t hit bone. I pulled myself out of my memories and kindly explained. “We were supposed to go to the courthouse today to file the papers.” “Tomorrow is the weekend, so I made a new appointment for Monday morning.” Chloe kept her eyes glued to her lit-up phone screen. She didn’t look at me. “Fine. See you at the courthouse on Monday.” I nodded. Monday. Chloe and I signed the divorce papers. After the mandatory 30-day waiting period, we would just need to make one more trip to finalize the decree. After signing her name, Chloe kept her head down, her fingers flying across her phone keyboard, replying to someone. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. A contact with a generic male avatar had sent her a string of crying emojis. We walked out of the courthouse doors. “I have things to do at the office,” Chloe said. “I’m not going to drop you…” I nodded and pointed at the Uber pulling up. “My ride is here. You go do your thing.” The Uber parked right next to her car. I opened the door and got in. I didn’t look back at Chloe standing outside. Chapter 2 I told my best friend, Marcus, about the divorce. I asked him to keep an eye out for any decent apartments. My hometown was in the Midwest, over a thousand miles away from Seattle. I had sold my old house back there to pay for my dad’s medical bills. The house Chloe and I lived in was mostly paid for by her, and the deed was entirely in her name. Since we were getting divorced, I had to move out. I had nowhere to go. Marcus quickly found three solid apartment options for me. Just as we were about to jump on a FaceTime call to do a virtual tour, I got a text from Chloe. [Thai basil chicken and coconut soup.] [Come over early. I have a meeting at 1:30 PM.] I stared at the two messages, then calmly swiped to delete them. Chloe worked in a high-stress corporate environment. She never ate on time, and her diet was garbage. After she collapsed and was hospitalized for severe stomach ulcers, I started obsessively researching stomach-friendly recipes online. From that day on, I cooked and delivered lunch to her office every single day. Whatever I made, she ate. She almost never complained. I kept this up for three years, and her stomach issues never flared up again. But six months ago, she suddenly started requesting specific dishes. I thought she was just getting bored of the bland, stomach-soothing meals, so I started putting extra effort into tweaking the recipes. Until that one time. I saw the texts between her and Ethan on her phone. [Ethan: Hey, what’s Oliver making for lunch today?] [Ethan: Ugh, steamed veggies again? I hate steamed food.] [Ethan: Tell Oliver to stop making steamed stuff next time. I want something pan-fried.] [Ethan: Oliver is such a good house-husband. I can’t cook to save my life. You’re so lucky to have him.] Chloe replied: [You’re different from him. Don’t sell yourself short.] [One is a shark in the corporate world, the other is a stay-at-home husband. There’s no comparison.] [A person can’t be completely useless. Staying at home, this is all he’s good for.] Seeing those messages broke my heart. So I asked Chloe about it directly. She was surprised I looked at her messages, but she wasn’t mad. She just answered me calmly and casually. “Oh. Ethan has a sensitive stomach, so he can’t eat takeout all the time. The food you make is perfect for him, and it’s healthy. It’s a win-win.” Her flippant tone felt like a sledgehammer smashing my warm, beating heart to pieces. I was sweating in the kitchen, constantly studying recipes in my free time. My carefully prepared meals, all my hard work and devotion… It all just became a joke to comfort another man’s ego. And it wasn’t like I didn’t have a job. I was a freelance translator. The foreign language dictionaries I used every day were sitting right there on the bookshelf. She just never cared enough to notice. After finalizing an apartment I liked, I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders. Marcus told me that when I moved back, he was going to make me buy him an expensive dinner. I happily agreed. When Chloe called, I was dozing off on the couch. “Oliver, did you not see my texts?” I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing myself to wake up. “I saw them. What’s wrong?” The woman on the other end suddenly went silent. A moment later, I heard her say, “I haven’t eaten lunch yet.” “You can order DoorDash.” “Didn’t you always hate it when I ate takeout?” Her tone sounded genuinely confused. I sighed, feeling a wave of exhaustion. “Cooking for you wasn’t a legal obligation. I did it because I cared about your health. It was voluntary.” “But Chloe… we signed divorce papers a week ago.” Chapter 3 After Chloe hung up, I went back to my room and slept until it was dark. The moment I walked out of my bedroom, I saw Ethan supporting Chloe as they walked through the front door. Her pant leg was torn. She must have fallen. Ethan followed behind her, his eyes red, urgently nagging her. “Chloe, slow down! Your leg is still hurt!” The second he saw me, Ethan immediately started whining. “Oliver, you need to talk some sense into Chloe! We had a client dinner today, and the client wanted me to take a shot with him, but Chloe absolutely refused to let me drink. When we were leaving, the client bumped into her on purpose and she fell down the stairs and scraped her leg!” “It’s just one shot, it’s not like I can’t handle my liquor! Why did she have to play the hero?” Ethan told me to “talk some sense” into her, but the smirk on his face was glaringly obvious. His fake outrage was painfully theatrical. So I didn’t say a single word. I just nodded and turned back to my room. Having lived in this house for five years, there was a lot I needed to pack. From the living room, Ethan’s laughter echoed intermittently. A while later, someone knocked on the door. I got up and opened it. Chloe was leaning heavily against the doorframe. “Where’s the first aid kit?” She pulled up her pant leg, revealing a bloody scrape. I glanced at it, then looked back up, genuinely confused. “The first aid kit? Didn’t you give it to Ethan?” Three months ago, Ethan bought an e-bike, claiming it would make commuting easier. He crashed it on his very first day. Chloe got the call and immediately abandoned my birthday dinner to go find him. Later that week, I burned my hand while cooking. I couldn’t find the first aid kit, so I called Chloe. Ethan answered her phone. “The first aid kit?” “Hey Oliver! Yeah, I crashed my bike, so Chloe brought the first aid kit to my place. Can you just tough it out for a bit? I’ll have her bring it back to you tonight.” Chloe’s usually stoic face finally showed a crack of emotion. She clearly remembered now. “I forgot.” I smiled and nodded in agreement. “You really do have a terrible memory.” The day Ethan answered that phone call, I was furious. When Chloe got home, I confronted her. I asked her why she was giving our household items to other people. She didn’t even look me in the eye. Her gaze remained locked on her laptop screen as she typed. “It’s just a first aid kit.” “It sits in the house all year and no one ever touches it. I gave it to him, so what?” But that first aid kit… I checked the expiration dates on the medicines every single month and restocked them. Every single item inside was carefully curated by me. It was a symbol of my dedication to protecting this household. And she gave it away like it was nothing. Just like every meal I poured my heart into making—with a wave of her hand, it became someone else’s lunch. “You can order bandages on UberEats,” I reminded her. “If there’s nothing else, I have to get back to packing.” With that, I closed the door, completely ignoring the people outside. Chloe stared blankly at the tightly shut door. For some reason, her chest suddenly felt a little hollow. Chapter 4 The days passed one by one. I shipped the things I had packed back to my hometown, box by box. This house, where I had lived for five years, slowly began to empty out. It felt like peeling away the physical vessel of all my memories, piece by piece. I thought the remaining days would pass by quietly. But suddenly, Chloe changed. She started acting like a devoted partner. Someone who used to be obsessed with working overtime was suddenly clocking out precisely at 5:00 PM every day. A person who never cared about my needs started buying me breakfast and bringing home late-night snacks. Confused, I asked her what she was trying to do. Chloe, rarely ever caught off guard, hesitated for a long time before answering. “My mom called. She wants us to come over for a family dinner.” I hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed. I got along well with Chloe’s parents; they had always treated me like a son. Since we were getting divorced, it was only right to see them one last time. It was raining heavily on the day we went to the restaurant. Her parents had already ordered the food. More than half the dishes on the table were my favorites. Chloe’s mom used the serving tongs to place a piece of roast duck onto my plate. Smiling brightly, she chatted about how the neighbor’s daughter-in-law just had her second baby. Then, the conversation abruptly pivoted to Chloe and me. “When are you two going to think about having a baby?” “You should do it while your dad and I still have the energy to help you babysit!” In the past, I probably would have smiled warmly and said we weren’t in a rush. But this time, I didn’t say anything. I just kept my head down and ate the duck. The table went dead silent for ten agonizing seconds. Her parents exchanged confused looks. Chloe grabbed my hand, her tone absolute. “Soon.” Her parents immediately beamed. I pulled my hand out of hers. Chloe was too focused on her phone to notice. After dinner, Chloe’s mom pulled me aside to chat. Chloe’s phone rang several times, but she didn’t answer. Her mom finally nudged her. “It’s so loud! Can’t you see I’m talking to Oliver?” Chloe glanced at me. “It’s work. I need to take this.” By the time the table was cleared, Chloe still hadn’t returned. I called her. She didn’t answer. Her parents called her. Still no answer. Staring out at the torrential downpour, my mind drifted back to a day exactly like this. I was walking past Chloe’s office building when a massive thunderstorm broke out. I couldn’t get an Uber to accept my ride. I waited until Chloe got off work and called her. The moment the call connected. I saw her familiar car parked just down the street. I saw Chloe in the driver’s seat, and Ethan in the passenger seat. Chloe asked me what was up. I told her it was pouring rain and asked if she could swing by and pick me up since I was close by. She replied: “Just keep trying to get an Uber. I have to work late tonight.” Right as she said that, the boy next to her reached out, offering her a potato chip. Covering the phone’s mouthpiece, she turned her head to decline, but eventually gave in and ate it. She lied so flawlessly, so naturally, that I honestly thought I was looking at the wrong car. I spent dozens of sleepless nights replaying that moment in my head. Later, I finally understood. She didn’t love me, so she didn’t care. Just like how she didn’t like potato chips, but she wouldn’t reject one when Ethan held it to her lips. Just like how she didn’t like potato chips, but if the pasta I cooked for her got cold and soggy, she wouldn’t even take a single bite. The rain finally stopped. I hailed a cab and dropped her parents off at their house. In the middle of the night, I heard the front door open. Chloe was back. She was on the phone, her voice carrying through the apartment. Through the wall, I heard her let out an exasperated sigh and say the name: Ethan. When I woke up, I had over a dozen missed calls from Ethan. There were also unread text messages from him. [Oliver! Chloe and I have strictly professional boundaries! Please tell her not to transfer me to another department!] [She said you misunderstood and want a divorce. I swear I didn’t do anything on purpose! I’ll keep my distance from now on, just please don’t let her fire me!] I stared at the messages, completely baffled. I didn’t reply and placed my phone face-down on the nightstand. I was packing the last few items of clothing left in the guest room when Chloe pushed the door open, sounding frantic. “Oliver, what did you say to Ethan?!” “He said he was going to explain everything to you, and now he’s gone! I can’t reach him at all!” “What did you do to him?!” Her chest heaved violently. She stared at me, unblinking. Chloe was always so reserved and composed. She rarely ever showed extreme emotion. Yet all her outward panic was for another man. I opened my text thread with Ethan and shoved the screen in her face. “I don’t know what happened between you two last night, or why I’m being dragged into it.” “When he sent these texts, I was asleep. And frankly, I don’t feel obligated to reply to him.” Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she instantly answered. The panic on her face turned to joy, then back to panic. “Come back first! We’ll talk about the rest later!” “Do you want your parents to keep leeching off you forever? Come back!” “Then just come stay here!” “It’s a two-bedroom apartment. It’s just me and Oliver.” As she said that, she glanced at me and turned on the speakerphone, holding it out to me. Ethan’s sobbing voice echoed loudly in the room. “Oliver… I’m so sorry, I’m going to have to intrude…” “I canceled my lease because I was going to move back to my hometown. But Chloe wants me to stay, and I can’t find an apartment on such short notice. Can I stay with you guys for a little while?” “I swear I’ll move out the second I find a place. Please.” Meeting Chloe’s heavily suggestive gaze, my fingertips felt a little cold, but I also had the urge to laugh. “It’s fine. You’re welcome to stay.” On the other end of the line, Ethan cheered in excitement. Chloe gave Ethan some careful instructions. “Wait for me at the airport. I’m heading there now.” She hung up the phone and looked at me. “I’m going to pick Ethan up. Tidy up the guest bedroom for him while I’m gone.” I reminded her. “Can Ethan take an Uber? There’s somewhere we need to go together today.” Chloe frowned. “I already promised him. I can’t just go back on my word.” “It’s only a three-hour round trip. Whatever you need to do, it can wait until I get back.” “Okay.” “I’m leaving.” She rushed out the door. She completely failed to notice the small duffel bag sitting next to me. I waited for Chloe for three hours. She didn’t come back. I checked my phone and saw a post Ethan made on Facebook ten minutes ago. [I was so sad today, but my boss is taking me to an auto show!! What guy can say no to cars? I definitely can’t! ~] I liked the post. I stood up. Grabbed the duffel bag holding my last set of clothes. And walked out of the house I had lived in for five years. After walking out of the courthouse, I texted Chloe a photo of the final divorce decree and headed straight to the airport. Seven hours later, I landed in my hometown. I climbed into my friend’s car, who had been waiting for me. As I listened to him ramble on about how much the city architecture had changed, I turned on my phone. Notifications flooded my screen like a tsunami.

