My mother-in-law made my life hell during my postpartum recovery. Even when I jumped off the roof, she showed no remorse. Given a second chance at life, I decided I wouldn’t tolerate it anymore. I was determined to teach that mother and son a lesson. 1 “You couldn’t even give me a grandson, so what’s wrong with me finding someone else?” I stood on the rooftop, holding my three-month-old daughter. The wind howled, carrying my mother-in-law’s voice even further. She’d always been materialistic, blatantly favoring boys over girls, incredibly two-faced – saying one thing to your face and another behind your back. Before the wedding, she showered me with sweet talk, making me dizzy with promises, convincing me to ignore my parents’ objections and marry Jake. After the wedding, the mask came off, revealing a monster. My husband, Jake, wasn’t the sharp, capable man he’d pretended to be. Quite the opposite – lazy and a total mama’s boy. After our daughter was born, he barely visited, letting his mother “take care” of me during my recovery. When I finally got out of that postpartum haze and went looking for him, I found out he’d secretly bought a house, and there was a pregnant woman living in it. The postpartum period is rough enough, prone to physical and emotional issues. The constant gloom plunged me into postpartum depression. So, after that series of blows, I ended up on the rooftop. I looked at my daughter in my arms and managed a weak smile. Behind me, my mother-in-law was already starting her usual drama queen routine. Spouting nonsense like, “Our family needs an heir! How dare a woman who can’t even produce a son think about ending her life!” I tuned her out like background noise. Gently, I stroked my daughter’s soft cheek. Sweet baby girl, maybe in the next life, if we’re lucky, you can be Mommy’s daughter again. As I jumped, I turned and saw my parents’ faces. Suddenly, it hit me – I’d lived such a pathetic life, letting everyone down. If there was a next life… If I could just start over… 2 “Honey, I need some cash right now. Mom says Mr. Johnson’s factory is having cash flow problems. If we invest, we can get a stake in the business!” Jake’s excited voice buzzed in my ear. My mother-in-law sat beside him, egging him on. “Ashley, you’re pretty far along now, almost due. Keep enough for the hospital bills, but give the rest to Jake for his business venture!” My head felt foggy as I looked at the familiar scene, instinctively touching my belly. At this point, I was seven months pregnant. Right on schedule for Jake asking for money for his “business.” Just like last time. Last time, seeing Jake so ambitious, I took $25,000 out of the $30,000 my parents gave me as a wedding gift and handed it over, fully supporting his “career.” During that period, my mother-in-law and Jake were sickeningly sweet to me, showering me with attention. It was almost overwhelming. That was the best treatment I got after they found out I was carrying a girl. But did that money really go into a business? Nope. His mother had introduced Jake to another girl. That pair, mother and son, conned $25,000 out of me to make a down payment on a house for her. I let out a cold snort, looking at the fawning duo with a half-smile. “Mom, I can give you the money, but when are Jake and I actually going to get our marriage license?” Her eyes darted around nervously, looking from Jake to me. Jake didn’t dare speak either. I leaned back on the couch, flashing the same sweet smile I used to, and asked again. She slapped her thigh abruptly, annoyance flashing across her face. “Obviously, after you’ve given our family an heir, a son! Then we’ll get the license!” I agreed softly, “Okay, I’ll transfer the money to your account tomorrow.” Hearing this, Jake and his mother couldn’t hide their excitement. Sitting across from them, I smirked inwardly. A marriage license? Jake had already married that other woman. How could he possibly marry me? This time, I’ll make sure this mother and son get exactly what they deserve. 3 The next morning, my mother-in-law knocked on my bedroom door early. Her voice was syrupy sweet, “Ashley, breakfast is ready!” I fumbled for my phone on the big bed. 7 AM. She really couldn’t wait. I mumbled an acknowledgment, slowly put on my robe, and went into the en-suite bathroom to wash up. After dawdling for half an hour, ignoring her constant calls, I finally emerged. The moment I stepped out, the door to the adjacent room opened too. Jake, hair sticking up like a bird’s nest, groggily started venting his morning grumpiness, “Mom, what’s all the racket this early? Can’t a guy get some sleep!” His mother shrieked, “Why were you sleeping in that room? Ashley, how could you let Jake sleep in that dumpy room!” I ignored her and walked straight to the dining table. Gotta hand it to her, she really pulled out all the stops for my money. There must have been eighteen different breakfast dishes. I picked up a fried egg, put it on my plate, and took a careful sip of the slightly too-hot oatmeal. Seeing me ignore her, she grabbed Jake and stood beside me, snatching the bowl out of my hand. “Ashley, I’m talking to you! That little room has nothing in it but a crappy old mattress! How could you make Jake sleep there!” “Jake snores so loudly at night, I can’t sleep. If he doesn’t stay there, should he sleep with you instead?” Just looking at Jake made me sick now; sharing a room was out of the question. Last night, when he tried to get into bed, I kicked him out and sent him to the unfinished guest room. Jake initially refused, but I just stared at him coldly and asked flatly, “Do you still want that twenty-five thousand or not?” His face turned pale, and he obediently grabbed his pillow and shuffled off to the next room. My mother-in-law wouldn’t let it go. “Why are you so delicate? Back in my day, women worked in the fields while pregnant! How can a little snoring bother you?” “Aren’t you afraid your man will run off to another woman’s bed!” I glanced at her, a cryptic smile playing on my lips. Isn’t Jake already in another woman’s bed? But I couldn’t expose them yet. Not the right time. I decided to mimic her shrewish behavior, only worse. With one sweep of my arm, I sent the lavish breakfast crashing to the floor. Porcelain plates and bowls shattered, the clattering sound like music to my ears. My mother-in-law and Jake froze, stunned. Jake reacted first, rolling up his sleeves and storming towards me menacingly. “Ashley, how dare you throw a tantrum at my mom?” I raised an eyebrow, unfazed, and used my trump card again. “What? You gonna hit me? I guess you don’t want that twenty-five thousand after all!” Jake froze mid-stride. His mother forced a strained smile onto her ugly face. I knew it. This pair only bullied me because they thought I was weak. Try to bully me now? Not a chance. 4 The money had to be given, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for them. Yesterday I told them I’d go to the bank today. But after this morning’s scene, did they really expect me to just trot off to the bank? No way. I nonchalantly dropped the line, “I’m not in a good mood. I’m going back to my parents’ place for a bit. We can go to the bank another day.” Without waiting to see their reactions, I steadied myself with my hand on my belly and slowly went back to my room to pack. Behind me, my mother-in-law put on a show of scolding Jake, her voice loud enough for me to hear clearly. “Jake! You ungrateful son! How could you almost raise a hand to Ashley! She’s carrying your child! Are you trying to kill your mother with anger!” Jake mumbled apologies to his mom. Quite the actors, really treating me like an idiot. And Jake – he wanted to hit me, why was he apologizing to his mom? I rolled my eyes behind their backs, muttered “Hypocrites,” and slammed my bedroom door shut with a bang. The voices outside quieted, but I could still faintly hear them. “Son, are you stupid? Wait until we get the money, then you can hit her all you want! If you scare her off now and she doesn’t give us the money, what about… over there?” Disgusting. Looked decent enough, but couldn’t speak or act like a human being. Planning to hit me once the money was secured? I won’t give you the chance. I knew who “over there” was – that other woman. She was pressuring Jake to buy the house. But what did that have to do with me? Let Jake deal with his own headache. Since Jake had shown he might get violent, I definitely couldn’t stay under the same roof. If he actually hit me, I’d have no one to turn to. I packed my clothes and dug out the property deed from the closet. I opened it and planted a big kiss on the page showing only my name. Jake came from a rural background, clawing his way up through college. I was a city girl, raised comfortably. My family was well-off, and I’d met plenty of rich kids. But Jake presented himself as hardworking, down-to-earth, and kind, with a decent face – different from anyone I knew. We fell in love quickly in college, and after graduation, I married him despite my parents’ strong objections. My parents were furious at my stubbornness, practically wanting to crack my head open to see what was inside. But in the end, they relented and agreed to the marriage. I remembered my dad, wiping away tears in anger, shoving this deed and a bank card at me. “This is the house I bought for you, and the money in this card is your dowry. Don’t bother coming back to see your mother and me. We’ll pretend we never had a daughter.” I didn’t say anything then, just took Jake’s arm and left. I even complained that the 1500-square-foot house was too small. But now, I was incredibly grateful. Thank goodness I hadn’t impulsively added Jake’s name to the deed, otherwise, I’d have no way to kick this mother-son duo out later. I packed all my valuables into my suitcase and walked out under their watchful eyes, head held high. 5 Instead of going straight to my parents’ house, I went to the hospital first. Last time, my daughter was premature, which