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Today, the fried noodles from this particular food truck smelled incredibly good. I snapped a quick picture of the styrofoam container and texted it to Carter. He didn’t reply. I sent another text: “Are you working late?” “Should I grab you a box on my way home?” The chat remained completely silent. It wasn’t until I had finished the very last bite that a message finally popped up on my screen. “Could you stop sending me pointless garbage all day?” “What a waste of money.” Staring at those words, my eyes stung. I was just about to type out an apology when I caught a glimpse of a red notification dot on my Instagram feed. It was Carter’s executive assistant, Chloe. She had posted a picture of a diamond necklace. The caption read: “Thank you for the amazing surprise, Mr. Sterling!” That was the exact necklace I had stood staring at in a jewelry store window for ten minutes last month. At the time, Carter had impatiently grabbed my arm and dragged me away, saying, “Stop looking. You can’t afford it.” I swallowed the bitter, sour lump forming in my throat. I tossed the empty takeout box into the trash can and turned to walk home. Carter and I had been together for five years. I was with him when he had absolutely nothing, all the way until his startup took off and he became the prestigious “Mr. Sterling” everyone admired. As for me, I had quit my job and become his full-time, unpaid maid. He always used to say, “I’ll take care of you. Just stay home and enjoy the easy life.” Yet now, I was being aggressively scolded for “wasting money” on a five-dollar box of street food. Meanwhile, he turned around and bought his assistant a five-figure necklace without a second thought. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it. It was just that I wasn’t worth it. When he finally got home that night, I made things crystal clear. “Carter, I found a job.” “I’m moving out tomorrow.” His thumb, which had just been scrolling through Instagram—likely liking his assistant’s post—froze. He snapped his head up to look at me. “What the hell does that mean?” “It means, from now on, whoever you want to buy diamond necklaces for is none of my business.” …… I offered a small, terrifyingly calm smile. His face instantly darkened like a thundercloud, and he violently slammed his phone down onto the leather sofa. “Elena, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?” “Over a damn necklace?!” “Are you seriously doing this?!” “Chloe is my top performing assistant. I rewarded her for her hard work. Is that a crime?!” Looking at him, I felt like I was staring at a complete stranger. “Carter, it’s not about the necklace.” “It’s about the fact that you think me eating a five-dollar box of noodles is a ‘waste of money.’” He froze, opening his mouth as if he wanted to argue. I didn’t give him the chance. “For the last five years, I’ve cooked your meals, washed your clothes, and managed every single detail of your life. Even if I wasn’t the one bringing in the money, I put in the sweat and labor.” “But in your eyes, I only deserve to be locked in this house, completely unworthy of spending even a single dime of ‘your’ money.” “Yet your female assistant can casually accept a ten-thousand-dollar gift from you?” Silenced by my questions, his face flushed a deep, ugly red. “That’s not what I meant…” “That is exactly what you meant.” I cut him off sharply. “In your mind, I’ve long since become nothing more than a free maid—a useless burden who only knows how to hold her hand out and ask for cash.” I pulled open my closet doors. Inside hung a meager handful of faded, out-of-season clothes. “Do you have any idea how much money I’ve saved you over these five years?” “I never asked you for a single paycheck. I never asked you to buy me a single piece of new clothing.” “All I wanted was to eat a box of noodles.” “Carter. It was just a box of noodles.” My voice began to tremble, and despite my best efforts, hot tears spilled down my cheeks. He walked over, reaching out to hug me, but I shoved him away with everything I had. “Don’t touch me.” “You disgust me.” He stood frozen in place, a volatile mix of shock and rage flashing in his eyes. “Elena, stop being so completely unreasonable.” “I have a massive board meeting tomorrow morning. I do not have the energy to fight with you right now.” He snatched his phone off the sofa and stormed into his home office. SLAM. The heavy oak door shut behind him. Shutting out the very last shred of hope I had left for us. I wiped my tears and began packing. Truthfully, there wasn’t much to pack. I arrived at this house with one suitcase, and I was leaving with exactly one suitcase. I woke up incredibly early the next morning. Carter was still asleep on the couch in his office. I cooked his usual breakfast, leaving it covered on the dining table. Dragging my suitcase behind me, I walked out of the house I had lived in for five years without ever looking back. My best friend, Sarah, came to pick me up. When she saw my swollen, red eyes, she furiously slammed her hands on the steering wheel. “Carter is a piece of trash!” “I told you from day one he was no good!” “You were just too naive to sacrifice so much for a guy like him!” Leaning my head against the cool glass of the car window, I watched the city streets blur past. “Sarah. I’m not naive anymore.” Sarah insisted I stay at her apartment. “You crash at my place for now. Take your time finding a job, there’s no rush.” “If you need money, you tell me. And don’t you dare feel guilty about it.” I nodded, my voice thick. “Thank you, Sarah.” That afternoon, I received a phone call from Carter. His voice carried the raspy, irritable tone of a hangover. “Elena, are you done throwing your little fit?” “Get your ass back here right now.” “I didn’t eat breakfast this morning, and my stomach ulcers are acting up!” Listening to the self-righteous, commanding tone in his voice, I found it almost comical. “Carter, we broke up.” “Your stomach, your breakfast—none of it is my problem anymore.” The line was dead silent for a few seconds before an even more explosive rage erupted. “Elena!” “Who the hell do you think you are?!” “Do you honestly think you can survive without me?!” “Let me tell you right now, within three days, you will be crawling back here crying, begging me to take you back!” I hung up on him. I blocked his number and removed him from all my social media. The world was finally quiet. I landed a job as an administrative assistant at a newly launched design firm. The salary wasn’t amazing, but it was enough to keep a roof over my head and food on my table. My first day on the job was exhausting and chaotic. But my heart felt more grounded and secure than it had in years. That night, Sarah dragged me out to celebrate. We sat at a bustling outdoor patio, ordering a mountain of barbecue skewers and cheap beer. “To our new, bullshit-free lives!” Sarah cheered, raising her pint glass. Smiling, I clinked my glass against hers and chugged the whole thing. The cheap beer burned as it slid down my throat, making me cough. But I felt incredibly, utterly free. Just then, a sleek black Maybach pulled up to the curb. The driver’s door swung open, and Carter stepped out. He marched straight toward our table, his face as dark as a thundercloud. He snatched the glass right out of my hand and violently smashed it against the pavement. “Elena, you think you’re pretty tough now, huh?” “Learning how to drink like a degenerate?” The surrounding tables all turned to stare, pointing and whispering. I felt incredibly humiliated. “Carter, what the hell is your problem?!” Sarah jumped up, blocking him from getting closer to me. Carter didn’t even acknowledge her existence. His eyes were locked dead onto me. “Come home with me.” “No.” I stared back at him with pure ice. His eyes instantly turned dangerous. “I am going to say this one more time. Come home with me.” He reached out to grab me, his grip like a steel vice. I fought back, but I was no match for his physical strength. “Carter, let go of me!” “You’re hurting me!” Sarah tried to pull him off, but he violently shoved her backward. “Get the hell out of my way!” He dragged me across the sidewalk, forcing me toward his car. My fingernails dug into his forearm, leaving deep, bloody scratches as I fought like a feral animal. He flinched in pain but didn’t loosen his grip for a second. He only squeezed harder. “Elena, try to move one more time, I dare you!” His voice was laced with a terrifying threat. He shoved me into the passenger seat, the heavy doors locking instantly with a loud thud. He walked around to the driver’s side and started the engine. “Carter, where are you taking me?!” I demanded, panic rising in my chest. He didn’t answer. He slammed his foot on the gas, the heavy car roaring into the night. The car tore through the city streets, eventually screeching to a halt outside the house we used to share. He dragged me out of the car, hauled me up the front steps, shoved me inside, and deadbolted the front door behind us. “Elena, you’re really trying to push me to the edge, aren’t you?” He pinned me against the heavy oak door, planting his hands on either side of my head, trapping me completely in his space. The sickening mix of expensive whiskey and stale cigarette smoke washed over my face, making my stomach churn. “Carter, you need to calm down.” “I am perfectly calm.” He let out a dark sneer. “I just really want to see how you plan on surviving without me.” He pulled my phone out of my pocket. Right in front of my face, he unlocked it and opened my contacts. “Sarah?” “Is she the one who dragged you out to get trashed?” He found Sarah’s contact info and permanently deleted it. Then, he opened my banking apps. “What’s the passcode?” I pressed my lips tightly together, refusing to speak. He pinched my jaw, his fingers digging painfully into my skin. “I asked you for the damn passcode!” “Did you forget? Every single credit card you have is just an authorized user card on my primary account.” “I can shut them down in three seconds.” My heart sank like a stone. He was right. How could I have forgotten? For the past five years, I had lived entirely under his control. I had no freedom. I had no independent income. I had no personal savings. Everything I had was a crumb falling from his table. “Carter, what exactly do you want from me?” I asked, looking up at him in utter despair. “Nothing.” He let go of my jaw, a smug, victorious smirk crawling across his face. “I just wanted to remind you who your actual master is.” He walked into the living room and poured himself a glass of water. “From today onward, you are going to stay in this house and behave. You aren’t going anywhere.” “And you can forget about that new job. I’ve already made a phone call to the partners at your firm.” I felt like I had been struck by lightning. “What did you just say?” “I said, you’re fired,” he stated, as casually as if he were discussing the weather. “Carter, you have no right to do that!” I rushed at him, my emotions completely spiraling out of control. “I have the right because I am Carter Sterling.” “Because that pathetic little startup you were working for is desperately begging for my venture capital funding.” He looked down at me, his eyes brimming with mockery and absolute disdain. “Elena, stop being so naive.” “In the real world, if you don’t have money, you are nothing.” “You can’t beat me.” The last drop of strength drained from my body, and I collapsed onto the hardwood floor. He was right. I couldn’t beat him. He had money, power, and an endless network of connections. And I had absolutely nothing. For the next few days, I was completely imprisoned. He confiscated all my devices and cut off the Wi-Fi. He only allowed the housekeeper to come in and deliver three meals a day. I was locked in this gilded cage. I tried fighting back. I tried going on a hunger strike. The only thing it earned me was tighter surveillance and crueler mockery. “Save your energy.” “Even if you starved to death in here, no one in the outside world would ever know.” I finally gave up. I spent my days sitting by the window, watching the cars drive by, watching people live their normal, free lives. I felt like a living corpse. Until one afternoon. While mindlessly searching through a drawer in his home office, I found a medical document. It was an ultrasound report. The patient name was Chloe. Eight weeks pregnant. The date was from two months ago. A deafening ring filled my ears, and my mind went completely blank. They had been sleeping together for months. I was the only one who was kept completely, laughably in the dark. The ultimate, pathetic fool. A violent surge of disgust and fury boiled over. I stormed out of the office and found Carter sitting in the living room, casually watching Bloomberg TV. I violently hurled the ultrasound report directly into his face. “Carter, you make me physically sick!” Seeing the medical report, Carter’s face shifted for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure. He picked up the paper, glanced at it, and casually tossed it onto the coffee table. “So, you found out.” His tone was infuriatingly flat. “And?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “And?!” “Carter, you knocked her up!” “You committed adultery!” “We aren’t legally married,” he corrected me smoothly. I froze. He was right. We weren’t married. I had been with him for five years, and he had never once brought up marriage. Whenever I subtly hinted at it, he always brushed me off with the same excuse: “The company is still growing. Let’s wait a little longer.” It turned out, he had never intended to marry me at all. “Chloe is going to keep the baby,” he said, looking at me, enunciating every word. “I am going to give her a ring and make it official.” My heart shattered so completely I couldn’t breathe. “Then what about me?” I asked, my voice violently shaking. “What am I?” He fell silent. After a long pause, he finally spoke, a trace of almost imperceptible exhaustion in his voice. “Elena, I do have feelings for you.” “You took care of me for five years. I haven’t forgotten that.” “Whatever you want—compensation, cash, a condo—as long as it’s within reason, you name your price.” “As long as you behave, stay quiet, and don’t cause any trouble for Chloe.” I laughed. I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face. “Compensation?” “Carter, I gave you five years of my youth. What the hell kind of compensation covers that?” “I gave you my entire soul, and all I get in return is an order to ‘stay quiet’?” I lunged at him, punching and kicking him in a blind, feral rage. “You lying piece of shit!” “You bastard!” He didn’t fight back. He just stood there and let me unleash my fury. Until I was too exhausted to hit him anymore, until I had cried myself dry, collapsing weakly against his chest. He gently wrapped his arms around me and sighed. “Elena, stop fighting it.” “What’s done is done. Dragging this out isn’t going to help anyone.” “Just be a good girl, and I promise I’ll make sure you’re financially set.” I pushed him away, roughly wiping the tears from my face, and stood up straight. “Carter.” “We are done.” I turned around, intending to go back to my room. But he grabbed my wrist. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Let go of me.” “Elena, do not test my patience,” his voice dropped to a freezing temperature. I turned back and glared at him with pure ice. “What?” “Are you going to lock me up again?” “Lock me up until Chloe gives birth and you two walk down the aisle?” “Keep me around as your dirty, secret little side piece?” “Carter, you can go straight to hell!” I violently ripped my wrist out of his grip, sprinted to my room, and slammed the deadbolt shut. I slid down the back of the door until I hit the floor. I hugged my knees to my chest, buried my face in my arms, and cried in total, agonizing silence. I don’t know how much time passed. Carter’s voice drifted through the heavy oak door. “Elena. Open the door.” “We need to talk.” I didn’t acknowledge him. “Elena, I know you’re furious right now.” “But you need to think logically about your future.” “If you leave me, you have absolutely nothing.” “If you stay, you’ll still be living a life of absolute luxury.” “Think very carefully about what you want.” After delivering his ultimatum, the footsteps faded away. I lifted my head and stared at the miserable, hollow-eyed woman in the mirror. He was right. Without him, I had nothing. But if I stayed with him, would I magically regain my dignity? No. I would just be a pathetic joke. A mindless, soulless pet kept on a golden leash. I refused to live like that. I would rather starve in the streets than live on my knees. I started meticulously searching for an opportunity to escape. The house was wired with security cameras. My every move was being monitored. The only weak link in the chain was the housekeeper who came to drop off my meals. While she was distracted setting the table, I managed to slip her phone out of her apron pocket. Hiding in the master bathroom with the shower running, I fired off a frantic SOS text to Sarah. “Sarah, please help me.” I deleted the message from the sent folder and stealthily slipped the phone back into the housekeeper’s pocket. I had no idea if Sarah would get the message. I had no idea if she would actually come. I just had to gamble. Gamble to see if I had any chance left in this life to ever be free again. Two days later, my window opened. That afternoon, Carter got an emergency call from the office and rushed out of the house. The second his car pulled out of the driveway, the front doorbell rang. It was Sarah. And standing right beside her were two uniformed police officers. “Elena!” The moment she saw me, Sarah burst into tears. She ran past the officers and threw her arms around me. “Are you okay?!” “Did he do anything to you?!” I shook my head, unable to force a single word past the lump in my throat. The officers took my initial statement. “Mr. Sterling’s actions heavily constitute unlawful imprisonment and kidnapping.” “We will be bringing him in for formal questioning immediately.” I walked out the front door, flanked by the officers, leaving the gilded cage that had held me hostage for days. The afternoon sun was so bright it made my eyes water. I took a deep, shuddering breath. The air tasted like absolute freedom. I had finally escaped. At the police precinct, I gave a full, detailed statement. I laid out exactly how Carter had locked me in the house, confiscated my devices, and threatened my life.