made her frail. I needed to check on the baby’s condition this time around. “Your baby is positioned very low. You should be on bed rest during the third trimester.” I clutched the check-up report, the doctor’s words echoing in my ears. I was already seven months pregnant. In these seven months, I’d only had two proper prenatal checks, both at small clinics. One was to determine the baby’s sex, the other because of sudden abdominal pain. I wanted to go to the main city hospital, but my mother-in-law always said it was unnecessary. “As long as the baby’s healthy, why waste the money?” After the first check revealed it was a girl, my mother-in-law threw the ultrasound report at my head right then and there, yelling, “Useless! A good-for-nothing can only produce another good-for-nothing! Our family line is going to end with you!” The second time was the sudden pain. I was so panicked I didn’t notice my mother-in-law’s reaction, just kept urging Jake to get me to the hospital. Thinking back now, her expression was clearly one of suppressed excitement and joy! I never even got a glimpse of the test results from that visit; Jake and his mother hid them completely. Jake even offered fake comfort, saying, “It’s nothing, you just got too emotional, there was a risk of miscarriage.” At the time, I wondered how that could be. I’d been trying hard to stay calm and avoid getting angry. How could “being too emotional” cause a threatened miscarriage? Thinking of this, I looked down at the report in my hand again, gripping it so tightly my knuckles turned white. I remembered my mother-in-law constantly nagging me, “Ashley, you have to walk around a lot before giving birth, that way you won’t have a difficult labor.” She repeated this almost daily. Luckily, back then I was genuinely scared of miscarrying, so I stayed put on bed rest for a while, which saved the baby. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. If I hadn’t come to the hospital today, wouldn’t my baby have suffered the same fate as last time? I clenched my teeth and cursed under my breath, “That old witch, always plotting how to harm me, never doing anything decent!” But right now, none of that mattered. The only thing in my head was “bed rest, protect the baby.” I ignored Jake’s incessant calls, carefully cradling my belly as I walked to the hospital entrance and hailed a cab. 6 This was the first time I’d been home in the three years since I married Jake. The furniture in the house hadn’t changed; it still felt familiar and warm. When I walked in, my parents were snuggled on the sofa watching TV. From the doorway, I could see their graying hair. They looked much older than three years ago. My nose stung, and I couldn’t even manage to call out “Mom, Dad.” For them, it was seeing the daughter they’d essentially cut ties with for three years. For me, it was the unspeakable regret spanning two lifetimes, separated by death. I stood in the doorway, pregnant, pulling my suitcase, momentarily speechless. My mom spotted me first. She froze, then nudged my dad urgently, “She’s home! Look, Ashley’s home!” My dad didn’t turn around immediately. As I stepped further inside, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I threw myself into my mom’s arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Mom held me tight, crying with me, gently patting my back. “You stubborn girl! Said you wouldn’t come back and really meant it! Did you think Mom and Dad would actually disown you?” I buried my head in her shoulder, shaking my head. My dad sighed heavily beside us. “You got hurt, didn’t you? Told you not to marry him! You wouldn’t listen. Would your parents ever steer you wrong?” I looked up at him. His aged eyes were filled with tears, a deep, undeniable pain in them. My parents’ faces merged with the last image I saw before I jumped in my previous life. Wiping my tears, I forced a smile. “Dad, you were right. Jake is no good. But I’ll make sure he pays for what he did!” My parents didn’t ask what exactly happened. But a married daughter, heavily pregnant, showing up at her parents’ doorstep looking disheveled and pulling a suitcase – it was obvious she’d been through hell. My dad nodded, patting my shoulder. “It’s okay if you took a wrong turn for a while. The important thing is to turn back.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392350”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My grades tanked on the midterms, and I got kicked out of the Honors Program, dumped back into regular classes. My parents took a belt to me until I was covered in welts, then made me kneel in the living room until late at night. My genius older sister, Emily, called me an idiot. My pretty, artistic younger sister, Chloe, flaunted the love letter she got from Ethan—the guy I had a secret crush on. So, I gripped the fruit knife tightly and killed them both with my own hands. 1. All I ever dreamed of was my parents acknowledging me just once, praising me just once. But growing up, it never happened. Not even once. All because I had a genius older sister, Emily, and a pretty, artistic younger sister, Chloe. Even though we were triplets, I was the plain, awkward one. Every time I handed my parents a report card where I barely scraped by, trembling, they’d scowl, and then, without warning, a slap would land across my face. My ears would ring violently, but it didn’t stop their voices from cutting through: “You pig! Do you think I work my ass off just so you can embarrass me like this? Are you brain-dead?” “Why don’t you just go die!” My parents were obsessed with appearances. And I was just a constant source of embarrassment for them. My nightmare always began after family get-togethers. My aunts, uncles… the words spilling from their mouths were like a curse. “My little Susie got straight A’s again, top of her class!” “My Timmy’s doing great too, made class president.” “Our Jenny won an award at the Mathletes competition!” Every time, my mom’s face would darken, forcing a tight smile. She’d glare at me, huddled in the corner with my head down. “Our Ashley just can’t compare to those good kids. Bad grades, no common sense… just useless.” Back home, the moment my dad reached for his belt, I’d wet my pants in fear. While I screamed and tried to shield my head, my sisters, Emily and Chloe, would stand nearby, watching with blank expressions. Emily’s brilliance and Chloe’s outgoing nature weren’t enough to erase the stain my uselessness brought upon my parents. I still don’t know why. I just couldn’t grasp those complicated math symbols, couldn’t memorize vocabulary words, couldn’t understand dense texts. Just looking at a textbook made me tremble. 2. I sat on the floor, staring blankly at Emily lying in a pool of blood. She still wore her thick, black-framed glasses, her face frozen in terror, hands clutching her bleeding stomach. Ignoring the throbbing pain all over my body, I tried to drag her corpse under the bed. We triplets had the exact same face. As I pulled her, I felt disoriented. It was like I was the one lying there. Or maybe, like I had finally become Emily. Emily was the smart one. She could effortlessly get the grades that made Mom and Dad happy. She could solve math problems in seconds that I couldn’t figure out even if I stared at them all night. At home, she could do whatever she wanted. Never yelled at, never hit, never forced to kneel. But she never helped me either. She’d only whisper in my ear while I studied late into the night, “Ashley, stop trying. You’ll never get it. You’re just an idiot.” “No matter how hard you work, Mom and Dad will never approve of you. In their hearts, there’s only room for their brilliant daughter—me.” As if to prove her point, the next second, Dad would get up to use the bathroom, see my light still on, kick my door violently, and start cursing. “It’s this late, and you’re still wasting electricity! If you can’t get decent grades, I’ll beat you to death!” Emily would just give a soft chuckle, yawn, and climb into bed for a peaceful night’s sleep. Now, she lay on the floor, pale and breathless, unable to mock me ever again. The sensation of the knife sinking into her soft belly was strange. I didn’t feel scared, just a sort of grim satisfaction. With her dead, would Mom and Dad finally see me? Finally approve of me? Would they stop tearing up my report card when I improved by one rank? Stop ripping up my honor roll certificates? Stop throwing away the gifts I saved up to buy them? 3. Using all my strength, I shoved Emily’s body under the bed. Then I leaned against the bed frame, gasping for breath. Chills ran through me, making me shiver. It was so cold. Just like that winter freshman year when I failed English. Dad ripped off my winter coat and made me kneel on the balcony in just my thin clothes. It was snowing that day. I was freezing, collapsing onto the cold concrete. The snow landed on my swollen, red face. It felt cool, almost soothing. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. That just made Dad angrier. He whipped me again, hard. “You stupid idiot! Your mother and I never amounted to anything, working dead-end jobs our whole lives. We pinned all our hopes on you, hoping you’d make something of yourself, make us proud! Why are you so damn dumb!” Emily and Chloe peeked out from behind Dad, making funny faces at me. I mumbled, “You still have them.” Dad kicked me again, harder this time. “Don’t change the subject! Talking back now, are you?!” A whimpering sound started. It wasn’t me; it was Mom. “Ashley! I eat leftovers every day ’til my stomach hurts, my hands are chapped and raw from washing your clothes, I walk everywhere instead of taking the bus, all to save money for your education! Why can’t you just try harder?” “Can’t you make your parents proud just once?” I looked towards where Emily’s body lay hidden and shook my head silently. There are so many naturally smart and talented people like her. Does only a child as brilliant as Emily deserve a parent’s love? Footsteps sounded outside the door. Mom and Dad! I held my breath, my heart pounding like it would burst out of my chest. “Is Ashley asleep?” “Looks like it. The light’s off.” “Sigh.” A heavy sigh, then silence returned outside the door. But that sigh felt like it crashed right into my heart. They must be so frustrated, so disappointed. I wanted to be the child they could be proud of. But… I just couldn’t do it. I could never be as perfect as Emily. Since I couldn’t become her, my only choice was to kill her. After shoving her under the bed, I let out a long breath. Emily, you must really regret coming in to mock me tonight after I got beaten, just like all the other times, right? I stumbled a few steps and tripped on something, nearly falling. Looking down, I saw a few paintbrushes. Nearby lay Chloe’s body. 4. I crouched down, reaching out to touch her cheek. I still couldn’t understand why, with the exact same face, she was considered prettier than me. Oh, right. She had that small beauty mark near the corner of her eyebrow, adding a playful charm. I really didn’t want to kill her. I liked her the most. She was pretty, cheerful, her eyes always bright, a smile always on her lips. What adult wouldn’t like her? Once, after finishing my homework, I secretly started drawing. Using a pencil, I sketched the world of my dreams. The lines and shades seemed to come alive, flowing and dancing on the page. I was lost in it when suddenly, Mom was standing behind me. I hadn’t even heard her come in. Her jaw clenched, she snatched my drawing, ripped it into shreds, grabbed my pencils, and threw them violently across the room. Then she dragged me up and called Dad. “Instead of studying, you’re messing around with this useless junk! Drawing? Can drawing put food on the table? If I catch you doing this again, I’ll break your hands!” As Dad smacked my palms with a ruler, Chloe skipped over, picked up my fallen pencils, her eyes sparkling as she examined them. After that day, Mom and Dad signed Chloe up for art classes. They didn’t pressure her about grades; they let her become an art student. I gritted my teeth and dragged Chloe’s body with all my might. The shiny fruit knife was still embedded in her stomach. As I pulled, a pink envelope fell out of her pocket. I picked it up, studying the envelope closely. This letter. This was what cost Chloe her life.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392349”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My daughter was found in the gymnasium storage room. She wasn’t breathing. Her school uniform was gone. Semen was found on her lower body. The school blamed it on a homeless man with mental health issues. Three months after my daughter died, I received an anonymous text message. 【How do you like my masterpiece? Your daughter was crying for her mommy right before she died! It was so much fun hahaha…】 Masterpiece? My hand tightened around the phone. I was going to make the real killer truly “enjoy” my masterpiece! 1 I had just finished a surgery when I got the call from the homeroom teacher. The surgery had gone exceptionally well; the patient was stable. But before I could even take a breath, the teacher’s voice on the phone was frantic. “Chloe’s mom! You need to come to the school right away! Something’s happened to Chloe!” When I arrived at Maple Creek Middle School, the area was already cordoned off with police tape. I saw a group of officers struggling to restrain a man who was fighting wildly. He was dressed in rags, his hair a tangled, dirty mess, and he was screaming for them to let him go. Ms. Peterson, Chloe’s homeroom teacher, led me to the gym storage room. That’s where I saw my daughter. My Chloe lay naked and still on one of the green gym mats, her legs spread apart. A dark purple bruise circled her neck like fingerprints. Her wide eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, her face pale with the unmistakable look of death. Just yesterday, she’d been bouncing around, full of life. The world spun around me. I stumbled and fell to my knees beside her body. The moment I saw two officers carefully lift her into a body bag, I lost all control. A raw, heartbroken sob tore through me. After my husband passed away, it was just Chloe and me. She was my entire world, my reason for living! Who killed my daughter?! I stopped working, put everything on hold. Two weeks later, the police finally gave me their findings. They had interviewed students, Ms. Peterson, and people in the neighborhood. Piecing it all together, they arrived at a logical conclusion. The man who killed my daughter was the same one I’d seen the police struggling with that day. He was a homeless man, known to have psychiatric problems. He often wandered near the school, so the security guard hadn’t paid much attention. On the day Chloe died, the security guard had accidentally fallen asleep on duty. The man had slipped into the school and killed my daughter. I couldn’t accept it. My daughter… my Chloe… just starting seventh grade… Her life, barely begun, snuffed out by a mentally ill man! And violated even after death! What made it even worse was knowing that because of his diagnosis, the man wouldn’t face the death penalty – he’d just be sent to a psychiatric hospital. But the police report showed the semen recovered from my daughter was a definitive match to the homeless man. The hard evidence was laid out in front of me. Not just the police, but Ms. Peterson and the school administration urged me to accept the outcome quickly. “Sarah,” Ms. Peterson said gently, her voice full of strained sympathy, “I know this is incredibly hard to accept right now. But dragging this out won’t do anyone any good.” Filled with a turmoil of doubt, grief, anger, and confusion, I finally signed the paper closing the case. For the next three months, I felt hollowed out, stripped of all energy and spirit. I spent my days sitting numbly in the empty house, from dawn till dusk, replaying memories of Chloe. The hospital sent me a termination letter due to my unexplained absences. I had no heart left for being a doctor, for saving lives. Every time I thought of the patients I’d healed, a bitter unfairness washed over me. Why them and not my Chloe? Don’t they say good things happen to good people? Then why did my daughter die so horribly? One morning, I was sorting through Chloe’s things, tears streaming down my face, soaking the floor. “Chloe, you always complained I didn’t have time to play with you. Mommy was wrong. Please come back, okay?” I spoke to the empty air. Of course, the silent room offered no reply. Clutching the little pony stuffed animal she loved so much, a sudden urge hit me. I wanted to see the man who supposedly killed her. He was confined to the state psychiatric hospital now. No phones, no internet. Just patients with vacant stares. Through the thick observation window, I watched the man sitting on his bed. My hand slipped into my pocket… I had brought a knife. Just as I was about to rush in, to end him, my phone vibrated. An anonymous text message popped up. 【How do you like my masterpiece?】 【Your daughter was so stupid, so easy to trick. Oh, forgot to tell you, she was crying for her mommy right before she died!】 【Hahahaha so funny, so much fun…】

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392348”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My cancer came back. I begged my husband, Ethan, to take me to the hospital. Instead, he went to be with Sophia, his old flame. His parting words were cruel. “Your acting is getting way too convincing.” Ten years of devotion, and all I got was scars. Later, Sophia needed an emergency heart transplant. To give them their happily ever after, I gave Sophia my heart. But then… Ethan lost his mind. 1 Late at night, clutching my stomach where a dull ache pulsed, I struggled out of bed. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead from the pain. I needed to get to the hospital, but waves of sharp pain made me unsteady on my feet. Familiar footsteps approached the door—Ethan. I don’t know where I found the strength, but I gripped the doorknob tightly and opened the door. “Ethan.” Just saying his name felt like a knife twisting in my chest. Ethan stopped, turned, and looked at me with cold indifference. “You’re back. Have you eaten?” My voice was hesitant, trying to sound gentle, pleading without begging. But Ethan’s expression remained distant, cold, as if he hadn’t heard me. He turned to walk away. His dismissal pierced my heart. I stumbled after him, grabbing his sleeve. I bit my lip so hard I nearly drew blood. The sharp pains in my abdomen made it hard to breathe. “Let go!” Ethan’s eyes flashed with anger. I loosened my grip, daring only to hold onto the very edge of his cuff. My voice trembled. “Ethan, my stomach… it hurts really bad. It’s so late, can you please take me to the hospital?” If it had been daytime, I wouldn’t have bothered him. Ethan turned back, looking down at me intently. Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh. “Lauren, you’ve really perfected this act, haven’t you? How long did you rehearse this little scene?” He slowly pulled his sleeve from my grasp. He reached out, tilting my chin up. “From the day you betrayed me, I swore I’d never forgive you. Unless…” A cruel smile touched Ethan’s lips. “Unless you die.” It felt like all the blood in my body froze. I couldn’t stop shaking. Ethan didn’t look at me again. He went straight to his room and slammed the door shut with a resounding bang. It felt like a knife was twisting inside me. The pain forced me to my knees. Trembling, I fumbled for my phone and dialed 911. … Downtown General Hospital. The entrance bustled with cars and people hurrying by. I sat on a bench in the hallway, staring blankly ahead, clutching my test results. The results were in. Late-stage colon cancer. I couldn’t believe it. I went to find my friend, Mark Evans. He’d been a senior when I was in college, now a specialist in gastroenterology. My eyes were red-rimmed, but I managed a weak smile. “Mark.” I gripped the report tightly. “The doctor said… it’s late-stage colon cancer…” I looked at him pleadingly. “Can you check again? Maybe… maybe they made a mistake?” Mark quickly took the results, scanning them carefully while gently reassuring me. “Okay, Lauren, calm down first. Let me run some more tests, we’ll double-check everything. Don’t panic. Even if… even if the results aren’t good, I’m here for you. Just breathe.” Soon, I was wheeled back into an examination room. The new results came back the same. Late-stage colon cancer. I sat there stunned, my lips moving slightly. “How long… how long do I have?” Mark crouched down, meeting my gaze. His steady hand rested on my shoulder. “Lauren, I’ll do everything I can to save you.” His eyes were full of determination, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. “Cancer… it’s cancer, Mark.” I buried my face in my hands, sobbing quietly. Mark gently stroked my hair, offering silent comfort. This disease… it was like my marriage to Ethan. Rotted to the core, with no chance of getting better. 2 The room was dim. I sat alone on the sofa, not wanting to turn on the lights. Around midnight, I heard a car pull into the driveway. Soon, the front door opened, and Ethan walked in. He fumbled for the light switch. The sudden brightness revealed me sitting silently on the sofa, like a statue. He glanced away indifferently, loosening his tie as he headed upstairs. “Ethan.” I called out to him. He didn’t stop. My fingers clenched, nails digging into my palms. Watching his familiar back, I forced a smile. “Ethan, let’s get a divorce.” Finally, he stopped, just as I’d hoped. He stood silhouetted against the light, appearing even more remote. I couldn’t quite make out his face. My eyes traced the lines of his features. This was the man I had loved for ten years. Ten years of love that only earned his disgust and left me covered in wounds. I thought, maybe I shouldn’t drag him down anymore. “Can’t you go one day without causing drama? Is this some new game? Playing hard to get?” I stood up and took the divorce papers out of my bag. My hand brushed against the bottle of painkillers inside, and I paused for a second. Then, silently, I closed the bag. I walked over to Ethan and handed him the papers. “I’ve already signed it.” I tried hard to hide my emotions. “You want to marry Sophia, don’t you?” I forced another smile. “I’m setting you free.” If I had known earlier that he loved Sophia, I would never have married him, no matter what. Our marriage, born from my deepest hopes, had twisted into something unavoidable, something sustained only by my one-sided devotion. Ethan took the papers, glancing at my signature. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, then tapped the papers against my shoulder. “Lauren Hayes, you should have gone into finance, not medicine.” He leaned closer, his eyes cold. “Divorcing me… how much of the Cole fortune are you planning to take?” I froze for a moment, my lips pressed tight. “I never wanted your money,” I whispered. Ethan stared at me, his eyes sharp like a hawk’s. A cruel smirk played on his lips. “Lauren, oh Lauren,” he said casually, “you’ve always been the type to do whatever it takes to get what you want.” “All your little underhanded tricks… they’re just an act to stay in the Cole family, to keep living comfortably under our roof, especially now that the Hayes family is going bankrupt.” “Right? Besides, a woman like you, who dropped me the second things got tough and latched onto someone else… how could you possibly stand living a hard life?” Hearing his harsh words, my body trembled uncontrollably. Ethan’s eyes were filled with ice. He turned to leave, but I spread my arms to block his path. “You love Sophia, don’t you? I’m letting you go! I’ll sign anything, I swear I won’t take a dime!” “Yeah, I love Sophia,” Ethan’s eyes narrowed, a tight smile on his lips. “And I’ll make sure she walks into this house as my wife, with all the respect she deserves.” He turned and left, the slam of the door echoing behind him. I turned and picked up the divorce papers from the floor, only bitterness remaining in my heart. A long while later, my phone rang. My mother, Linda, was crying on the other end. My father had collapsed from a severe illness and was rushed to the hospital. I hurried over. Only then did my mother tell me that Hayes Industries was on the verge of bankruptcy. The stress had triggered my father’s collapse. Suddenly, Ethan’s words echoed in my mind. Divorcing him, how much of the Cole fortune… No wonder. He must have known about my family’s troubles all along. My mother grabbed my thin arm as if clutching a lifeline. “Lauren, you have to ask Ethan for money! With his help, your father’s company can survive! You’re his wife, he won’t refuse you!” “He hates me,” I forced a bitter smile, my expression dim. “Why would he give me money?” My mother slapped me across the face. “Are you going to just stand by and watch your father die? Why are you so useless?!” My lips trembled. Looking at my mother, a chill went through me. Some mothers truly don’t love their children. She never cared about my feelings, only saw me as a meal ticket. Back when the Cole family business was in trouble, Rick Marshall somehow found where I was living. He showed me compromising photos of my mother with another man, Vince. He told me to go away with him for three days, out on his yacht, just to ‘relax’. He said if I went, he’d keep the photos secret. He also promised that if I dumped Ethan, he’d give Ethan a huge sum of money to pay off his debts and get through the crisis. Seeing Ethan so overwhelmed, stressed out, I felt helpless. Back then, I thought, if I could just help Ethan, what did it matter if he misunderstood me? So, I took the money from Rick and used it to secretly plug the holes in the Cole family finances. I said cruel things, broke Ethan’s heart. I never thought our paths would cross again. Until Ethan’s frail, bedridden father, Robert, asked to speak with me. He wanted me to marry Ethan. He said he knew what I’d been through, knew I had helped the family. At the time, I didn’t agree. But the very next day, my mother accepted a huge sum of money from the Cole family – essentially, sealing the deal. Robert Cole threatened Ethan with his own failing health until Ethan agreed to marry me. From that moment on, Ethan hated my guts. 3 Leaving the hospital room, I swallowed another painkiller. Turning, I saw a woman in a patient gown nearby. Her skin was pale, her eyes large and round, features delicate, figure slender. Sophia Bell. The woman Ethan loved now. My former best friend. I looked away, turning to leave. “Lauren Hayes.” Sophia called my name. Smiling, she walked up to me, looking down her nose at me. “I heard the Hayes family is finished. Look at you now. You were just taking medicine, are you sick? Wow, when it rains, it pours, huh?” I stared at her coldly. “Get lost.” Sophia didn’t get angry. She casually said, “You’re pathetic, you know that? Ethan doesn’t even want you, but you still cling to him.” Her eyes gleamed with triumph. “Did you know? Ethan’s been with me constantly these past few days, taking care of my every need.” “You want to be Mrs. Cole, is that it?” My lips tightened. “Tell him to come talk to me about the divorce.” Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t actually think he still loves you, that that’s why he won’t divorce you, do you?” She burst out laughing. “So naive.” “He’s just getting revenge on you.” “When he gets tired of playing with you, you’ll be nothing more than trash.” Sophia leaned closer to my ear, whispering disdainfully, “Oh, by the way, he’s never even touched you, has he?” My fingers trembled. I lifted my eyes, staring coldly at Sophia. “Know why?” Sophia’s fingernail slowly traced a line down my cheek. “Because he thinks you’re dirty. That money you used to bail out his family… Rick Marshall gave it to you, didn’t he?” “Are you finished?” I pushed her hand away. “If you’re done, then get lost.” Unexpectedly, Sophia suddenly crumpled, falling heavily to the floor. Footsteps hurried from behind her, and then Ethan was there, scooping Sophia into his arms. He lifted her up, then glanced back at me, still stunned. That one look sent ice through my veins. Sophia had been injured because of Ethan before; her bones were brittle. This fall caused another fracture or dislocation. Ethan didn’t say much, just picked her up and carried her towards the emergency room. 4 Late night, at the Cole estate. Ethan kicked open the bedroom door, ripped the covers off, and dragged me out of bed. “How could you be so vicious?” “How am I vicious?” I stared steadily at the man before me, tears welling in my eyes. “Ethan Cole, if you have the guts, then just kill me!” Tears blurred my vision, but my gaze remained defiant. “I never betrayed you! I never slept with Rick Marshall!” A sharp pain shot through my abdomen, and my body started shaking. Ethan stared at me with dark eyes. After a long moment, he laughed. “You think I’m as easy to fool as I was back then?” His eyes looked predatory. “Rick Marshall? Who is he? He tells everyone he likes you. You think he’d give you money if you didn’t sleep with him? None of the Marshalls are any good.” The pain made it hard to speak. I took a deep, ragged breath. I knew Ethan wouldn’t believe me. Finally, I forced a smile. “Fine. Think whatever you want.” I tried to push Ethan away, to get up, to leave this suffocating room. But Ethan pressed down on me. I struggled. “Ethan, let me go.” He leaned close to my ear, his hot breath fanning my skin. “You think I want to touch you? You make me sick.” He started unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his toned chest. “But didn’t you say you didn’t do anything?” His smile seemed to come from hell itself. “Let me check.” A violent shiver ran through me. I beat wildly against Ethan’s shoulders. But I was no match for his strength. A wave of sickening dread washed over me, and the pain in my abdomen intensified, feeling like a knife twisting. It was so intense I involuntarily curled up, cold sweat pouring down my forehead. “Stop pretending!” Ethan sneered. “I haven’t even touched you yet.” “Pain,” I gasped, shaking violently. “My stomach hurts.” Painkillers, painkillers. My mind screamed for them. I struggled, shoving Ethan away. Caught off guard, Ethan stumbled back, his leg hitting the nightstand. My bag, which had been sitting on it, fell to the floor. Pill bottles rolled out. My face tightened with panic as I scrambled to grab them, but Ethan snatched up a folded piece of paper first. His eyes scanned it, landing on the final words: LATE-STAGE COLON CANCER. His expression grew complicated as he looked at me. I was curled up on the bed like a fish out of water. Ethan bent down, picked up one of the pill bottles, and examined it. After a long pause, he scoffed, throwing the report and the bottle onto the floor. “Always coming up with new tricks.” He curled his lip coldly. “You think faking this stuff will make me feel sorry for you?” Ethan leaned down, gently wiping the sweat from my forehead. “You’re not Sophia. Don’t try to imitate her! Even if you died right now, I wouldn’t feel a damn thing.” Ethan left. I lay on the bed, picked up the bottle he’d thrown down, and swallowed a pill dry. An hour later, the pain gradually subsided. I stared at the plain white ceiling, and suddenly I started laughing. Laughing until tears streamed down my face. My phone rang. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I pressed the phone to my ear and answered. “Lauren, did you ask Ethan for the money?” It was my mother, Linda, again. I whispered weakly, “I’m not asking him for money.” “Then go ask Rick Marshall! Hasn’t he always liked you?” Linda grew frantic, her voice suddenly sharp. My fingers clenched the fabric of my clothes. My tone turned icy. “Anyone listening would think you were deeply devoted to Dad.” Linda paused. “What do you mean?” Remembering the photos Rick had, I rubbed my red eyes. “Vince.” That was the name of my mother’s lover. Silence on the other end. A few seconds later, she hung up. … 5 Mark Evans urged me to check into the hospital, but I refused. I got a large supply of medication, enough to last me a while. As I arrived home, I saw Ethan rushing out of the house. I rarely saw him look so anxious. The housekeeper told me something had happened to Sophia. Apparently, tests showed she had severe heart failure. An idea sparked in my mind. I followed him. In the hospital corridor, I saw Ethan pacing back and forth. He wore a black shirt and black pants, his hair slightly messy, eyes red-rimmed, lips pressed tightly together. He must be so worried, so heartbroken. After all, he loved Sophia so much. I thought, since I’m dying anyway, maybe I can do one last thing for Ethan. Hopefully, after I’m gone, he won’t hate me so much anymore. And hopefully, if there’s a next life, I won’t ever meet him again. Ethan’s team was frantically searching for a heart donor; the doctors said Sophia couldn’t wait long. And me? I signed the organ donation papers and secretly got tested for compatibility. Leaving the hospital, I took the pills out of my bag and dropped them into a trash can. I didn’t need them anymore. “Lauren.” Hearing the familiar voice, my body stiffened. Then, a large hand with well-defined knuckles rested on my shoulder. The man stepped in front of me. He had sharp features, a tall frame, and often smiled, but his smile always sent chills down my spine. I noticed a jagged scar on his neck. “Rick Marshall.” I closed my eyes, whispering his name wearily. Rick smiled at me, pointing to the scar on his neck. “Ethan did this. Tell me, how should I get back at him?” I suddenly remembered Rick saying something similar three years ago. “If you don’t come with me, tell me, how should I destroy Ethan Cole?” If Ethan’s family hadn’t been in trouble back then, I wouldn’t have been afraid. But at that time, the Marshall family was powerful, while the Cole corporation had suddenly collapsed. A single word from the Marshalls could have crushed Ethan, ensuring he never recovered. I laughed softly. “Rick, you deserved it.” Rick stared at me thoughtfully. “So you’re relying on Ethan now? I heard he’s gotten very close to your good friend, Sophia.” I didn’t want to talk to him anymore. But as I turned, dizziness washed over me. My body went limp, and I lost consciousness. … The Cole Estate, front gate. When I regained consciousness, the dull ache in my abdomen was still there. I felt exhausted, not wanting to open my eyes, but I could hear Ethan and Rick talking. Ethan’s voice was devoid of emotion. “Mr. Marshall, you’ve got some nerve coming here directly. What do you want?” “I’m bringing Lauren back. She fell asleep,” Rick replied cockily. “Oh? If she’s asleep, you could have taken her home. Why bring her here? What is she to me? I have somewhere to be, excuse me.” Ethan’s indifferent voice reached me, followed by the sound of a car engine starting. I slowly opened my eyes, staring blankly in the direction the car disappeared, my eyes stinging. I unbuckled my seatbelt to get out, but Rick pressed my hand down, turning to look at me. “You’re sick. Come with me.” His voice surprisingly held a hint of pleading. I didn’t want to speak. I pushed his hand away and got out of the car. Rick lowered the Bentley’s window. “Lauren, he doesn’t care about you at all. He’s definitely going to the hospital to see Sophia right now. If you don’t believe me, get in, I’ll take you there.” “It has nothing to do with me.” My back straight, I walked step by step into the Cole estate. Behind me, I heard Rick’s frustrated curses and the thud of him hitting the steering wheel. Night fell. In the hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, I heard the bedroom door open. Groggy, I started to sit up, but the smell of alcohol hit me. The scent was strong on the man, but not unpleasant. Moonlight filtered into the room, illuminating his face. “Ethan.” My eyes cleared. Ethan buried his face in my neck, his hand resting on my trembling shoulder. Tentatively, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Ethan didn’t pull away. My lips pressed together as I endured it. “Lauren.” The man’s hoarse voice calling my name made me waver. “Mm.” I smiled and responded. I cupped his face. This was my love, my Ethan. Ethan lowered his head, leaning closer. I could see his deep pupils, long lashes, and the faint crease of his eyelids. Ethan’s lips parted slightly, his eyes distant. “Lauren Hayes, why isn’t it you who’s sick?” “Why isn’t it you who’s dying?” “Stop it.” I froze, the clarity in my eyes dimming. My voice trembled as I begged him. Ethan’s eyes were hollow. He nestled beside me, whispering softly, “That rainy night three years ago, when you broke up with me over the phone… I went looking for you. I almost got hit by a car. Sophia pushed me out of the way, but she… she was hit instead. Her whole body was crushed, she barely survived after three days of emergency surgery… Lauren Hayes, how could you do this to me? How could you…” His words, though spoken softly, felt like a thousand arrows piercing my heart, leaving me utterly devastated. 6 There wasn’t deep hatred in his eyes, but that made me feel even colder. Not even hatred… how little did he care? I closed my eyes, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek. Ethan, did you know? I don’t have long to live either. I can give you what you want, disappear from your world forever. Then your world will brighten up, won’t it? Ethan was extremely drunk. He rolled over and fell into a deep sleep. I sat hugging my knees, awake all night. Only when a ray of sunlight peeked through the white curtains did I drag my stiff body up and quietly leave the room before Ethan woke up. I crouched in the laundry room, watching the washing machine spin, lost in thought. Hearing footsteps behind me, I immediately stood up. A strong arm wrapped around my waist, hot breath tickled my ear. His large hand tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his somewhat hazy, flushed eyes. His cheeks were slightly pink. “Last night…” I gave him an awkward smile, pulling my arm from his embrace. “You drank too much. You threw up all over the bed.” Ethan’s lips tightened, and he dropped his hand. “Do you want some breakfast? I…” I lowered my head, hiding my thoughts. Ethan waved his hand dismissively. “I’m going to the hospital to see Sophia.” The smile froze on my face. “Go ahead. Goodbye.” My phone pinged. I looked down, avoiding his gaze, and saw the message. It was the compatibility test results. I could donate my heart to Sophia. I looked up, rubbing my stinging nose, and called out to Ethan as he was leaving. “Wait.” Ethan turned back. I gave him a faint smile. “Wait for me a second!” With that, I ran upstairs, grabbed a small, elegant gift box, and rushed back down. “This is for you. It’s a tie.” My stomach churned violently, but I kept my expression neutral. Ethan glanced at it. “The suit I’m wearing today doesn’t match this tie.” I shook my head. “It’s okay. You can wear it later. Later… maybe… I won’t have many chances to give you things anymore.” Ethan froze for a moment. Before, he would have tossed it aside without hesitation. But today, he slowly took the gift box. His deep eyes looked into mine until I lowered my gaze, breaking eye contact. Only then did he turn and leave. Third Street Hospital. I lay in the hospital bed. In just two short weeks, I had become frighteningly thin. My phone rang. A nurse handed it to me. Seeing the name on the screen, a smile touched my eyes. This was the first time in over three years that Ethan had called me voluntarily. My hands trembled as I reached to remove my oxygen mask, wanting to answer, just to hear his voice. … The call ended. The phone slipped from my hand. Nurses scrambled to replace my oxygen mask. My vision blurred. Looking at