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Chapter 1 At my 25th birthday party, five months pregnant, my husband’s “tomboy” best friend lost a drinking game. She glanced at me, a smirk playing on her lips, and proudly announced to the room: “Let me tell you a secret, guys. Ethan’s stamina is absolutely insane…” “This son of a bitch kept me up so late last night, my legs were numb. My back is still killing me today!” It felt like I had been struck by lightning. Seeing the color completely drain from my face, she finally realized she had crossed a line. She giggled and immediately tried to play it off. “Oh my god, relax, Mia! Don’t misunderstand, Ethan and I are just bros. Purely physical. You’re pregnant and out of commission right now, so as his best bro, I was just helping him blow off some steam.” “Don’t worry, we used protection. Total safe play.” As if remembering something, she leaned into my ear and whispered loudly, “But seriously, the guy has moves. You’re a lucky woman, Mia!” My blood boiled. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. “You stand in front of me and brag about sleeping with my husband? Do you have no shame?!” Before Chloe could even react, Ethan exploded. He berated me for being petty, pointed at the front door, and told me to get the hell out. The moment I stepped out of the apartment, the deafening slam of the door was followed closely by Chloe’s mocking laughter. “Damn, bro, for that slap alone, I’m making you call me ‘Daddy’ next time!” His frat-boy friends were probably taking bets inside, guessing how long it would take for me to crawl back, covered in mud, begging Ethan for forgiveness. But they didn’t know. I didn’t want this rotting, putrid marriage anymore. … Standing in the hallway, I could still hear the noisy chatter from inside the apartment. “Why is Mia always so dramatic? Guys have physical needs, it’s totally normal. Pulling a stunt like that… she completely killed the vibe!” “If that was my wife, I would’ve smacked her back and made her apologize to the whole room!” Ethan didn’t say anything, but suddenly, the door ripped open. He looked down at me with pure disdain, and abruptly shoved a piece of my birthday cake directly into my face. “Are you happy now that you’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone?!” “I told you it was just a physical hookup. Do you not understand English?” “You think just because you’re pregnant, you’re the queen of the world? You either apologize to Chloe right now, or you get out! I’m going to cure you of this princess syndrome today if it kills me!” He turned his head. Catching Chloe’s amused, gloating gaze, his expression instantly softened into a tender smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle her for you. Nobody gets to bully you while I’m around!” Seeing that I had no intention of apologizing, he suddenly snatched my phone from my hand. He opened my banking app and transferred every single dollar from our joint account into his personal one. The moment I received the text alert that my balance was zero, the door slammed shut in my face again. Inside, someone chuckled. “Ethan, it’s literally snowing outside. Kicking her out with zero money… isn’t that a bit harsh? Aren’t you worried she’ll actually divorce you?” “Divorce me? I don’t mean to be mean, but have you seen her lately? She’s pushing 160 pounds. What’s the difference between her and a pregnant cow?” “Who the hell else would want her? The only reason I agreed to actually have a wedding after the baby is born is because I’m basically running a charity.” “And she still has the nerve to throw a tantrum? She doesn’t appreciate how good she has it!” “I have to teach her a lesson!” Chloe laughed hysterically. “You idiot, I actually feel bad for you now.” Freezing tears streamed down my jaw. I couldn’t bear to listen to another word. I turned and ran toward the stairs. But my foot slipped on a puddle of melted snow. With a sickening thud, I crashed hard onto the landing. Agonizing, bone-deep pain exploded through my limbs. I desperately clutched my stomach. The apartment went completely silent for a second. Someone pointed out that I was, after all, five months pregnant, and suggested they should probably check on me. Ethan scoffed. “With her weight? She probably bounced right back up. She won’t die… Come on boys, let’s drink! I’m drinking you all under the table tonight!” Chloe wrapped her arm around his shoulder, holding a beer. “Ooh, trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me? Just tell me you want me, baby…” Laughter erupted from the apartment once again. Chapter 2 I lay on the cold hallway floor for a long time, waiting for the blinding pain to subside. I used the last $20 in my Venmo balance to call an Uber to the ER. I didn’t have enough money for a full diagnostic ultrasound, so I just booked an appointment for an induction abortion the very next day. The pity in the triage nurse’s eyes felt like a knife twisting in my open wounds. She handed me a few tissues. “Here. Wipe your face, sweetie.” I wiped the smeared frosting off my cheek and out of my hair, accidentally getting a tiny bit of cream on my lip. I tasted it. It was sweet. I never imagined my 25th birthday would end in such an absolute nightmare. Just like I never imagined the day would come when Ethan would turn into this monster. He used to protect me fiercely, no matter what. But ever since Chloe came into the picture, it was like he became a completely different person. After leaving the hospital, I shivered violently, walking endlessly under the flickering streetlights. At 1:00 AM, the snow started falling heavier. Ethan texted me: [Send me your location. I’ll come get you.] I wanted to be strong and ignore him. But I was completely penniless, I had nowhere to go, and when he kicked me out, I was only wearing a thin cardigan. Two agonizing hours after sending my location, curled into a miserable, shivering ball at a bus stop, I finally saw Ethan’s car pull up. On the dashboard of the passenger side, there was a new custom sticker. It was a cartoon drawing of Chloe’s face. Next to it, a bold caption read: [Chloe’s Exclusive Seat. Don’t even think about it. OK?] “Chloe got totally wasted and wouldn’t stop acting crazy. I had to drop her off first, that’s why I took so long.” Ethan offered a casual, dismissive excuse, acting as if absolutely nothing was wrong. When he noticed I was silent, he followed my gaze to the sticker and chuckled. “She threw a massive fit tonight because we didn’t give her a dedicated ‘best bro’ room in our new house. Said I wasn’t a loyal friend. She was giving me a headache, so I just let her put the sticker there.” “Just pretend you didn’t see it. It doesn’t stop you from sitting in the car.” I didn’t say a word. I just stared silently out the window. The air pressure in the car slowly began to drop. Waiting at a red light, Ethan slammed his foot on the brake and violently punched the steering wheel. “Chloe and I had a little too much to drink and things got physical! I already told you it was just a biological urge! You threw your little fit, you made your scene. Are you done pouting yet?!” I said softly, “You’re overthinking it. I don’t care anymore.” Ethan sneered. “You don’t care? Then why are you acting like a pathetic victim? Mia, my patience has a limit. I’m warning you, don’t push your luck.” Before I could answer, Ethan’s phone rang. It was Chloe. “Hey idiot! I left my keys in your bedroom. I’m freezing to death out here. Come get me right now! If you’re not here in fifteen minutes, I’m going to kick your ass!” His attitude did an instant 180. He laughed, teasing her flirtatiously, “Wash up and wait for me. Daddy’s on his way.” He hung up, immediately unlocked the car doors, and dismissed me without a second thought. “We’re close to the apartment anyway. You can walk the rest of the way. I have to go check on this idiot.” Watching his taillights disappear down the street, I didn’t even have the energy to feel disappointed anymore. It was a two-mile walk. By the time I reached our apartment, my feet were covered in blisters. The living room was completely trashed. Empty beer bottles and liquor bottles were scattered everywhere. I walked into our bedroom. The normally perfectly made bed was a crumpled, messy wreck. On my nightstand sat a set of strange keys. Chloe’s keys. Thinking about exactly what they had done on my bed, a wave of intense, sickening nausea surged up my throat. Just as I was dry heaving into the trash can, Ethan walked through the front door, laughing and joking with Chloe. His eyes swept over the messy bed, then landed on me vomiting. A flash of deep annoyance crossed his face. “She got drunk and laid down on the bed for a bit. Mia, why is your mind always in the gutter? I am so incredibly sick of this.” In that moment, I literally didn’t have the strength to argue anymore. Yesterday, Ethan had told me he was planning a massive birthday surprise for me, and that he would be out late preparing it. I stayed awake the entire night, brimming with excitement. The next day, all I got was a pair of earrings. Chapter 3 But I don’t even have my ears pierced. While I spent the entire night awake, anxiously waiting for him, he was awake too. The difference was, I was full of anticipation, and he was tangled in the sheets, sweating over another woman. And now, he had the audacity to say my mind was in the gutter. Chloe let out a dramatic sigh. “Pregnant women are so high maintenance. I’m exhausted. I’m just going to crash here tonight. Hey idiot, go make the bed for me.” Ethan followed her out of the room, throwing an order over his shoulder without looking back. “Clean up the living room. I’m going to make the bed for her highness.” In the past, he wouldn’t even have had to ask. I would have already been cleaning like a devoted maid. But today, I stood exactly where I was and called his name. “Ethan. Let’s get a divorce.” Hearing those words, he stopped in his tracks. “What?” He suppressed his temper, told Chloe to go wash up first, and then slammed our bedroom door shut. “Are you having a psychotic break? We got our marriage license three months ago, and you’re bringing up divorce?!” I nodded. “Yeah. I think Chloe is a much better fit for you.” Ethan let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Just because I slept with her last night? I literally told you it only happened because we were wasted. Do you not understand English?” “And even if we did sleep together, we’re still just bros! She doesn’t have all these manipulative, petty, jealous thoughts like you do. She doesn’t even care about this kind of stuff…” I cut him off, unable to hide the dripping sarcasm in my voice. “Right. A ‘bro’ you can fuck. A ‘bro’ you can have sex with until two in the morning. Such a strong bond.” Until two in the morning. I always thought Ethan just wasn’t that interested in sex. Whenever we were intimate, it was always rushed and over quickly, like he was just fulfilling a biological chore. Turns out, he wasn’t uninterested in sex. He was just uninterested in me. The moment those words left my mouth, Ethan was furious. He shoved me hard against the door, pinning me so I couldn’t move. “You’re just jealous! Stop acting like such a fucking victim!” “Here, take your clothes off! I’ll satisfy you right now!” He leaned in and tried to crush his lips against mine. Thinking of his naked, sweaty body tangled with Chloe’s just hours ago, I shoved him away as hard as I could, but he was too strong. I endured his assault with absolute numbness. The next second, Chloe’s voice rang out from the hallway. “Hey idiot! Come here quick, I have an emergency!” Ethan stopped instantly. He didn’t even look back at me as he strode out of the room. As I slumped against the door, clutching my cramping stomach, my phone buzzed with a text from Chloe. [Mia, are you guys seriously talking about divorce? Please don’t be mad. Ethan and I just had a moment of purely physical passion last night. We really are just pure bros.] [Look, if we weren’t, who would ever agree to do something like this? Wouldn’t he be completely disgusted?] To prove her innocence, she sent a video. In the video, Ethan was holding Chloe’s bloody tampon. Under her teasing commands, he actually brought it close to his nose and sniffed it. “Fuck, Chloe, are you a monster?! You’re bleeding so much, this is fucking disgusting!” “If you hadn’t gone so hard last night, would I be bleeding this much?! You still have the nerve to complain? I’ll kill you!” The man’s face was full of exaggerated disgust, but he continued holding the bloody tampon in his hand. The moment the video ended, an explosive, deafening roar went off in my brain. Every single frame of that video stabbed into my heart like a serrated knife. It hurt so much my internal organs felt like they were churning. I rushed into the master bathroom and violently dry heaved over the toilet. From what I knew, Ethan was an absolute germaphobe when it came to that kind of thing. He always thought periods were dirty and gross, and he couldn’t even stand to look at my feminine products. Once, I accidentally leaked a tiny drop of blood onto the bedsheets in the middle of the night. He immediately grabbed his pillow and slept in the guest room. The next day, he literally threw the entire mattress in the dumpster. Tears blurred my vision. I didn’t sleep a single second that night. When the sun came up, Ethan woke up early and, in an unprecedented move, actually cooked breakfast. When I walked out of the bedroom, I overheard Chloe asking him a question. Chapter 4 “Did you manage to calm her down? If you guys actually get a divorce, I’m going to look like the bad guy.” “Calm who down? She was just horny and throwing a tantrum. I could beg her to divorce me and she wouldn’t have the guts to do it.” “Tsk, then why didn’t you just throw the covers over her and fuck her to shut her up? Isn’t that your specialty?” Ethan shoved a peeled hard-boiled egg into her mouth. “Not interested. Have you seen her body lately? Looking at her for too long takes years off my life. Just eat your food and stop worrying about it.” Chloe burst into roaring laughter. My breathing hitched. Sharp, stabbing pains radiated through my abdomen. So this was the man I was willing to cut ties with my own parents to marry. I turned around and walked back into the bedroom, completely devoid of any remaining hesitation. I packed a small bag and was getting ready to leave for the hospital when Ethan called out to me. “Babe, I made breakfast specifically for you. Come eat.” The breakfast he “specifically made for me” was a steaming bowl of shrimp congee sitting on the table. He had completely forgotten that I was deadly allergic to shrimp. “I’m not eating.” Seeing that I looked terrible, he grabbed his jacket and walked over. “It’s freezing outside, why aren’t you wearing a heavier coat? Where are you going? I’ll drive you.” Chloe sat at the table behind him, her legs crossed, watching the drama unfold with amusement. It was like she was mocking Ethan for acting tough but still desperately trying to play the good husband. Ethan glanced back at her, lifting his chin with a smug “watch this” expression. Watching their little performance, I felt nothing but a hollow bitterness. “The hospital.” Hearing the word “hospital,” Ethan’s expression finally grew serious. “Why are you going to the hospital? Is the baby giving you trouble…?” Before he could finish, Chloe yelled from the kitchen table. “Hey idiot, I need to go home! Drive me!” “I’m not your chauffeur! I’m busy! Can’t you see my wife isn’t feeling well and I need to take her to the hospital?!” He said that, but as I was about to get in the car, he yelled back to Chloe, “Get in, I’ll drop you off on the way.” Her apartment was in the exact opposite direction of the hospital, but he still called it “on the way.” Chloe laughed, cursed at him playfully, and walked over to the passenger side door. She glanced pointedly at her custom sticker on the dashboard, the meaning in her eyes painfully obvious. She wanted me to get out of the front seat. I had absolutely reached my limit. “Chloe, I haven’t finalized the divorce yet. This car does not belong to you.” “But Ethan promised me this was my exclusive seat! Ugh, this is so annoying… Hey, you decide. Who gets the passenger seat?” She spoke with absolute entitlement, crossing her arms and making a threatening gesture at Ethan’s eyes. “If you choose her over your best bro, I will lose all respect for you.” Ethan laughed. “Am I that kind of guy?” He turned to me. “Babe, just sit in the back. It’s just a seat. Think of it as apologizing to her for that slap you gave her yesterday.” It felt like someone was stomping on my heart with spiked cleats. It hurt so much I couldn’t stand up straight. I didn’t want to miss my scheduled abortion appointment. Swallowing the bitter bile in my throat, I climbed into the backseat. Chloe happily hopped into the passenger seat. The two of them bickered and flirted the entire drive. When we arrived at her building, she complained that her shower was broken and demanded Ethan come up and fix it. Ethan hesitated for a second, then turned to me. “Babe, you head to the hospital first. I’ll be right there.” “Don’t worry, I’ve never missed a single one of your prenatal appointments. You and the baby are the most important things in the world to me.” He quickly Zelle’d me $2,000, then walked into her apartment building with Chloe without looking back. He never showed up. Not even as they wheeled me into the operating room. The anesthesia hit my veins. I don’t know how much time passed, but through the fog of unconsciousness, I heard the doctor’s frantic voice. “Where is the husband?! The patient is hemorrhaging, we might need to perform an emergency hysterectomy! We need him to sign the consent forms right now!” “Where is the emergency contact?! This is critical!”

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Chapter 1 At the university’s awards assembly, campus queen bee Chloe Vance exposed my bank transfer records with the four young heirs of the Sterling family. Eight million dollars in a single year. The entire auditorium instantly exploded. She hung a cardboard sign reading “Campus Gold Digger #1” around my neck, ordered her followers to dump a bucket of fake money all over the floor, and threw a dog leash at my feet. “You love money so much, don’t you?” “Get on your knees and crawl around like a dog.” “For every fake bill you pick up, I’ll pay you the equivalent out of my own pocket, just to spare the Sterling family.” I didn’t move. Chloe forcefully hooked the leash to my collar and kicked the back of my knees. “Stop acting so pure and innocent.” “Weren’t you better at being on your knees when you were earning all that cash in the Sterling boys’ beds?” She stomped on my hand, smugly waving her phone. “I already sent the eight million dollar bank statement to Grandpa Sterling.” “When he gets to this school, I want to see if a parasite like you can still walk out of here on your own two feet.” I looked at the total transfer amount displayed on the massive projector screen, rubbing my forehead in exasperation. Hold on a second. Those four little brats combined only gave me eight million this year? If the old man finds out about this, who exactly is going to be the one getting yelled at? …… Before I could even process the absurdity, Chloe yanked the dog leash tight. The metal collar choked my throat, forcing me to bend over. The laughter from the audience grew deafening. “Make her bark, Chloe!” “Eight million bucks? I’d be a dog for that, no problem!” People were shoving to the very front row, holding up their phones to record. The title of the live stream on the campus confession page had already changed to: [SHOCKING! Broke Scholarship Student Sleeping with All Four Sterling Heirs, Raking in $8M a Year!] I lifted my head and looked directly into the camera of the guy closest to me. “Make sure you get a clear shot of this.” The guy holding the phone froze. “What?” “Make sure you clearly film her putting a dog leash on me and kicking me.” “I’ll need the evidence when I sue her later.” The auditorium went dead silent for a split second. The smile on Chloe’s face stiffened. She immediately ground the toe of her designer heel into my fingers. “Sue me?” “Why don’t you explain why Liam Sterling transfers you a hundred grand every single month first?” She clicked her presentation remote. A screenshot of a text conversation popped up on the big screen. Liam: [Did the money hit your account?] Me: [Only a hundred grand? What am I, a beggar?] Immediately after, a photo of a black Amex card from Noah Sterling. [Swipe it as much as you want. Don’t worry about the limit.] The third screenshot was from Julian Sterling. [The penthouse has been transferred to your name. The door code is your birthday.] The final screenshot was the most outrageous. At 2:00 AM, Mason Sterling had wired me $500,000. [I’m so sorry, Your Highness.] [You got the money, please don’t tattle on me tomorrow, okay?] The entire auditorium went absolutely feral. Chloe was laughing so hard tears were forming in her eyes. “Looks like sleeping with four men at once wasn’t enough for you.” “You actually forced Mason Sterling to play some kind of sick master-servant roleplay?” I stayed silent for two seconds. If Mason knew his pathetic, groveling texts were currently being broadcast to the entire university, he’d probably want to find a dog leash and hang himself with it. But in the eyes of the crowd, my silence was an admission of guilt. Director Davis, the administrator in charge of the assembly, stormed onto the stage with a dark expression. “Harper, are these bank transfers real?” “Yes.” “And the penthouse, the black card, and the car… were those given to you by the four Sterling students as well?” “Basically.” Director Davis’s face turned ugly. “Until the source of these assets is fully investigated, your eligibility for the ‘Top Ten Outstanding Students’ award is temporarily suspended.” I pointed at the dog leash tight around my neck. “And what about Chloe publicly humiliating and assaulting me? How is that being handled?” Chloe’s eyes instantly welled up with fake tears. “Director Davis, I just felt so bad for the four Sterling boys.” “If I didn’t expose her today, how much longer would they be scammed?” Director Davis let out a heavy sigh. “Her methods may have been a bit extreme, but she was acting out of good intentions.” “You need to reflect on your own behavior first.” I laughed out loud. So as long as you pull up enough bank statements, putting a dog leash on someone is considered an act of heroism. Seeing that she had the administration’s backing, Chloe yanked the dorm keycard off my wrist lanyard. “She has eight million dollars in her account.” “She definitely has more stolen goods hidden in her dorm.” She held my keycard up to the live stream cameras. “Today, I’m going to clean house for the Sterling boys.” “Let’s see exactly how much stuff this gold digger has hoarded from other men in her little nest.” Chapter 2 Chloe led a mob of Student Government lackeys straight toward my dorm. Along the way, she ordered one of them to hold onto the dog leash. If I walked even slightly too slow, the metal chain dug into my neck, leaving bright red welts. Students lined the pathways, holding up their phones to film the spectacle. Some guys were whistling at me. “Hey, eight-million-dollar sugar baby, can I get in on that?” “Cycling through all four Sterling boys? Damn, your schedule must be packed!” Chloe looked back at me, smiling with sickening sweetness. “Do you hear that?” “The whole school knows exactly what kind of trash you are now.” When we reached my dorm room, I placed my hand firmly over the door handle. “The Student Government does not have the legal authority to search a student’s room.” She smugly pulled a piece of paper from her designer bag. It was an official dorm inspection warrant. The person who submitted the report was her. The person assigned to investigate was her. The person who approved it was also her. One person executing all three administrative steps. Such stunning bureaucratic efficiency. Director Davis was trailing right behind us. “Harper, just cooperate.” “If we don’t find anything, the university will naturally clear your name.” “And if my property is damaged during this unauthorized search?” I asked. Chloe waved her phone in my face. “Stolen goods don’t need to be kept in pristine condition.” She swiped my keycard and marched straight to my closet. She moved with practiced precision, almost as if she had scouted the room beforehand. The second the closet door swung open, a men’s tailored suit jacket was sitting right in plain sight. The crowd gathered at the door immediately erupted into jeers. Chloe yanked the suit jacket off the hanger and threw it into a cardboard box. “Liam’s.” Next, she ripped open my desk drawer and pulled out Noah’s black Amex card. Sitting on my desk was a luxury watch Julian had sent over. And resting on my nightstand was the spare key fob to Mason’s sports car. With every item she pulled out, the insults hurled from the hallway grew louder and more vicious. “She really didn’t spare a single one of them.” “This isn’t a gold digger, this is a whole Sterling family wholesale distributor.” Chloe grabbed the black card and slapped it against my cheek. “Warming the beds of four different men just to get these.” “How do you even sleep at night?” I turned my head to dodge her hand. “I suggest you watch your mouth.” “What, you dare to do it, but you’re too scared to let people talk about it?” She yanked open my bedside table drawer. Sitting on the very top were four thick red envelopes. Written across the front of each envelope was the exact same phrase: [Wishing Our Little Ancestor a Long and Healthy Life.] Chloe held them up to the camera, laughing so hard she had to bend over. “You’re nineteen years old, and you’re making men wish you a ‘long and healthy life’?” “I guess if you’re scamming this hard, you really do need to live a few extra years to spend it all.” She ripped the envelopes open. There was no cash inside. Only four handwritten IOU notes. Chloe glanced at them and carelessly tore them to shreds. “Trash.” My expression instantly turned to ice. Those were apology notes the four brats had been forced by the family elders to write after they skipped a mandatory family dinner. They didn’t owe me money. They each owed me an IOU to spend an entire day with me for my birthday. I was just about to bend down to pick up the pieces, when Chloe suddenly noticed the carved rosewood box tucked in the very bottom of my drawer. Her eyes lit up. “Hidden away like this… this has to be a token of love, right?” I immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Don’t touch that.” Seeing my face finally lose its calm, Chloe’s smile widened maliciously. She shoved me out of the way and flipped the box open. Inside rested an old, worn jade pendant. The jade wasn’t particularly translucent, and the edges were chipped with age. Carved into the back was an ancient, traditional character: Sterling. Chloe picked it up and examined it mockingly. “You aren’t seriously going to try and claim this is some Sterling family heirloom, are you?” I held out my hand. “Put it back.” “You want it?” She dangled the pendant outside the dorm window. “Get on your knees and call me ‘Master’ three times.” “Then I’ll give it back.” I stared at her. “If that breaks, you will not be able to afford the consequences.” “It’s a cheap piece of fake street trash. What consequences could I possibly not afford?” She smiled brightly, and opened her fingers. The jade pendant plummeted from the third floor. A sharp, sickening crack echoed from the concrete courtyard below. My brain went completely blank. Chloe clapped her hands together in satisfaction. “Stop pretending to be some high-society heiress.” “Fake trash belongs in the garbage.” She leaned in close, lowering her voice. “If you really care about it that much, go down and pick it up.” “It works out perfectly. You’re already wearing the leash. You can crawl all the way down there in front of the whole school.” Chapter 3 The jade pendant had shattered into three pieces. I crouched by the courtyard planter, picking up the fragments one by one. It was the only thing my father had ever left me. When I was born, he had tied it around my neck with his own hands, saying it would protect me and keep me safe. Now, my safety wasn’t protected. And the entire Sterling family was probably about to have a collective heart attack. My roommate, Lily, pushed through the crowd and ran over to me. “Harper, your neck is bleeding!” She tried to unclip the dog leash, but the Student Government lackeys violently shoved her away. Chloe stood on the steps of the dorm building, actively directing her people to set up a “Restitution Altar.” My belongings were arranged into four neat rows. Each row was labeled with the name of one of the Sterling heirs. The black card, the luxury watch, the penthouse keys, and my own sports car keys—everything was displayed as evidence of my slutty, gold-digging crimes. A long, dramatic red carpet was rolled out across the center of the courtyard. At the very end of the carpet sat a metal dog bowl. The bowl was stuffed to the brim with fake Hell Bank Notes. Chloe held a megaphone and announced to the crowd: “This afternoon, the four Sterling heirs will be arriving personally to reclaim their stolen property.” “Before they get here, Harper must crawl the entire length of this red carpet on her knees.” A poll instantly went live on the campus forum. The top-voted comment read: [Eight million bucks just to make her crawl? That’s way too easy on her.] Lily was shaking with rage. “We’re calling the cops.” “I already did.” During the dorm raid, I had used my smartwatch to send an emergency SOS to the police. But until the cops got here, this theatrical circus was going to continue. I really wanted to see exactly how deep of a grave Chloe was willing to dig for herself. She walked over and callously kicked the pieces of the jade pendant I had just painstakingly gathered together. “Stop stalling.” “Get on your knees.” I didn’t move. She shot a look at two of her male Student Government officers. They flanked me, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me down. Lily rushed forward to stop them, but they shoved her hard to the ground. Her palms scraped across the concrete stairs, instantly welling with blood. I shot up from the ground. “This has absolutely nothing to do with her.” Chloe stepped in front of Lily, blocking my path. “You want me to let her go? Fine.” “Crawl.” She aggressively tightened the dog leash again, and kicked the back of my knees with her heel. I fell heavily onto the red carpet. The crowd surrounding us instantly erupted into cheers. Fake money rained down from the sky above me. Chloe stepped on my calf, kicking the dog bowl right in front of my face. “Pick it up.” “Aren’t you the expert at squeezing money out of men?” “Crawl to the end, and pick the bowl up with your teeth.” I leaned on my hands, my knees throbbing with numbness against the rough carpet. Right at that moment, the phone in Chloe’s jacket pocket rang. The caller ID displayed Grandpa Sterling. Chloe’s eyes lit up. She deliberately answered the call and put it on speaker. “Grandpa Sterling! Did you see the bank statements I sent you?” The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. “Where is Harper?” “She’s right here in front of me.” Chloe shot me a look of pure, triumphant smugness. “I already confiscated all the things she scammed out of Liam and the other boys.” “She’s currently on her knees, reflecting on her crimes.” The breathing on the other end of the phone suddenly grew incredibly heavy. “Who told her to get on her knees?” Chloe smiled even sweeter. “I did.” “A greedy, manipulative woman like her needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise she’ll never learn.” The phone line went dead silent again. It felt like an eternity before the old man finally spoke, his voice dangerously low. “Tell her to stay exactly where she is.” “I am sending the four boys over there personally.” The call disconnected. The crowd erupted into a massive roar of approval. Chloe leaned down and patted my cheek mockingly. “Did you hear that?” “The four Sterling heirs are coming here to handle you themselves.” She shoved the chain of the dog leash near my mouth. “You better start practicing.” “Don’t forget how to act like a dog when they get here.” Chapter 4 Half an hour later, a massive commotion broke out at the edge of the courtyard. The four Sterling heirs had arrived. Chloe immediately ordered her people to turn all the live stream cameras toward them. She shoved me down at the end of the red carpet and kicked the dog bowl full of fake money in front of me. “Don’t say a single word.” “If you try to make excuses, I’ll make sure they see all the proof of you hooking up with other men.” I looked up toward the edge of the crowd. Liam was walking at the very front. Behind him were Noah, Julian, and Mason. All four of them had been on campus attending a networking event for the Sterling Family Foundation alumni. They had rushed over the second they got the call from the estate. The moment they appeared, the crowd of girls went wild with screams. Chloe quickly fixed her hair, picked up the cardboard box full of “stolen goods,” and hurried over to greet them. “Liam! I finally exposed her for you guys!” “Harper wasn’t just spending your money.” “She was simultaneously taking Noah’s black card, Julian’s penthouse, and Mason’s sports car!” Liam didn’t take the box. His gaze swept right past her and landed directly on me. When he saw the metal dog leash wrapped around my neck, he stopped dead in his tracks. Noah also noticed my bruised, swollen knees. “Who did this?” Chloe, assuming he was asking who had set up this brilliant restitution ceremony, immediately smiled and claimed credit. “I did.” “She refused to get on her knees at first, so I had to have some people help her.” The muscles in Noah’s jaw instantly locked tight. Completely oblivious to the murderous aura radiating from the boys, Chloe handed the shattered pieces of the jade pendant to Julian. “Oh, by the way, she was also using this cheap fake trash to pretend she had a Sterling family heirloom.” “I already smashed it for you.” Julian stared at the shattered jade in his palm, the blood draining from his face entirely. “You smashed this?” “Yeah.” Chloe smiled dismissively. “Why would you keep a piece of garbage that a gold digger traded her body for?” Mason aggressively lunged forward. Liam threw his arm out, physically blocking him. The quieter the four boys became, the more Chloe assumed they were just paralyzed by fury at my audacity. She turned around, picked up her microphone, and announced to the entire school: “Harper took advantage of the Sterling heirs’ kindness, scamming eight million dollars out of them simultaneously!” “Not only did she act like she was the future Mrs. Sterling, she actually forced the boys to call her ‘Your Highness’!” “And just a few minutes ago, she even claimed that the money was given to her out of ‘filial respect’!” The crowd instantly erupted into loud, mocking boos. Chloe picked up the handle of the dog leash and held it out to Liam. “Liam, you should personally walk her down this red carpet.” “Make her realize her place.” “In front of the Sterling family, she is absolutely nothing.” Liam finally reached out and took the leash. The entire courtyard went feral. People were screaming for me to crawl. Dozens of cameras zoomed in on my face, eagerly waiting to capture the moment I was personally humiliated by the Sterling heirs. Chloe stood in front of me, her face full of fake pity. “It’s too late to regret it now.” “Did you really think sleeping with a few rich guys gave you the right to walk all over the Sterling family?” I ignored her. I just watched Liam slowly walk up to me. He didn’t pull the leash. Instead, he knelt down and carefully, gently unclipped the metal collar from my neck. Then, he ripped the “Campus Gold Digger #1” sign off my chest, grabbed my arm, and helped me stand up. The courtyard slowly fell silent. Chloe frowned in confusion. “Liam, you’re making a mistake.” “She’s the gold digger.” Liam tossed the heavy metal leash directly into the dog bowl. He looked down at the bleeding scrapes on my knees, his voice dropping to a low, agonizing whisper. “I am so sorry.” Chloe panicked and interrupted. “Why are you apologizing to her?!” “She scammed all four of you!” Liam didn’t answer her. He turned around and looked at the other three boys, who were still standing frozen at the edge of the carpet. “What the hell are you waiting for?” Noah was the first to walk over. Julian, holding the shattered jade reverently in both hands, stepped up beside him. Mason’s eyes were already completely red. The four arrogant, untouchable Sterling heirs, under the watchful gaze of thousands of students and faculty, lined up in a perfectly straight row. And then, in perfect unison, they bowed deeply to me. “Great-Aunt.”