Dr. Mark Evans beside my bed, gripping my hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes, I managed a bitter smile. “Mark, I wish I could see tomorrow’s sunrise. I wish I could get another call from him. I…” But I knew it was impossible. Then, I felt my body become light. My soul seemed to detach, floating up towards the ceiling. I watched as Mark lifted my skeletal frame, crying out, “Lauren, don’t go! Lauren, please don’t go… I never told you, I…” Then, other doctors rushed in, pulling Mark away. They urgently wheeled me towards the operating room. Sophia was wheeled towards another OR. The bright surgical lights flickered on. Sigh. It’s time for me to go. This life was such a failure. I wasn’t a good daughter or a good wife. I didn’t even love myself properly. I had hoped Ethan and I could build a small family together, have two adorable children, explore the Rockies together, watch our kids grow up as they watched us grow old… I hope with my departure, Ethan gets his wish, grows old with the one he loves. I hope… in the next life, I never meet Ethan Cole again… 7 I am Ethan Cole, CEO of Summit Corp. The first time I saw Lauren Hayes, amidst blooming flowers at the equestrian center, my heart was lost. Her every smile, every glance, everything about her was perfect. I swore I would love her until death. Until Summit Corp nearly collapsed. The woman who swore she loved me turned around and left with Rick Marshall – the man who helped ruin my family – sailing off into the sunset. Although later, for various reasons, I still married her. But I buried my love for Lauren deep down, hurting each other constantly. Yet I knew, I couldn’t forget the depth of feeling from our youth. Love takes root, grows into a towering tree… Just when Sophia’s health seemed about to give out completely, I suddenly received a call from the hospital. A terminally ill patient was a perfect match for Sophia and willing to donate their heart. I was overjoyed. Sophia could be saved! I wanted to thank this person profusely, but the hospital said the donor wished to remain anonymous. I didn’t push it, just waited patiently. As long as there was a heart to save Sophia, that was enough. It would lessen the guilt I carried. I knew I didn’t love Sophia, but she ended up like this because of me. I had to take responsibility. As for Lauren… her betrayal, I couldn’t forgive it. … A problem with the European operations required me to fly out for a month to handle it personally. I left Sophia’s matters in the hands of my assistant, Alex. … “Mr. Cole, Mrs. Hayes’s father’s condition isn’t good.” I had just stepped out of a meeting when Alex approached me with the update. “How much do they need?” I asked impatiently. Alex stated plainly, “The hospital estimates around fifty thousand dollars.” “Wire the money to the hospital.” Back at the hotel, I lay on the sofa, resting. I felt like something was missing. I opened my messaging app and scrolled to my chat with Lauren. This entire trip to France, Lauren hadn’t sent me a single message. I scrolled up, reading through old messages. Mostly Lauren’s daily chatter, which I rarely replied to. Even with her father critically ill, she hadn’t told me. I frowned, closed the chat, and called home. “Where’s Lauren?” The housekeeper answered respectfully, “Madam went back to her mother’s a few days ago. She said she’d move back when you returned.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Lauren was easily scared – thunderstorms, the dark, pain. She wouldn’t want to be alone in that big house. On my fifteenth day in France, the hospital finalized the surgical plan. Sophia underwent several more tests and was cleared for the operation. I also heard that the person donating the heart to Sophia wasn’t doing well, likely wouldn’t live more than two weeks. I inquired casually. The doctor mentioned the donor had very advanced colon cancer. Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat. Colon cancer… Lauren’s report had also said colon cancer. The coincidence worried me. I immediately dialed Lauren’s number. The phone rang several times before she picked up. After a brief silence, I said quietly, “I’ll be back on the 7th of next month. Make sure you’re home on the 7th… uh, we need to go to the courthouse and finalize the papers.” “Okay.” Lauren agreed so quickly, it felt wrong. “Ethan, I’m so tired. Can I sleep a little longer?” Her voice sounded weak, drained. I glanced at the clock. It should be around 7 AM back home. I just assumed she wasn’t fully awake yet. Acting on impulse, for once I didn’t snap at her or make a sarcastic remark. Maybe because our marriage was finally ending. I said, “Okay. I’ll call you back later.” Unease lingered. Work that should have taken another two weeks, I finished in one. I booked the earliest flight back home. Before heading to the airport, something made me retrieve the tie Lauren had given me from my suitcase. The sapphire blue tie matched my suit perfectly today. I boarded the plane. Just before turning off my phone, I received a message from the hospital. “Mr. Cole, the donor is in critical condition. Ms. Bell’s heart transplant surgery is about to begin.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392347”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The first day after I died, my wife went on a date with her old flame. I once told her, “If I die… I swear, in the next life, I won’t make the mistake of loving you again.” But she just scoffed back, “Wouldn’t bother me one bit. Besides, only the good die young, right?” Later, she got her wish. I died. But clutching my urn, she murmured, “Still mad at me?” 1 The clock struck midnight. I stared at the sky-blue cake on the table, the frosting slowly starting to sweat. The single candle stuck in it had already burned out. My birthday. Ended in silence. I slowly walked over to the table, looked at the forgotten cake, picked it up, and took a bite. “Happy birthday,” I told myself. Then, without hesitation, I threw the whole thing into the trash can… Late that night, she came back. I looked at the woman walking in through the doorway. “You’re home.” Chloe’s indifferent gaze swept over to me, her brow furrowing in annoyance. “Can you do anything besides drink?” I swirled the wine in my glass and gave a slight smile. “Drinking is serious business.” Then, I swayed unsteadily towards her. “Wine’s good stuff. Here, have a sip…” I lifted the glass to her lips. She narrowed her eyes and slapped my hand away. “You need to sleep it off.” The force knocked most of the red wine out of the glass. That jolt actually sobered me up a bit. I put the glass down and turned back to face her properly. “It was my birthday today.” Hearing this, Chloe’s eyes flickered for just a second, then returned to their usual cool indifference. “Since it’s my birthday, there should obviously be a gift,” I sighed. “You’re not giving me one, so I’ll give you one instead.” Saying that, I pulled a file out of the drawer by the sofa and tossed it onto the table. “This is my gift to you.” Her eyes scanned the cover. The words “Divorce Agreement” caught her eye. Her brow furrowed then, and she asked quietly, “What kind of game are you playing now?” “Our families practically pushed us together for business reasons all those years ago, tying you to me. I know it’s been hard on you. You’ve always been thinking about your old flame, haven’t you? Go find him.” I pushed the divorce papers into her hands, and before she could react, I gently kissed her forehead. 2 Just a few seconds later, she shoved me away forcefully. I almost stumbled. Keeping my eyes lowered, I said, “For a marriage to end up like ours… it’s pretty pathetic. Looks like we really weren’t meant to spend our lives together.” Chloe’s voice was still cold. “If you’d thought that way back then, we wouldn’t have had to be tangled up like this until now.” “It’s my fault.” I managed a weak smile. “Looks like the only way to pay for this sin is with my life.” A cruel smile touched Chloe’s lips. “You think you actually have the guts to die?” I paused, my voice dropping slightly. “If I die… I swear, in the next life, I won’t make the mistake of loving you again.” “We’ll talk when you’re actually dead.” Chloe looked away, turned directly around, and left. The door slammed shut with a bang. She was gone again. The smile faded from my lips. She still hated me that much. I gave a bitter laugh. Sitting down on the sofa, I pulled another document out of the drawer – a medical report. Late-stage cancer. Those suffocating words were written on the last page. I closed my eyes, opened them after a long moment, and then tore the report to shreds. Pieces of paper scattered on the floor. I looked at the wedding ring on my ring finger, rubbing it gently back and forth with my fingertip, then slowly slid it off and placed it on the table… The next morning. I gathered all my things and threw them into the car. Without even eating breakfast, I drove away from the villa. I drove straight ahead, gradually leaving the city behind, getting onto the coastal highway. I rolled down the window. The wind blowing in was cool and crisp, ruffling my hair. “Goodbye forever, Chloe.” I jerked the steering wheel to the right, let go of the wheel, and slammed the gas pedal to the floor. CRUNCH! The car smashed head-on into the cliff face on the right. The front end crumpled severely. From the driver’s seat, bright red blood snaked out from under the car… 3 Even though I died, my soul just kept drifting. I thought death would finally get me away from Chloe, but for some reason, my spirit stayed tethered to her. Apex Global, sixtieth floor. I floated into her company building. Ever since her parents died in that car crash, she’d taken over the company. Her secretary brought her a strong cup of coffee. I followed her into the office. “Ms. Bellweather, the video conference with Weston Corp starts at 9:30. The meeting materials are already compiled and on your desk.” Chloe nodded slightly. But I