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The day I was diagnosed with leukemia, my first reaction wasn’t to cry. It was a wave of relief. Well, since I’m not their biological daughter anyway, at least I won’t owe them anything when I die. When I was six, my younger sister and I were fighting over a stuffed bear. My mother dragged me into a corner, looked me dead in the eye, and enunciated every single word: “You are not our biological child. Everything you have in this house is a charity we have bestowed upon you.” From that day on, I never asked for a single thing. When my sister got new dresses, I wore her old school uniforms. When my sister took piano lessons, I stood in the kitchen scrubbing dishes just to earn my breakfast money for the next day. I lived like a piece of abandoned luggage stored in their house, constantly waiting to be claimed. After the diagnosis, the doctor told me that for a bone marrow transplant, a direct blood relative was the best match. I didn’t tell my family. Instead, I secretly started searching for my biological parents, while simultaneously taking the money I had saved over the last seven years to put a down payment on a cemetery plot. Until last night. My fever had spiked to 102 degrees. Dizzy and delirious, I went down to the kitchen for water. Passing by my parents’ master bedroom, I heard them talking. My mother asked: “Did we go too far back then? The older she gets, the more she acts like a total stranger.” My father sighed: “We had to. Chloe is adopted. If we didn’t trick Maya into thinking she was the adopted one, how could we ever force her to constantly give way to Chloe?” The glass slipped from my fingers, rolling twice before stopping at my feet. So, I was the biological child. And the girl they had treated like their own flesh and blood for nineteen years… was the one they adopted. Standing outside their door, I actually laughed out loud. But it was too late. My cancer had already progressed to the terminal stage. …… “What the hell are you doing out here acting crazy in the middle of the night?” My mother pushed open the bedroom door, staring at me with a deep frown. The dim light from the hallway sconces perfectly illuminated the absolute disgust in her eyes. I was standing less than six feet away from her. At my feet lay the shattered pieces of the water glass. I looked up. My vision was blurry from the 102-degree fever, but her expression was crystal clear. It was defensive. Annoyed that her peace had been disturbed. “It slipped,” I said softly, slowly crouching down to pick up the broken glass. My mother sighed, looking down at me from her pedestal. “You’re always so incredibly clumsy. Your sister has a piano competition tomorrow. If you wake her up, just wait and see how your father deals with you.” My father’s voice drifted from inside the room, dripping with impatience. “Just tell her to clean it up and get the hell back to her room. I don’t want to look at her.” My mother crossed her arms, glaring at me coldly. “Did you hear him?” “Clean it up.” She didn’t ask why my face was flushed so red. She didn’t ask why I was violently shivering just from crouching. I didn’t say a word. I just closed my fist around the last shard of glass. The razor-sharp edge instantly sliced deep into my index finger. Beads of blood welled up, dripping onto the expensive wool runner rug, blooming into a small, dark red flower. Because of the late-stage leukemia, my blood’s ability to clot was virtually nonexistent. Within seconds, my entire palm was covered in blood. My mother finally noticed. But her first reaction wasn’t concern. She gasped in horror. “Maya Vance, did you do that on purpose?!” “This is Chloe’s favorite rug! Are you bleeding on it just to prove some kind of point to us?!” Looking at the blood dripping from my fingertips, I suddenly felt a coldness so deep it froze the very marrow in my bones. Nineteen years. Ever since I was six and they told me “You are not our biological child,” I had lived in this house like a terrified, tiptoeing thief. I never dared to ask for new clothes, or an allowance. I didn’t even dare entertain the thought of getting sick. I was terrified of being thrown out. But now I knew. I wasn’t a thief. I was just a pathetic joke, stripped of every single right by the very people who brought me into this world. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, pulling my hand back and curling my bleeding fingers tightly into my palm. “I’ll wash it.” My mother let out a cold scoff, and slammed the bedroom door right in my face. Left alone in the hallway, I slowly wiped my blood out of the carpet before returning to the windowless maid’s quarters they had relegated me to. Lying on the hard wooden cot, the bone-deep agony of the cancer washed over me like a tidal wave once again. Three days ago. Seattle General Hospital, Hematology Oncology. The doctor held my lab results, his eyes full of profound pity. “Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Late stage.” “You need a bone marrow transplant immediately. A direct blood relative is your best chance for a match. Do you have your parents’ contact information?” Holding that thin piece of paper, I had calmly shaken my head. “I don’t have parents.” I was an adopted orphan. Where was I supposed to find direct blood relatives? So, I gave up on treatment. I took the $7,000 I had saved up over my entire life—from bussing tables at diners to tutoring kids—and put down a deposit on a cemetery plot in the suburbs. I was still short $1,200 for the final payment. If I could just survive for two more months, I could save enough to pay it off. But just moments ago, I overheard the ultimate, earth-shattering lie. It turns out, I did have parents. I had two keys to survival walking around right in my own house. But I didn’t want to use them anymore. The next morning, enduring agonizing pain, I dragged myself out of bed to prep breakfast in the kitchen as usual. Chloe Vance, wearing a brand-new, designer dress, sat at the dining table like a princess. It was the exact dress I had stared at in a boutique window for a long time just half a month ago. My mother had told me then that the dress was far too expensive, and that it wasn’t “appropriate” for an outsider like me to wear it. The very next day, she bought it for Chloe. “Maya, you look terrible today.” Chloe cut into her sunny-side-up egg, her eyes the picture of innocence. “Did you not sleep well last night? Here, you can have my milk. I can’t finish it anyway.” She pushed her half-drank glass of milk toward me. My mother immediately rushed over, snatched the glass, and poured it straight down the sink. “Maya, your sister was nice enough to offer it to you, but you should know your place.” “If you give Chloe some kind of sickness and ruin her competition today, do you think you could possibly afford the consequences?” I stared at the white liquid swirling down the drain, my stomach churning violently. “I’m full.” I stood up, refusing to look at either of them. My father put down his Wall Street Journal, his brow furrowing deeply. “Stop right there.” “Your sister has a competition today. If you aren’t coming with us to carry her bags, where exactly do you think you’re going?” I turned around, my voice raspy from the high fever. “I have something to do. I need to go to the Red Cross.” My mother let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “The Red Cross? For what? You think playing the victim and donating a few dollars is going to make us think you’re a good person?” “Let me tell you right now, stop with these pathetic, manipulative stunts.” I didn’t explain. I just pushed the door open and walked out. The morning sun was blinding. Standing by the curb, I dialed the number for the National Organ Donor Registry. “Hello. I just wanted to confirm something.” “If I have late-stage leukemia… can I still donate my corneas?” Chapter 2 “Who are you calling?” A sleek black Maybach slowly pulled up to the curb. The tinted window rolled down, revealing my father’s cold, shadowed face. He gave me a single glance, his frown deepening. “Get in.” I hung up the phone with the organ registry, opened the door, and got in. The AC in the car was blasting, and I couldn’t suppress a violent shiver. My father didn’t put the car in drive. Instead, he pulled a manila envelope from the glove compartment and threw it directly onto my lap. “Take a look at that yourself.” The envelope was unsealed. Several lab reports and a genetic registry form spilled out. It was the DNA sample I had secretly submitted to a national database after my diagnosis, desperately searching for that microscopic sliver of hope to survive. Since they always told me I wasn’t their biological child, I wanted to try my luck and see if I could find my real parents. At the very least, I wanted to beg them to save my life. But now, this form had fallen into my father’s hands. “Maya Vance, you have disappointed me beyond words.” My father leaned back in his leather seat. His voice wasn’t angry; it was laced with profound contempt. “The Vance family raised you for nineteen years. We put food in your mouth and clothes on your back, and this is how you repay us?” “Sneaking off to a DNA database to find your ‘real’ family? What, do you feel like the Vance family mistreated you? Are you that desperate to find a better offer?” I stared at the registry form. It felt like a bloody wad of cotton was shoved down my throat. I looked for my biological parents because I was dying. But in his eyes, I was just an ungrateful parasite. “I didn’t.” I calmly stuffed the papers back into the envelope. “I just wanted to know where I came from.” My father let out a cold scoff and gripped the steering wheel. “Well, since you’re so desperate to know, I’ll grant your wish.” “We’re going home.” The Maybach sped through the city, pulling up to the Vance estate. In the sprawling, opulent living room, my mother and Chloe were sitting on the velvet sofa. Across from them sat a middle-aged couple in tattered, cheap clothes, looking incredibly out of place and nervous. The man’s skin was dark and leathery, his hands rough and calloused. The woman had messy, unkempt hair, her eyes darting greedily around the luxurious room, taking in the expensive decor. My father walked in, pointing at the two strangers. “Maya. Come here.” I walked over and stopped at the edge of the glass coffee table. “Didn’t you want to find your biological parents?” My father looked at me, his tone as casual as if he were discussing a worthless business acquisition. “I had some people look into it for you. These two people right here are your biological parents.” “Bob and Brenda Miller.” The woman, Brenda, immediately jumped up, grabbed my hand, and violently squeezed out a few fake tears. “Oh, my sweet baby girl! Mama finally found you!” “We were so poor back then, we just couldn’t afford to keep you, so we had to leave you on the side of the road. You don’t blame Mama, do you?” The cheap, stale stench of cigarettes mixed with sour body odor washed over my face. I coldly pulled my hand out of her grip. I looked at my father and my mother. Their acting was so incredibly pathetic. If I didn’t already know the truth, I might have actually fallen for it. I might have genuinely believed this was my repulsive, miserable origin story. But I heard them last night with my own two ears. I was the true, legitimate daughter of the Vance family. These two people were nothing but cheap crisis actors they dragged out of some rural trailer park. My mother picked up a silk tissue and elegantly dabbed the corner of her eye. “Maya, don’t blame us for being harsh.” “Since you’re so obsessed with your biological parents, we can’t exactly stop you from fulfilling your familial duties.” “Pack your things. You’re going to go live with them in the country for a while.” Chloe linked her arm through my mother’s, her voice sickly sweet. “Don’t be scared, Maya. The country might be a little rough, but they are your real family.” “Once you experience real life out there and build some character, you’ll finally understand how good Mom and Dad have been to you.” I stood frozen in place, looking at this grotesque, absurd family. To “build my character.” To make me realize “how good the Vance family had been to me.” They were personally handing their own terminally ill, biological flesh and blood over to two total strangers. I suddenly felt overwhelmingly exhausted. I didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. I wasn’t going to live much longer anyway. Dying in the Vance estate would only stain their priceless rugs. Dying in the middle of nowhere was perfectly fine with me. “Okay.” I nodded, my voice impossibly light. “I’ll go pack my bags.” My mother froze. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be so compliant. The barrage of insults and lectures she had prepared died instantly in her throat. I turned around, walked up to the windowless maid’s room, and shoved my few ratty, worn-out clothes into a backpack. When I came downstairs, Bob was already losing patience. He snatched my backpack from my hands, his voice loud and rough. “Let’s go. Do you actually think you’re some kind of princess?” I followed them toward the massive oak front doors. My father sat on the sofa, not even bothering to look back. My mother called out to me. “Maya.” “When you get out there, you need to behave. Be obedient. Stop being so ungrateful like you were here.” “When you’ve finally thought things through, you can call us anytime. We’ll come pick you up.” I stopped walking and looked back at her. In that moment, my gaze drifted past her and landed on the massive family portrait hanging on the wall. In the photo, my father, my mother, and Chloe were smiling radiantly. I wasn’t in it. “I understand.” I pushed the door open. “I won’t be calling you.” Chapter 3 It was a brutally long, bone-rattling journey. The greyhound bus navigated winding mountain roads for four hours before we transferred to a rusty, foul-smelling pickup truck that reeked of chicken manure. By the time we arrived at a place called Mud Creek, it was the dead of night. Crumbling brick walls, drafty, broken windows, and a yard piled high with rotting cornstalks. The moment we walked through the door, the nervous, fawning expressions on Bob and Brenda’s faces vanished without a trace. Brenda snatched my backpack and dumped its contents onto the dirt floor. A few faded, worn-out t-shirts, a cracked iPhone 8, and a few crumpled twenty-dollar bills. “This is it?” Brenda kicked my clothes with her boot in utter disgust. “That rich guy in the city told us you lived like royalty for nineteen years! How do you not even have a single piece of jewelry on you?!” Bob spat a string of curses, walked over, and gripped my shoulder. He squeezed so hard I thought my collarbone was going to snap. “You useless bitch, I paid out of my own pocket for the gas to go pick you up.” “Starting tomorrow, you’re mucking out the pig pens and cooking all the meals. Don’t expect me to feed you for free.” My fever still hadn’t broken. The days of travel had left my bones feeling like they were being pulverized by a sledgehammer, inch by inch. I tried to twist out of his grip, but he violently shoved me to the ground. My knee slammed into a jagged rock, instantly tearing the skin. Blood poured down my calf. Because of the leukemia-induced clotting disorder, the wound looked horrifyingly gruesome within seconds. Brenda glanced at it, sneered, and spat on the ground. “Stop acting like a fragile little princess! You played a fake rich girl in the city for a few years, and now you think you’re made of glass?” “Get outside and chop the firewood in the back!” I was locked in a storage shed filled with rusted farming tools. There was no bed, just a pile of damp, moldy hay. The freezing wind howled through the cracks in the walls, slicing against my skin like razor blades. I curled up in the darkest corner, pressing my icy fingers against my continuously bleeding knee. The blood wouldn’t stop. It soaked into the hay, turning it black in the dark. In that moment, I thought about Chloe’s life in the Vance estate. When I was six, I simply stared at a stuffed bear she was holding for a second too long. My mother dragged me into a corner and forced me to stand facing the wall for the entire night. Later, when Chloe took piano lessons, they cost $300 an hour. While I, in order to “earn” my breakfast for the next day, had to wake up at 5:00 AM every single morning to scrub a sink full of dirty dishes. I used to think that as long as I was obedient enough, as long as I made myself small enough, they would eventually see me. But all they ever saw was my “ungratefulness.” The next morning, I was violently woken up by a bucket of freezing water splashed directly into my face. Brenda stood over me holding a plastic bucket, her eyes vicious. “The sun’s already up and you’re still sleeping?! Do you want to die?!” I struggled to drag myself up. The world spun violently in front of my eyes. The high fever had caused my lips to crack and bleed, and my forehead was covered in a dense layer of cold sweat. I was forced out into the yard to hand-wash their laundry. The well water was bone-chillingly cold. My hands quickly turned raw and red, a piercing, agonizing pain shooting through my joints. Three consecutive days of heavy manual labor and severe malnutrition rapidly accelerated the deterioration of my body. On the afternoon of the fourth day, while I was feeding the pigs, I collapsed without warning. Blood began pouring from my nose like a broken faucet, dripping steadily onto the filthy mud. Bob walked over and kicked me hard in the ribs. “Stop playing dead! Get up and work!” I looked at him, a raspy, microscopic wheeze escaping my throat. “I’m sick… take me to a hospital…” Brenda walked over, took one look, and scoffed. “Hospital? You think hospitals are free?” “That rich guy in the city specifically told us to build your character and make you eat shit for a while. Stop faking it!” They dragged me by my arms back into the storage shed and locked the heavy iron padlock from the outside. In the pitch-black room, I fumbled through my pockets until I found my cracked iPhone. The weak glow of the screen illuminated my blood-soaked hands. I scrolled through my contacts and pressed the call button for my mother. This was my absolute last plea for help to that family. Not to survive, but just to hear, one last time, exactly how heartless they could be. The phone rang for an eternity before it was finally answered. “Hello?” My mother’s voice was dripping with impatience. In the background, I could hear the elegant, flowing notes of Chloe playing the piano. “Mom…” I called out weakly, tears involuntarily slipping down my cheeks. “It hurts so much… I’m bleeding so much…” “They’re hitting me, they won’t let me eat… Mom, please, take me ho—” “Enough, Maya Vance!” My mother’s voice cut through me like a whip. “How much longer are you going to keep up this act?” “I told you, we sent you out to the country to build your character, not so you could play these pathetic sympathy games!” “Your sister is in a critical stage of practicing for her recital. Stop calling here and distracting her.” “When you drop this fragile, manipulative act, then I’ll consider coming to get you.” Beep— The call was mercilessly disconnected. I gripped the phone, listening to the dead dial tone, a self-deprecating smile slowly pulling at the corners of my mouth. Build my character. They used those three words to righteously issue my death sentence. I closed my eyes and tossed the phone into the dark corner of the shed. “Okay.” “I’ll stop acting.”

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Chapter 1 I was picking my son up from school when a speeding Porsche sent little Leo flying twenty-five feet through the air. Leo’s face was covered in blood. His tiny hand was still clutching the new Spider-Man action figure I had just bought him. I held him, dropping to my knees on the asphalt, screaming for bystanders to call 911. But the woman who hit him didn’t even bother to open her car door. She leaned back in the driver’s seat, casually touched up her lipstick in the rearview mirror, and dialed her phone. Her voice was sugary and dripping with fake panic: “Mr. Sterling, I got into a little accident. I’m so scared, please come save me…” Three minutes later, two black SUVs aggressively swerved into the intersection, completely blocking the road. Six bodyguards in black suits piled out and formed a human wall around me and Leo. I screamed that my child was coughing up blood, that he was going to die if we didn’t get him to a hospital right now. The head bodyguard’s face was devoid of all emotion. He even stepped sideways to block the path of the approaching ambulance. “The boss gave strict orders. Until liability is officially determined, no one leaves this scene. Including the injured.” I charged forward like a madwoman, but my arms were instantly pinned to my sides by two massive guards. The woman finally stepped out of the Porsche. She strutted over in her designer heels, crouched down, and gave Leo a dismissive glance. “The kid doesn’t even look that badly hurt.” She turned her head, whining into her phone: “Mr. Sterling, they’re totally trying to run an insurance scam on me. You have to back me up.” “Don’t worry.” The voice coming from the phone was chillingly familiar, so calm it made my heart stop. “I’ll handle it. Stay in the car.” Leo’s lips were already turning blue. Like grabbing onto a lifeline, I screamed that name with everything I had. “Victor Sterling! The boy she hit is Leo!” …… The other end of the line went dead silent for a second. The woman sneered and abruptly hung up the phone. The beep-beep-beep of the disconnected call was deafening in the chaotic street. She shoved her phone into her Birkin bag and looked down at me with absolute contempt. “What are you screaming about?” “Did you think overhearing our boss’s name would get you somewhere?” “Mr. Sterling is a very busy man. You think he has time to know some ghetto scammer like you?” My eyes were practically splitting open as I glared at her with pure hatred. “That is Victor Sterling’s biological son!” “You hit him! Victor won’t let you get away with this!” The woman acted like she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, covering her mouth as she giggled. “Oh my god, you are such a good liar.” “Before you try to pull a shakedown, you should do your research. Do you really think you can just make up rumors about Mr. Sterling?” Miles away, Victor Sterling hung up the phone, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind. He dialed the house phone to check in with the nanny, Martha. “Martha, are my wife and son home?” Martha had been gossiping and watching soap operas all afternoon. She hadn’t even noticed they weren’t back yet. Without missing a beat, she lied: “Yes, sir. The Mrs. and the young master are out watering the plants in the greenhouse right now.” She had no idea that this single, careless lie would become the young master’s death sentence. Victor let out a sigh of relief and tossed his phone onto his desk. His disgust for the hysterical voice he had heard over the phone deepened. Just another pathetic scammer, he muttered to himself. “Let me go!” I fought with every ounce of strength I had to break free from the bodyguards’ grip. I threw myself down next to Leo. Blood was continuously bubbling up from Leo’s nose, completely staining the front of his little white school shirt. He struggled to open his eyes, his tiny hand trembling weakly. “Mommy… it hurts…” My heart felt like it was being fed through a meat grinder. “Don’t be scared, Leo. Mommy’s here. The ambulance is right outside.” I threw my head back and roared at the bodyguards with a shredded voice. “Get out of the way! The ambulance is right behind you!” “He is dying! Weren’t you raised by mothers too?! Do you have no souls?!” The head bodyguard stood like an unfeeling wall of concrete. He looked at me with dead eyes. “Mr. Sterling’s orders. Ms. Vance is highly distressed. Until Mr. Sterling’s personal lawyer arrives on scene, no one tampers with the evidence.” “The ambulance can wait. Ms. Vance’s legal rights cannot be compromised.” The crowd of bystanders finally had enough. A few young guys surged forward, pointing angrily at the bodyguards. “Have you lost your damn minds?!” “You hit someone, refuse to let them get medical help, and block the road?! This is murder!” “Come on, let’s push them out of the way! We have to save the kid!” The crowd started shoving against the suited men. The head bodyguard’s eyes turned lethal. He reached to his belt and whipped out an extendable tactical baton. Thwack! A sickening thud echoed as the baton slammed into the shoulder of the guy leading the charge. He stumbled back, crying out in pain. In perfect unison, the rest of the bodyguards drew their batons and formed a rigid line. “Sterling Enterprises business. Bystanders, back the hell up.” “Anyone who takes one more step is instigating a physical assault.” The brutal, organized display of violence terrified the crowd, forcing them to back away. Tiffany Vance leaned casually against her Porsche, meticulously inspecting her fresh manicure. “Exactly. A bunch of broke losers playing hero.” “If they hurt you, Mr. Sterling can easily afford the payout. But if they crack your skulls open, can you afford the hospital bill?” She strolled over to me and casually kicked the Spider-Man toy that had slipped from Leo’s hand. “This toy looks like a cheap knockoff. What, ten bucks?” “Just spit it out. How much cash will it take to make you shut up?” “Ten grand? Twenty grand?” My hands were shaking violently as I picked up the Spider-Man figure and gripped it tightly in my palm. Leo’s breathing was growing shallower. The rise and fall of his chest was almost imperceptible. I looked up, my eyes bloodshot, staring at Tiffany. “I don’t want your money.” “I’m begging you, tell them to move. Let the paramedics in.” “As long as you let me save my child, I will do anything you want.” Tiffany raised an eyebrow, clearly satisfied by my submission. “Anything?” I nodded frantically. “Great.” She pointed down at her designer heels. “When I stepped out of the car, I got a little dust on my shoe.” “Get on your knees and lick it clean for me.” “If I’m in a good mood after, maybe I’ll be generous and let the ambulance through.” A wave of disgusted cursing erupted from the crowd. “This woman is a psychopath!” “Pure evil!” I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. I looked down at my dying son in my arms. Without a single second of hesitation, my knees bent, and I dropped straight to the pavement at Tiffany’s feet. Chapter 2 Thud. My knees slammed heavily against the asphalt. The entire street went dead silent. Everyone stared at me in sheer disbelief. Even the stoic head bodyguard furrowed his brow slightly. Tiffany was stunned for a moment before bursting into a shrill, piercing laugh. “Oh my god, you actually kneeled.” “I guess this little bastard really is important to you.” She deliberately extended her foot forward, the pointed toe of her shoe almost poking my chin. “Lick it.” “Make sure you get it spotless. These heels were custom-ordered from Paris by Mr. Sterling. If you ruin them, you could never afford to replace them.” I lowered my head, staring at the dust-covered red stilettos. Dignity meant absolutely nothing right now. If it meant saving Leo, I would gladly die. I closed my eyes and slowly leaned forward. Just as my lips were about to touch the leather— Tiffany suddenly snapped her leg up. Her sharp heel kicked me viciously in the shoulder. Caught completely off guard, I was thrown backward, hitting the hard pavement with a sickening thud. “Hahahaha!” Tiffany laughed so hard she was shaking. She held up her phone, recording me. “What an obedient little dog.” “TikTok, look at this. Ran into a scammer today. She’s so desperate for cash she threw away all her dignity.” Ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder, I scrambled back to my knees. “I tried to lick it. Will you let the ambulance in now?” Tiffany put her phone away and pouted dramatically. “Sorry, I changed my mind. I don’t want you to lick it anymore.” “I think it’s too disgusting.” “You’re just going to have to keep waiting for the lawyer.” I completely snapped. “You monster!” I surged up from the ground like a feral lioness protecting her cub and threw myself at her. I locked my hands around her throat and slammed her against the hood of the Porsche. “Let them in! Save my son!” Tiffany shrieked in terror. “Murder! Help me!” Two bodyguards rushed over instantly, gripping my arms in a vice and ripping me off her. With a violent heave, they hoisted me completely off the ground. “Let go of me! You murderers!” I kicked my legs frantically in the air. The head bodyguard walked over, his eyes devoid of humanity. “You just don’t know when to quit.” He raised his heavy, steel-toed boot and brought it down with devastating force directly onto my right knee. CRACK. A crisp, horrifying snap. Agony instantly shredded my nervous system. I let out a bloodcurdling scream, collapsing onto the asphalt like a sack of broken bones. My right leg bent at a grotesque, unnatural angle. Cold sweat instantly soaked through my clothes. Tiffany rubbed her throat, marched over, and slapped me hard across the face. “You bitch! You dared to touch me?!” “Beat her! If she dies, put it on my tab!” Right at that moment. A massive commotion erupted from the outer edge of the crowd. “Ram them! Screw it, if something happens, I’ll take the blame!” An eighteen-wheeler fully loaded with cargo suddenly roared to life, its massive engine revving as it accelerated straight into the blockade of black SUVs. CRASH! The deafening sound of crunching metal echoed down the block. The impact violently violently shoved the two SUVs apart, creating a gap. The trucker hopped out of the cab, wielding a massive steel wrench. “Even if I go to prison today, I’m not gonna stand by and let you animals murder a kid!” The crowd was completely ignited. Dozens of pedestrians surged forward like a tidal wave, using their sheer numbers to physically smash through the bodyguards’ defensive line. “Hurry! Get the medics in here!” The paramedics sprinted through the gap carrying their trauma kits. They rapidly strapped an oxygen mask onto Leo and lifted him onto a stretcher. “He’s lost too much blood! Pupils are starting to dilate! He needs surgery right now!” Dragging my shattered leg behind me, I crawled across the asphalt and grabbed the edge of the stretcher. “Doctor, please… save him… I’m begging you…” With red, tear-filled eyes, the paramedic helped lift me into the back of the ambulance alongside my son. The moment the ambulance doors slammed shut, I saw Tiffany furiously dialing her phone. “Mr. Sterling! They assaulted me! And they took that little bastard to Sterling Medical Center!” “You have to make them pay for this!” Victor’s deep, cold voice drifted through her phone’s speaker, perfectly clear to my ears. “Don’t panic. I’ll make the arrangements.” “Sterling Medical Center is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sterling Enterprises.” “I promise you, no surgeon in that building will dare pick up a scalpel today.” Chapter 3 The ambulance wove recklessly through the rush hour traffic. But the blaring sirens couldn’t drown out the frantic pounding of my heart. Leo lay on the stretcher, his small face as white as a sheet of paper. The lines on the EKG monitor were flattening out, the alarm beeping like a countdown to death. “Blood pressure is still dropping!” “We need an immediate transfusion! Radio Sterling Med’s blood bank, tell them to prep O-negative blood now!” the paramedic roared into his radio. I gripped Leo’s ice-cold hand tightly, my tears splashing onto his skin. “Leo, hold on just a little longer. We’re almost at the hospital.” “Didn’t you want to watch Spider-Man fight the bad guys? Mommy will take you tomorrow, I promise.” Leo’s eyelashes fluttered weakly, but he didn’t have the strength to open his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance careened into the emergency bay of Sterling Medical Center. The ER doors were wide open, but not a single nurse came out with a gurney to receive us. A deathly silence hung over the entire emergency department. The paramedic froze in shock, then jumped out of the rig and yelled: “Where is the trauma team?! Bring a gurney out here!” No answer. Just a few nurses hiding behind the triage desk, keeping their heads down, terrified to even look at us. The paramedic cursed loudly and sprinted inside to grab a gurney himself. Together, we rushed Leo toward the trauma bay. But just as we reached the double doors, a middle-aged man in a white coat blocked our path. It was the Chief Administrator of the hospital. He was sweating profusely, his eyes darting around the room. “Stop. You can’t go into the trauma bay.” The paramedic grabbed the administrator by the collar of his coat. “Are you out of your damn mind?! This child has severe internal bleeding! If we don’t operate now, he will die!” The administrator forcefully peeled the paramedic’s hands off him and lowered his voice. “This is a direct order from the top!” “Mr. Sterling personally called and mandated that until the liability for the accident is determined, all medical resources at Sterling Medical Center are to be entirely locked down.” “The blood bank has been locked. Every surgical chief has been called into an emergency mandatory meeting.” “I have a family to feed! I can’t afford to disobey Mr. Sterling!” I felt like I had been struck by lightning. Victor. Are you truly this soulless? Just to help your little mistress vent her anger, you’re willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent child?! Dragging my broken leg, I dropped to my knees in front of the administrator. “Please! I am begging you, save him!” “He’s only five years old!” “If you save him, I will work like a dog for you for the rest of my life!” The administrator turned his head away, refusing to meet my eyes. “Ma’am, please don’t make this harder than it is.” “In this city, if you cross Victor Sterling, you’re as good as dead.” “You need to take your child to County General. Maybe you can still make it.” County General? With this traffic, it would take at least thirty minutes to get to the nearest major trauma center. Leo couldn’t even hold on for five! Driven by pure desperation, I pulled out my phone. With trembling, bloody fingers, I dialed Victor’s number. First try: Declined. Second try: Declined. I kept hitting redial like a lunatic. Finally, the call connected. “Victor Sterling! Tell your people to stand down! Let the doctors operate on Leo!” I screamed into the phone, my voice tearing my throat apart. A sickeningly sweet, artificial voice answered on the other end. “Oh my god, it’s the crazy lady again.” It was Tiffany. She giggled into the receiver. “Mr. Sterling is busy checking the scrape on my knee right now. He’s so worried about me.” “He said that whatever happens to that scammer kid has absolutely nothing to do with him, and you need to stop harassing us.” “Oh, and Mr. Sterling also said that if you dare to cause a scene at his hospital, he has a hundred different ways to make sure your entire family never finds work in this city again.” The blood in my veins turned to ice. “Give him the phone! Make him listen to me!” “My name is Clara! The boy who was hit is his biological son!” Chapter 4 Tiffany let out an annoyed tsk. “Are you done yet? Still trying to keep the act going?” “Yes, Mr. Sterling’s wife is named Clara, but right now she’s probably sitting in the mansion watching cartoons with the young master.” “Take your pathetic, low-class scams and go to hell.” With that, she hung up the phone. I slumped onto the floor, my phone slipping from my bloody hands and cracking against the tile. Despair swallowed me whole like a black hole. Right at that moment, the EKG monitor outside the trauma bay let out a long, piercing tone. BEEEEEEP— It was a blindingly flat, green line. The paramedic froze in his tracks. He slowly turned around, looked at the monitor displaying the absence of a heartbeat, and painfully squeezed his eyes shut. “Resuscitation failed…” He didn’t even call the time of death. Because this child was never even given the chance to be resuscitated. I remained on my knees, completely paralyzed. The world around me seemed to instantly lose all sound. I couldn’t hear the nurses sobbing quietly, couldn’t hear the paramedic cursing in rage. My eyes were locked onto the tiny body resting on the gurney. Leo’s face had turned an ashen gray. The white school shirt was soaked through with blood, now drying into a dark, rusty maroon. The little hand that had been tightly gripping the Spider-Man action figure now hung lifelessly off the edge of the stretcher. The toy slipped from his grasp, clattering sharply against the hospital floor. Dragging my shattered leg, I crawled toward him, inch by inch. I picked up the Spider-Man toy and gently tucked it back into his cold, lifeless hand. “Leo, hold onto your toy.” “Didn’t you say Spider-Man was going to protect Mommy?” I pressed my face against his icy cheek. My tears had completely run dry; all that was left was a raw, burning agony in my eyes. “Why aren’t you protecting Mommy anymore…?” “Wake up. Please, just wake up and look at Mommy…” No one answered me. The entire hallway was as silent as a graveyard. Suddenly, the sharp, rhythmic clicking of high heels broke the silence from the end of the corridor. Followed by a woman’s whiny, pampered complaints. “Ugh, the smell of bleach in this trashy hospital is so disgusting.” “Victor, I told you I was fine! Why did you insist on bringing me here for a full-body scan?” “The scrape on my knee is basically fully healed already.” Hearing that voice, my spine instantly went rigid. I slowly turned my head. Victor Sterling, wearing a bespoke black suit, walked down the hall with an imposing, powerful posture. He had one arm wrapped protectively around Tiffany’s waist, a look of indulgent exasperation on his face—a look he had never once given me. “You were in an accident. It doesn’t matter who was at fault, getting checked out is the smart thing to do.” “We need to make sure there’s no lasting trauma.” His voice was so gentle it could melt ice. Tiffany leaned against his chest, letting out a smug, spoiled hum. “It’s all that scammer woman’s fault. She scared me half to death.” “You can’t let her off easy.” Victor looked up, his gaze sweeping carelessly toward the emergency bay. “Don’t worry. No one messes with my people and gets away with it.” He took long, confident strides toward us, the bodyguards trailing behind him immediately stepping up to clear the path. “Move.” The bodyguards shoved the doctors and nurses out of the way with brutal force. Victor stopped about six feet away from me. He didn’t look down at me. Instead, he glared directly at the paramedic. His voice was as cold as frost. “Are you the ones causing a disturbance in my hospital?” “Security, throw them out.” The paramedic, trembling with sheer rage, pointed a shaking finger right at Victor’s face and roared: “You are a goddamn monster!” “Because of your one order, a five-year-old child was dragged out and left to die!” “How do you sleep at night?! Aren’t you afraid of ghosts knocking on your door?!” Victor furrowed his brow, seemingly finding the accusation utterly absurd. “He was just a scammer. Good riddance.” He finally lowered his arrogant, noble head, his eyes lazily sweeping over the gurney. In that exact fraction of a second. Victor’s entire body violently froze.