noticed something missing from her finger. Right, the wedding ring. Even though Chloe usually treated me coldly, she never took off her wedding ring. But today, the ring on her left ring finger was gone, leaving only a faint pale mark. Well, we were divorced now, no need to wear it anymore. I felt a suffocating sensation for a moment; I didn’t expect to still have feelings after death. Around noon, I habitually checked the time. For five years, like clockwork, I’d gone to her office to bring her lunch. Today, I didn’t show up. Her secretary, Jessica, seemed to guess something was up and quickly ordered takeout for Chloe. Thirty minutes later, the food arrived. “Ms. Bellweather, maybe have some lunch first.” Jessica put down the takeout and left. Chloe finished the work she was doing, opened the container, and took just one bite before frowning slightly. She seemed to notice the taste was different. She picked at it for a few more bites, then pushed it aside. Her phone on the desk vibrated. I glanced at it and saw a familiar name. Her gaze remained fixed on the document in front of her; she just casually picked up the phone and answered. “Chloe, are you done with work yet?” Chloe glanced down at the phone screen, a small smile touching her lips. “Yeah, almost.” “Let’s get dinner tonight then.” Chloe looked at the files on her desk and replied softly, “Okay.” Chloe picked up her pace, finished the documents she was holding, and left the office. The Grand Plaza Hotel. As Chloe’s car pulled up, Ethan straightened his shirt, waiting with a smile for her to get out. “Chloe.” Chloe walked towards him. “Been waiting long?” Ethan casually put his arm around her shoulder. “Nope, I just got here too.” Chloe’s body stiffened noticeably for a second, then relaxed. They walked into the French restaurant on the third floor of the Grand Plaza Hotel. Ethan gallantly pulled out Chloe’s chair for her and ordered several dishes she liked. It struck me as funny, thinking back. Chloe had never once served me food from a shared dish. Every time I eagerly put food on her plate, looking at her with hopeful eyes, she would always say coldly, “Alex, don’t you have any pride? Just save your energy.” 4 Ethan seemed to be in a great mood, a constant smile on his face. Exquisite dishes arrived one by one. Ethan maintained his gentlemanly manners, occasionally putting some food onto her plate. Chloe looked up at him, asking with concern, “Are you feeling better?” So, she could show concern for people, just not for me. Ethan continued cutting his steak. “Much better. It was just a stomach thing, same old problem. As long as I eat on time, it doesn’t act up.” “I remember back in college, you didn’t have stomach problems.” Ethan paused his cutting, meeting her eyes. “Well, you took such good care of me back then, I never had a chance to get sick, did I?” Chloe lowered her gaze. “Didn’t she take good care of you?” Ethan put down his knife and fork, his expression darkening slightly. “Alex kept you tied up for five years, and I forced myself to be with someone else for five years too.” “But we both know you can’t force feelings. We loved each other deeply. If Alex hadn’t interfered, we could have been together five years ago.” Yeah, it was all my fault. Now I was finally gone, letting you two be together. Chloe seemed to recall all the unpleasantness she’d endured five years ago, her face showing a hint of guilt. “I’m sorry for what happened to you.” Ethan stood up, walked over to her side, and leaned down. “No, it wasn’t your fault. It was Alex and his family, using their influence to force the issue. We had no power back then, no way to fight back.” He looked into her eyes, his gaze finally settling on her lips, and slowly leaned in. In a flash, Chloe almost instinctively turned her head, dodging his kiss. I was really curious what she was thinking right then, why she reacted like that. Could she possibly be remembering what I once told her? “Chloe, after we’re married, you need to stay away from other men. They’re all after something. I’m the only one who truly loves you.” I shook my head, feeling like I was fooling myself. Why would she care about anything I said? Ethan’s expression stiffened, and he stood up straight. “I forgot myself. Forgive me, you’re a married woman.” “We got divorced.” As she said this, Chloe subconsciously touched the spot on her left ring finger. The ring she’d worn for five years was gone, but the indentation from wearing it so long remained. Ethan looked shocked. “Really? You two got divorced?” But I noticed the corners of his mouth twitch upwards for a split second. Chloe stood up, guided him back to his seat, and said softly, “Yes, we did.” Ethan placed his hands over hers, smiling. “That’s wonderful, Chloe! Finally, you don’t have to force yourself to be with him anymore.” He squeezed her hand tightly. “This is great news! We should really celebrate.” Chloe said nonchalantly, “It’s not that big of a deal, no need to celebrate.” “Of course, we have to celebrate!” Ethan raised his voice. “I’ve waited five years for this day, Chloe! Even if it’s just for my sake, let’s celebrate properly…” Seeing the bright smile on his face, Chloe didn’t want to disappoint him, so she went along with it. 5 The eighth floor of the Grand Plaza Hotel housed an exclusive lounge, a notorious playground for the city’s wealthy elite. After dinner, they headed up there. I didn’t want to watch them flaunt their relationship like this, but my body, or spirit rather, seemed out of my control, following them anyway. When they reached the eighth floor, they happened to run into Chloe’s friends drinking with a group of men. Ethan immediately pulled Chloe into their private room. Thumping music blasted from the room. Ethan kept his arm around Chloe’s shoulder, as if staking his claim. Her friends kept egging them on, glasses filling and emptying constantly. By the end, Chloe was so drunk she could barely stand. Her head swam. She squinted at her watch and mumbled, “It’s midnight. I need to go home.” “That guy Alex… he never let me stay out late.” “Always controlling me. So annoying!” Ethan had stayed by her side the whole time and seemed to hear her muttering. His expression darkened slightly. He put his arm around her waist and coaxed softly, “Chloe, you’re divorced now. There’s no one telling you what to do anymore. You don’t have to stick to any rules about not drinking or coming home early.” “Divorced?” Chloe closed her eyes, then smiled faintly. “Yeah, we’re divorced… divorced…” Right, we were divorced. Look how happy she was. I loved her for so many years, and never got even a shred of affection in return. She stumbled as she took another drink someone handed her, downing it in one gulp. Some of the liquid trickled down from the corner of her mouth, tracing a path down her neck. Ethan stared at her, looking almost bewitching in that moment, and his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily. “Alright, alright.” He stepped in, blocking others from offering her more drinks. “That’s enough for tonight. Chloe’s drunk, I’m taking her to rest.” With that, he supported Chloe and slowly guided her out of the room. Chloe followed Ethan silently out of the lounge and took the elevator up to the 60th floor. “Okay, Chloe, careful now.” Ethan helped Chloe to one of the room doors and used a key card he’d already procured to open it. “Come on, let’s get you inside.” Was I really supposed to watch them get intimate? This was too cruel. They went inside. Ethan helped her lie down on the bed and was about to help her take off her coat when Chloe suddenly sat up, pushed him away, her bright eyes showing little emotion. Ethan paused, surprised. He asked tentatively, “What’s wrong?” “I’ll get another room.” Chloe got up, her head still fuzzy, swaying a couple of times, almost losing her balance. Chloe stumbled towards the door, bumping right into the floor manager who was walking down the hallway. She had the manager open another room for her, then went into the new room alone, shutting the door behind her. I really didn’t understand Chloe’s move there. Shouldn’t she have been waiting for this day for a long time? Ethan’s misty eyes gradually turned cold, eventually revealing raw resentment. He muttered under his breath, “We’re divorced, and she’s still acting loyal to that bastard…” The next morning. Ethan composed himself, putting on a perfect smile. Looking refreshed, he put his arm around Chloe as they took the elevator down from the 60th floor. As they walked through the hotel lobby, we ran right into an “old friend”… 6 The grand lobby buzzed with people coming and going. Ethan and Chloe smiled as they looked towards someone standing not far away. It was the hotel’s lobby manager – and my best friend since childhood, Mark. I wanted desperately to “run” over, to tell him not to get involved, but my soul just passed right through his body. My spirits sank. I remembered then that I was dead. He stood there ramrod straight in his black uniform, his gaze falling coldly on the couple leaning on each other. Mark sneered, “Well, Ms. Bellweather, you really know how to play the field, don’t you? One at home, a bunch on the side? Having a good time, are we?” Chloe’s eyes darkened slightly, but she didn’t say anything. Ethan’s smile vanished. He stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Chloe. “Mark, this is between the three of us. It’s none of your business.” “Five years ago, Alex used his family’s influence to force Chloe to marry him. If it weren’t for him, Chloe and I wouldn’t have been separated for so long. Besides, Alex is a nobody now, what can he do for Chloe? He was just living off her.” Mark looked pointedly at Chloe. “Living off her? Relying on a woman? I’ve never seen a friend sacrifice as much as Alex did. Gave up his whole career for a woman.” “Shut up!” Ethan glared furiously at Mark. “I know Chloe better than anyone, and I won’t let you slander her like this!” “You won’t allow it? In what