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Chapter 1 At the university’s Top Ten Outstanding Students award ceremony, just as I stepped onto the podium, the massive projector screen suddenly went black. The next second, dozens of highly explicit, scandalous text message screenshots popped up on the screen. The entire auditorium of two thousand students and faculty erupted in a deafening uproar. The sender was me. The recipient was sitting in the very front row: the campus golden boy, academic prodigy, and junior finance major, Liam Vance. The screenshots were filled with messages I had sent: [I’m broke. Send me a thousand bucks.] [I’m sleeping at your apartment tonight. Leave the door unlocked.] [If you don’t give me the money, I’m going to harass you every single day and ruin your reputation.] The sorority president and campus ‘it-girl’, Chloe Sterling, sprinted onto the stage with a microphone. Pointing directly at me, she announced with self-righteous fury: “Everyone, look closely! Harper Quinn is not some innocent, hardworking straight-A student. She is a shameless gold-digger who has been chronically harassing and extorting Liam Vance!” “A toxic, disgusting parasite like her doesn’t deserve to stand on this stage and accept an award!” Countless gazes of absolute disgust stabbed into me like knives. The university administrators’ faces turned ashen. Chloe looked at me with smug triumph. “Harper, Liam is too much of a gentleman to call the police, but today, you are going to publicly apologize for your shameless, predatory behavior!” I stared at the “extortion” records on the screen and helplessly rubbed my forehead. Hold on a second. Liam Vance is my biological uncle. My grandmother had him late in life. I went to my own uncle’s apartment to grab some free food and ask him for some pocket money. How did that turn me into a shameless gold-digger? … Liam Vance is my biological uncle. No one at school knew this. It wasn’t that I was intentionally hiding it. It was because on my very first day of freshman year, Liam cornered me outside the library and, with a completely deadpan expression, laid down three rules. “Do not call me ‘Uncle’ on campus.” Chapter 2 “Do not tell anyone we are related.” “Why not?” I asked. “I’m a junior in college. If you run around calling me ‘Uncle,’ what does that make me look like?” “Like an elder.” “Go home and tell your grandmother she should have given birth to me twenty years earlier.” He turned on his heel to leave. I yelled after him. “But what if I run out of money for food?” Without looking back, he tossed a debit card over his shoulder. “Text me. Let me know when it’s empty.” From that day on, we acted like total strangers on campus. He was the untouchable god of the Finance department, winning national scholarships every year, insanely good-looking, and universally crowned the campus heartthrob. I was a freshman in the Journalism department. Completely average, blending into the crowd like a grain of white rice in the dining hall. No one would ever associate the two of us together. That was, until Chloe Sterling developed a massive crush on Liam. I don’t know how she managed to get her hands on our text history. Most likely, she had someone snoop through Liam’s phone while it was confiscated during his competitive finance decathlon week. She found out that Liam transferred money to me every month. She found out I went to his apartment every few days. She found out I used his debit card to buy three cases of milk at the grocery store. But she didn’t know what our relationship was. And she didn’t care. A freshman girl frequently entering the campus heartthrob’s apartment and spending his money—that was enough evidence for her to write her own narrative. The award ceremony was abruptly canceled. The university administrators called me into their office. My academic advisor sat on the side, looking like she had just swallowed a box of chalk. “Harper, explain these text messages.” I said, “Those are normal conversations between me and a family member.” “A family member?” My advisor frowned. “Liam Vance’s emergency contact file doesn’t list you.” “He’s my…” “Were you about to say he’s your boyfriend?” Chapter 3 I didn’t notice when Chloe had slipped into the office, but she sat down with perfectly timed, red-rimmed eyes. “Professor, she’s been telling people she has a ‘special relationship’ with Liam for a while now. We all tried to talk some sense into her, but she wouldn’t listen.” My advisor looked at her, then looked at me. “Harper, Chloe is the Vice President of the Student Government. She has no reason to frame you.” “Go back to your dorm and write a detailed statement explaining your actions.” “Your award eligibility is temporarily suspended.” I opened my mouth. I wanted to say that she was the only one who had a reason to frame me. But Chloe had already helpfully opened the office door for me. She stepped aside to let me pass, whispering: “It’s not personal, Harper.” “I just think some things needed to be brought to light.” She was a sophomore. Polite. Polite like a court subpoena. When I walked out of the office, my phone was already blowing up. The top trending post on the university forum: [SHOCKING! Top Ten Student Exposed as a Gold-Digger Harassing the Campus Heartthrob! Texts Leaked!] The top comment: [No wonder she always wears nice clothes to the dining hall. Now we know how she affords them.] I looked down at the jacket I was wearing. It was a jacket Liam had thrown at me because he thought it was too big. He said it made him look fat. A 6’2″ guy with 10% body fat told me a jacket made him look fat. When my grandmother gave birth to him, she must have left his brain in the delivery room. I sent Liam a text. [Uncle Liam, we have a problem. Your crazy fangirl just plastered our texts on the jumbotron.] The message bounced back with a red exclamation mark. His phone was confiscated for the decathlon week. He was currently MIA. Great. My biological uncle is off the grid. The niece is socially dead. This family is falling apart. Chapter 4 Early the next morning, someone taped a piece of printer paper to my dorm room door. [Please have some self-respect and stay away from Liam Vance. Stop embarrassing the Journalism department.] Signed: “All the girls in the Journalism Department.” I ripped the paper down and flipped it over. The back was blank. Perfect. I needed scratch paper for calculus anyway. During my morning lecture, I sat in the very last row of the auditorium. The students sitting in front of me collectively moved three rows forward. As if I were radiating nuclear fallout. Chloe’s little minion, Mia, went out of her way to walk over and place a boba tea on my desk. “Chloe bought this for you.” “I don’t want it.” “She also said,” Mia lowered her voice, “As long as you post a public apology on the forum today, she’ll help you suppress the rumors.” “Apologize for what?” “Admit that your behavior toward Liam was inappropriate.” “What exactly is inappropriate about normal interactions with my family?” Mia let out an exasperated sigh. “The screenshots are everywhere. The entire school saw them.” “No one is going to believe anything you say right now.” “It’s better if you just swallow your pride and apologize.” I pushed the boba tea back toward her. “I’ll swallow my pride.” “Right after she gives me my Top Ten Student award back.” Mia rolled her eyes, grabbed the tea, and left. At lunch, I swiped my meal card at the dining hall. Insufficient Funds. Liam’s debit card had been confiscated by Chloe as “evidence” and handed over to the Student Government. And my personal bank account only had forty-seven dollars left. There were nineteen days left in the month.

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After high school graduation, my four childhood best friends dragged me into a game of Truth or Dare. When it was my turn, the long-lost “real daughter” of the wealthy family they all doted on dared everyone to reveal their top college choice. One by one, they showed their screens: Texas A&M. Carter slid his college application portal to me, tapping my perfect 4.0 GPA and 1580 SAT score with a smirk. “I dare you to give up Stanford and come with us. Whoever backs out is a dog.” That night, right in front of them, I signed the binding early decision agreement. Amidst everyone’s cheering, Carter accepted my confession and agreed to be my boyfriend. It wasn’t until the official acceptance letters arrived in the mail that I went over to their place, only to accidentally find the living room TV still screen-mirroring a group chat. The chat was named: “The Stay-in-State Bodyguard Squad.” [Did she sign it?] [Yeah, signed. Four fake application portals to get her to voluntarily ship herself off to Texas. Solid trade.] [Mia is a genius. One stupid game and we finally got rid of the annoying shadow.] [Carter made the biggest sacrifice. He still has to pretend to date her until classes start.] I stood frozen in front of the screen just as the front door clicked open. The four boys and Mia, holding bottles of champagne to celebrate their acceptance into Stanford, froze in the doorway. 1 Carter was the first to regain his composure. “Since you saw it, I won’t lie to you.” “Mia doesn’t have any real family, and she can’t handle being far from home in a place like Texas. You’ve always been tough; you’ll do fine on your own.” Mia’s eyes welled up with tears, and she grabbed his sleeve. I didn’t cry. I just pointed at the chat logs on the screen. “Who made the fake college application portals?” Carter admitted it without hesitation. “I photoshopped them.” “Who came up with the Truth or Dare game?” Mia’s eyes darted away. Noah immediately stepped in front of her. “We all came up with the idea together. Don’t single out Mia to bully her.” I nodded, then looked back at Carter. “So agreeing to be my boyfriend last night… was that part of the plan too?” Carter’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “You wouldn’t do long-distance.” “If I didn’t say yes, you wouldn’t have signed.” He said it as if it were an absolute fact, without a shred of guilt. Mia’s eyes turned redder, and she suddenly reached for Liam’s phone. “This is all my fault. I’ll change my college decision right now.” “I’ll go to Texas with Chloe, and you guys can stay in California.” All four boys instantly surrounded her. Ethan snatched the phone out of her hand. “Your Stanford acceptance letter is already here! You’re not changing anything!” “But what about Chloe?” Mia’s shoulders shook as she cried. “She’s going so far away all by herself. She’s going to be so sad.” Carter pulled out a tissue and gently wiped away her tears. “She’s been fiercely independent since she was a kid. She’ll thrive anywhere.” “Your health isn’t great, and you’ve never left California. Don’t risk your future just because you feel guilty.” I stood a few feet away, watching them coddle her. So this was the truth. It wasn’t that Texas wasn’t a good fit for Mia. It was that they couldn’t bear to see her struggle, but they were perfectly fine sacrificing me. Liam pushed his glasses up his nose, his tone as analytical and cold as always. “Chloe, while the methods weren’t the most honorable, looking at the outcome, everyone got the best possible result.” “You’re going to the aerospace engineering program that perfectly suits you, and we get to stay in-state to look after Mia.” “Nobody’s future was ruined.” I gave a small, bitter smile. “So I should be thanking you guys?” Noah caught the sarcasm in my voice, his face darkening. “You wanted to go to Texas A&M anyway! Otherwise, why didn’t you just explicitly decline the recruiter when they called you all those times?” “We just helped you make up your mind.” It was true that I wanted to go. The research focus of their program had been my dream since I was a little kid. But because I couldn’t bear to leave them, I had turned down the recruiter’s invitation twice. I had even considered giving up my favorite major just to stay in California with them. But there was no point in saying any of that now. I picked up the acceptance letter sitting on the table. Carter instinctively stepped into my path. “Where are you going?” “Home.” “What about… us?” I looked at him. “What ‘us’?” His face stiffened. “Chloe, don’t say things you don’t mean out of anger.” “Agreeing to date you so you’d sign the paperwork wasn’t entirely fake. I’ll still be your boyfriend until school starts, and I’ll come visit you when I have time.” “I gave you exactly what you wanted, didn’t I?” So in his eyes, gracing me with a two-month fake relationship was an act of profound charity. Mia spoke up softly, trying to comfort me. “Chloe, Carter really does care about you.” “After you fell asleep on the couch last night, he even put a blanket over you.” I almost laughed out loud. Tricking me into signing a legally binding early decision agreement, and then putting a blanket over me. When you do the math, I really came out ahead, didn’t I? “Then I hope you guys stay together forever.” I picked up my jade pendant from the table and dropped it right in front of Mia. “Didn’t you say you wished you could have had our childhood memories?” “You can have this, too.” Mia was too scared to take it. Carter’s brow furrowed deeper. “What is wrong with you today?” “Didn’t you always say the five of us would never be apart?” “That was then.” I turned around and walked out. My phone buzzed in my pocket. A message from the research program director. [The extraction vehicle will arrive in California in forty-eight hours.] [Chloe, please confirm if you are ready to join the classified team early.] I tapped ‘Confirm’. The project required strict security clearance. Once I entered the facility, my phone number and personal devices would be confiscated and locked away. For a very long time, absolutely no one would be able to find me. I locked my screen and set the group chat containing the five of us—my companions for the last eighteen years—to ‘Do Not Disturb’. They thought I would react exactly the same way I always did: get mad, cry a little, and then obediently come crawling back. But this time, I truly, permanently, didn’t want them anymore. 2 Before leaving, I wanted to return their things. When Noah was twelve, he shoved his very first basketball championship medal into my hands, saying he was afraid he’d lose it, and told me to keep it safe for him. I took the medal and went to the community gym to find him. He was crouching on the floor, assembling a dorm room clothing rack for Mia. Surrounding them were piles of mattress toppers, desk lamps, and storage bins. “Put this hook a little lower,” Mia said, measuring the height with her hand. “I can’t reach it.” Noah immediately took it apart and started reinstalling it. Seeing me, he asked casually, “What are you doing here?” I handed him the medal. “Returning this.” Noah paused for a second. “Can’t you just keep it? Why are you suddenly giving it back?” “I figured I wouldn’t have another chance.” He completely missed the finality in my voice, casually tossing the medal into a cardboard box full of random junk. “Perfect timing. Mia’s dorm is missing a wall hook. You’re strong, come help me lift this.” I didn’t move. Mia quickly interjected: “It’s fine, Chloe is moving out of state soon. I’m sure she’s super busy packing.” Noah glanced at me dismissively. “She’s been able to pack a bag in ten minutes since she was a kid. What could she possibly be busy with?” I turned and walked away. He didn’t even chase after me to ask when exactly my flight was. Liam was in the library. I returned the stack of math Olympiad notebooks he had stored at my house. He took them, but his eyes immediately locked onto the camera hanging around my neck. It was the DSLR I had bought when I was fifteen after saving my allowance for an entire year. Almost our entire high school lives were saved on that SD card. “Leave the camera, too,” Liam said. “Mia wants to make a montage video to play at the freshman orientation party.” “This is my camera.” “I’m just borrowing it. I’m not stealing it.” He waved Mia over. Mia walked up, staring at the camera with eager, pleading eyes. “Chloe, I just want to pull a few pictures of everyone from when we were kids.” “But our childhood doesn’t have you in it.” Her face went pale. Liam looked at me with deep disapproval. “Is it really necessary to be that harsh?” “She just feels bad that she didn’t meet us sooner.” “So she gets to steal my past to fill her void?” As if he had lost all patience, Liam reached out and grabbed the camera bag hanging off the back of my chair. “I’m just borrowing it for a few days. Stop being so dramatic.” I reached out to grab it back, but he dodged me. “Once the video is done, I’ll have Carter give it back to you.” I stared at him for two full seconds, then let my hand drop. “Fine.” There was nothing on that camera I couldn’t live without. Anything truly worth keeping, I had already backed up to a hard drive long ago. Ethan blocked my path at the entrance to our neighborhood. “Perfect timing.” He tossed an external hard drive directly into my chest. “This has all the home videos from over the years. You’re the best at editing—help Mia put together an 18th birthday documentary.” “She doesn’t have eighteen years of footage with us.” “That’s exactly why we’re using ours,” Ethan said, completely oblivious to how insane he sounded. “Just cut out the parts where you’re fully in frame, and splice in some solo pictures of Mia. It’ll be fine.” I looked down at the hard drive in my hands. It held videos of us learning how to ride bikes, our first camping trip, and every single birthday party the four of them had spent with me. And now, they wanted me to literally edit myself out. To let Mia replace me, so she could have the illusion of a perfect, complete childhood. “Sure.” I accepted the hard drive. Ethan actually looked surprised. “You agreed that fast?” “Didn’t you say I’d be over my tantrum in a couple of days?” He rubbed his nose awkwardly. “As long as you’ve thought it through.” From start to finish, not a single one of them asked me what day I was leaving for Texas. That night, Carter took me out on a “date.” We went to our usual hotpot place, but he spent the entire dinner looking down at his phone, rapidly typing. Mia texted saying her dorm mattress was too hard. He immediately contacted a luxury bedding store to have a custom mattress topper delivered. Mia texted saying she was worried about not getting along with her roommates. He sent several minute-long voice memos comforting her. The beef tripe on my plate was boiling until it was tough as leather, and he didn’t even notice. “Carter.” “Hmm?” “Do you remember what I’m supposed to be doing tomorrow?” He finally looked up. “Packing your luggage?” “Close enough.” He let out a sigh of relief and pushed a bowl of dessert jelly toward me. “Stop pouting.” “Once you get to Texas, just settle in. I promised I’d come visit you, and I won’t break that promise.” When we parted ways, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Be a good girl and wait for the semester to start.” “We’ll all come out to visit you in a few months.” I didn’t call him out on his lie. When I got home, I plugged the external hard drive into my computer and permanently deleted every single file containing our shared memories. Why should my eighteen years of life be used to decorate Mia’s existence? I safely ejected the hard drive and dropped it into a padded shipping envelope. It was my final parting gift to them. A clean, pristine past, entirely free of me. 3 At 7:00 AM the next morning, I went back to the high school to pick up the last of my sealed academic transcripts. As soon as I walked into the main hall, I heard people laughing behind my back. “Oh, look, the brilliant 4.0 valedictorian has arrived.” “I heard she tried to follow Carter to Stanford, but all four guys ended up picking Stanford, and she got shipped off to Texas A&M.” “Shipped off? Please. She threw herself at them, got rejected, and is running away with her tail between her legs.” A group of girls blocked the bottom of the staircase. Standing right in front was one of Mia’s newly acquired friends. She looked me up and down, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the camera hanging around my neck. “Is this the precious camera you wouldn’t even let Mia borrow?” I clamped my hand down on her wrist. “Let go.” “Why are you being so aggressive?” she yelled, intentionally raising her voice to draw a crowd. “Mia was right. Just because you grew up with four rich guys, you actually thought you were a princess.” The girls behind her immediately chimed in. “Too bad for her, they all chose Mia.” “Someone literally threw herself at Carter, begged him to date her, and got dumped after one day. Pathetic.” A crowd quickly formed, whispering and pointing. I lifted my eyes and looked down the hallway. Carter and the others were standing right there. Noah was holding a stack of Mia’s orientation folders, Liam was helping her review her housing documents, and Ethan was carrying her iced coffee. Carter saw me, too. But he just frowned and didn’t move an inch toward me. In the past, if someone even breathed a rumor about me relying on the four of them for status, Carter would corner the guy in the broadcasting room and force him to issue a school-wide apology over the PA system. Now, I was being surrounded and physically harassed over my own camera, and he acted like I was invisible. Mia jogged over, looking distressed. “Guys, please don’t do this. Chloe is just in a bad mood.” The girl gripping my camera scoffed. “Mia, you’re way too nice.” “She’s just jealous that you have people who care about you. She wouldn’t even give you a few childhood videos, and you’re still defending her?” Mia’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. Carter finally walked over, but only to pull Mia protectively behind him. “Chloe, if you have an issue, take it up with us. Don’t take your attitude out on Mia.” Before I could even open my mouth, the girl behind me violently yanked the camera strap. The camera hit the concrete floor with a sickening crunch. At the exact same time, another girl “accidentally” knocked over a janitor’s mop bucket, splashing filthy, soapy water all over my legs and shoes. Loud laughter erupted in the hallway. “Oops! So sorry, my hand slipped!” I wiped a splash of dirty water off my cheek and bent down to pick up the broken camera. Carter looked at me, his tone dripping with annoyance. “If your clothes are wet, go home and change. Stop making a scene at school.” So them publicly humiliating me was just a “slip of the hand.” But if I demanded basic accountability, I was “making a scene.” I didn’t spare them another glance. I grabbed my transcript envelope and walked out of the building. Half an hour later, I had just finished changing into clean clothes when someone pounded aggressively on my front door. The four boys had brought Mia and barged right into my house. “Where is the jade pendant?” Noah demanded, cutting straight to the chase. “Mia was just wearing it, and a second later, it was gone.” I leaned against the doorframe. “And?” Ethan scowled coldly. “You were the only one who got close to her at school. Who else would have taken it?” Without waiting for an answer, he marched straight into my bedroom and yanked open a drawer. The others followed, tearing through my closet and desk. For eighteen years, they had never knocked before entering my room. I used to think it was a sign of intimacy. Now I understood—they just assumed that everything I owned was theirs to dispose of. Noah ripped open a closet door and froze when he saw it was completely empty, save for a few stray hangers. “Why are you packing luggage?” My chest tightened slightly. Liam glanced at the suitcase and answered for me: “She’s trying to scare us.” Ethan scoffed. “Chloe, how old are you? You’re still pulling the ‘running away from home’ stunt?” They laughed, completely relaxed. Not a single one of them entertained the thought that I was actually leaving. Carter found the early decision agreement folder sitting on my desk. He just glanced at the cover and shoved it carelessly under a table leg to stabilize it. “Normal colleges don’t start until September. It’s not like you can vanish into thin air today.” Just then, Mia pulled a jade pendant out of the narrow gap behind my desk. “I found it!” She had dropped it herself. Mia looked at me, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Chloe, I’m so sorry. I misunderstood you.” Carter just gently ruffled her hair. “It’s fine, you found it. Stop crying.” Not a single one of them felt the need to apologize to me. Mia quickly noticed the open video editing software on my laptop screen. It was loaded with files—us burying a time capsule at age ten, our trip to Santa Monica at fifteen, and every single birthday we had celebrated together. “So the unedited files were here the whole time!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Can I use these for my 18th birthday montage?” “No.” I stepped forward and closed the laptop. The light in Mia’s eyes instantly died. Noah stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “What is your problem? Didn’t you agree to help her edit the video?” “I changed my mind.” Tears immediately began spilling down Mia’s cheeks. “Do you guys think I’ll just never be good enough to be your real friend?” Carter’s face darkened, and he aggressively grabbed my computer mouse. “If she wants the videos and you don’t want to be in them, we’ll just delete you from the footage.” “Carter, don’t touch that.” He ignored me entirely, highlighting every single file that had my name tagged on it. I reached out to stop him, but Ethan grabbed my arm in a vice grip. “It’s just a few videos. It’s not going to kill you.” A second later, Carter hit the ‘Delete’ key. The progress bar zipped to the end. Me learning to ride a bike for the first time. Me winning my first science fair. And the video from my sweet sixteen, where Carter looked into the camera and swore he would marry me one day. All of it, manually sent to the recycling bin by his own hand. “There. Problem solved,” he said coldly, letting go of the mouse. “From now on, you won’t be in any of our memorial videos anyway.” He only said it to hurt my feelings. He had no idea that his words were about to become a permanent reality. My phone buzzed. A text from the research director. [The vehicle will arrive in two hours.] I shut my laptop and zipped my suitcase closed. Eighteen years of my life, perfectly fitting into a single, 28-inch piece of luggage. 4 At dawn, a black, government-plated SUV pulled up outside my neighborhood gates. My parents were still overseas leading an engineering project, so they had to say goodbye via FaceTime. My mom’s eyes were bloodshot. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t need us to fly back?” “The facility doesn’t allow family escorts anyway.” My dad was fighting back tears off-camera. “Take good care of yourself out there.” “If anyone bullies you, tell your superiors. Don’t just swallow it.” My nose stung. At least someone couldn’t bear to see me leave. As for Carter and the others… Last night, they were at Mia’s house, decorating for the “Stay-in-State Squad” celebration party. The group chat had been pinging non-stop all night. Noah sent a photo of a wall completely covered in balloons. [Chloe, you have the best eye for design. Get over here and fix this mess.] Liam replied underneath: [She’s still throwing a tantrum. Just ignore her.] Ethan posted a picture of a massive cake with five names written on it. [Let her eat dust in Texas for two days, she’ll behave. We’ll just FaceTime her during the party so she can watch.] I didn’t reply to any of them. The extraction officer loaded my suitcase into the trunk. “Chloe, once you get in this car, the classified protocols initiate.” “Your personal phone and social media accounts will be temporarily frozen. Is there anyone else you need to contact?” “No.” I got into the backseat. My phone suddenly pinged with a group chat notification. Mia had changed the group name from “The Five Musketeers” to “The Stay-in-State Squad.” Immediately after, she sent a screenshot. My nickname in the group used to be “Little Boss.” She had just changed it to “Texas Penpal.” Mia sent a giggling emoji. [I just changed it as a joke! Chloe won’t be mad, right?] Noah replied instantly: [If she gets mad, tell her she can crawl back from Texas to change it herself.] Ethan sent a string of laughing emojis. Liam didn’t say anything, but he ‘liked’ Noah’s message. Carter sent the final reply: [It fits perfectly.] Staring at the screen, I realized I didn’t feel much sadness at all. They had no idea. In ten minutes, I wouldn’t even be their “Texas Penpal” anymore. I exited the group chat and deleted all four of their contacts from my phone. When I got to Carter’s name, I hesitated for two seconds. His final message just happened to come through. [Stop being dramatic.] [Come over tonight to celebrate with Mia. And bring the hard drive with the videos.] The same commanding, arrogant tone as always. He was still absolutely certain I was at his beck and call. I didn’t reply. I just hit ‘Delete Contact’. The extraction officer handed me a tamper-proof evidence bag. “Power your phone down and place it inside.” “For the duration of the project, you are forbidden from contacting the outside world, and the outside world will not be able to track your whereabouts.” I held down the power button. The moment the screen faded to black, my ties to the last eighteen years of my life were permanently severed. The black SUV slowly drove out of my neighborhood. Outside the tinted window, the old oak tree we used to climb as kids flashed past in a blur. When the car reached the highway toll booth, I felt something hard in my jacket pocket. The jade pendant I had worn since I was a baby. Yesterday, I told Mia she could keep it. But she complained that my initials were carved into the back. After taking a picture of it for Instagram, she had shoved it back into my backpack. Eighteen years of companionship, and in the end, I didn’t even get a proper goodbye. The toll gate slowly raised. The extraction officer reminded me: “Once we cross the county line, there’s no turning back.” I rolled down the window. The crisp morning air flooded the cabin, whipping my hair around my face. I opened my palm and looked at the jade pendant one last time. Then, I let it go. The jade hit the concrete barrier by the toll booth with a sharp, crisp crack. The black SUV didn’t slow down. It carried me out of California, speeding toward a classified facility thousands of miles away. And I never looked back.

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