capacity? As the other man?” Ethan shot back at Mark, “Chloe and I knew each other first! Alex was the one who came between us!” Mark scoffed. “Funny, I remember you being the one who dumped Chloe because she wasn’t rich enough, ran off overseas with some heiress.” Ethan glanced guiltily at Chloe, quickly trying to explain, “If Alex hadn’t interfered, I never would have left Chloe!” “Got the order wrong there, buddy,” Mark said dismissively. Five years. Even a dog would wag its tail after five years of kindness. And I poured my heart out for Chloe, only to not even get a second glance in the end. Mark stared hard at Chloe. “I hope you really never loved him. Because when you finally realize what you’ve lost, you’ll understand what real regret feels like!” Seeing my friend defend me like this, remembering he was the first to hear I died, how he broke down when he saw my body at the hospital… I wanted to tell him to stop wasting his breath on this woman, she just didn’t care. But right now, Mark was so furious he looked like he wanted to tear them both apart with his bare hands. I knew he was angry – angry at me for being so spineless, angry at her for being so ungrateful. Chloe met his gaze coolly, her voice flat. “I don’t love him.” Mark gave a cold laugh. “I hope you remember saying that today. Just don’t come crying when you regret this for the rest of your life.” Mark threw those words at her coldly, then clenched his fists and turned sharply away. 7 After driving back to the office, Chloe was busy as usual. The hangover from the night before left her with a bit of a headache. After a meeting, during a short break, she asked her secretary again for an extra-strong coffee. While waiting for the coffee, she took out her personal phone, which had been silent all night, and scrolled through it. I looked over her shoulder at the screen. Ethan had texted asking her to dinner tonight. She replied saying she had plans, maybe next time. After replying, she scrolled back and forth through all her messages and call logs. What was she looking for? Waiting for? She lowered her eyes, silent for a moment. Just then, Jessica came in with the coffee. “Ms. Bellweather, your coffee.” “Hmm.” Chloe glanced one last time at her phone, then looked up at Jessica and asked casually, “Did Alex call?” Jessica paused, startled, then replied, “No.” Chloe lowered her eyes again, saying nothing more. Jessica looked confused. I guessed Chloe had probably never actively asked about me before. After all, I was always the one chasing after her. After finishing the hot coffee, Chloe put down her phone and threw herself back into work. At noon, Jessica ordered her a boxed lunch. Chloe took two bites, and her brow furrowed again. “Where is this lunch from?” “City Bistro.” Jessica thought for a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Is the food not to your liking? Should I order something else?” “Is this the same place we used to order from?” “…No.” “From now on, order from the place we used before.” “…” Jessica glanced at her boss, not daring to speak. Chloe shot her a look. “Can’t do it?” Jessica seemed to struggle internally for a moment before confessing, “All those meals before… Mr. Thompson sent them over.” Jessica spoke nervously. “For the past few years, Mr. Thompson always brought your lunch, almost always right on time, rain or shine. He specifically told me not to let you know it was from him because he was afraid you wouldn’t eat it. That’s why I never told you.” “I’m sorry, Ms. Bellweather. I shouldn’t have kept it from you.” Yes, before, no matter how much effort I put into cooking for her, if she knew I made it, she wouldn’t even take a bite. From then on, I was careful, humble, just trying to please her. Not asking her to love me, just asking her to accept my love. She must have gotten used to it, and the sudden change didn’t sit well. Chloe didn’t say anything, just waved her hand dismissively for Jessica to leave. Chloe stared at the lunchbox in front of her, her expression unreadable. I looked at the food; it was decent, standard fare. The meals I used to make were always arranged beautifully, thoughtfully. Maybe not gourmet, but they had that comforting taste of home cooking. She picked up her phone again, scrolled through it once more. Still no messages. She put it down and dove back into work. By the time Chloe finished everything, it was already late. She glanced at the time and drove back to the villa. The house had been empty of its master for two days. The housekeeper and several maids kept the villa immaculate. Seeing Chloe return, the housekeeper was visibly pleased. “Ma’am, you’re back! I’ll go have the kitchen prepare dinner for you.” Chloe took off her coat, handed it casually to a maid, then asked the housekeeper, “Is Alex home?” The housekeeper shook her head, worried. “Mr. Thompson drove out yesterday morning and hasn’t been back yet.” “Hmm,” Chloe said quietly. “Have them prepare dinner.” “Yes, right away.” I hadn’t been home in two days, and she hadn’t even noticed? Chloe went upstairs, back to our room. Walking around the room, she finally noticed how empty it felt. All my things were gone. My side of the closet was bare – all my clothes, shoes, gone. All my personal items had vanished. And the man who had waited for her to come home every day for five years was gone too… She finally realized that I had truly, completely left this place, left her. Chloe looked at the empty bedroom, a strange, unnameable feeling suddenly filling her chest. She sat down on the sofa, her gaze falling on the diamond wedding ring sparkling under the light. This ring was the match to the one she used to wear. She picked up the ring, ripples gently disturbing the deep-sea calm of her eyes. Chloe clenched her hand around the ring, her expression somewhat lost… Maybe she thought I’d finally chosen to leave. 8 The next day, Chloe arrived at the office on time. A morning meeting was still in progress when she saw Ethan rush over looking for her. After the meeting, when Chloe returned to her office, she found Ethan waiting unexpectedly. She was slightly surprised. “What are you doing here?” Ethan put down the coffee he was holding and walked towards her. “Tried to get dinner with a certain busy lady yesterday, but no luck. So today, I had to come find you myself.” Chloe sat back down in her chair, looking at the mountain of files on her desk. “I might be a while,” she said helplessly. Ethan replied thoughtfully, “That’s okay, I’ll wait for you.” Time ticked by. An hour passed without them noticing. Chloe finished processing all the files on her desk. Just as she was about to get up and take Ethan to lunch, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and answered, though with some hesitation. It was her personal number; very few people had it. The voice on the other end was cold. “Chloe Bellweather, this is Mark. You need to come down to the police station right now.” Chloe asked calmly, “What is it?” Between her and Mark, there was no connection other than me. Mark’s voice was like ice. “Alex’s body needs to be cremated. The cremation process requires your signature.” The cremation process required the signature of the deceased’s next of kin. My parents were already gone. Besides Chloe, I had no other relatives. Although we had signed the divorce agreement, the final divorce proceedings hadn’t been completed. Therefore, legally, Chloe was still my only relative. Chloe narrowed her eyes. “What did you say?” Body? Cremation? Mark repeated coldly, “I said Alex’s body needs to be cremated, and it requires your signature.” Chloe clearly didn’t believe it. Her voice grew stern. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” “You’ll know if it’s a joke when you get here.” With that, Mark hung up. A faint, mocking smile touched Chloe’s lips. “Hiding for two days, and now he finally decides to show his face.” Ethan approached Chloe, asking softly, “Chloe, who was that?” Chloe snapped back to reality, her expression apologetic. “Sorry, Ethan, something came up suddenly. I can’t have lunch with you.” Ethan’s expression faltered, but he quickly put on a smile. “That’s okay, work is important. We can get together next time.” “Okay, sure.” She went to the parking garage, got her car, and drove towards the police station. Arriving at the station, she wore an air of nonchalance, clearly thinking this was some scheme cooked up by me and Mark, just a way to get her back. She expected to see me standing there, looking smug about my successful ploy.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392346”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My own father sold me off, sent me packing to the middle of nowhere, deep in the sticks. I was stuck there for over ten years. Meanwhile, his illegitimate daughter, her, she got brought into the family home like she belonged there all along. When they finally found me and brought me back, my “sister” pointed at the table loaded with food. “Eat up. Bet you never had anything like this, right?” I put on my best pitiful look. “My foster parents… they didn’t feed me much. My stomach’s shrunk, I think. Thanks, sis, but I’m already full.” Mom’s eyes welled up, full of pity. My sister just glared daggers at me. Getting mad already, sis? Just wait till I take back everything that’s mine. You’ll probably keel over from pure rage. 1. I’d just been whipped, again. I was lying there in the dusty shed, barely breathing, when the cops busted in and hauled my foster parents away. Listening to their useless, angry shouting as they were dragged off, I actually smiled. That sound was music to my ears. Next thing I knew, a cop kicked open the shed door, and paramedics were loading me onto a stretcher. Everything hurt so bad. So bad I couldn’t take it, and I passed out. When I came to, I saw a middle-aged man gently patting the shoulder of a striking woman with tear-streaked eyes. Beside them, a bored-looking teenage girl noticed I was awake. A small smirk played on her lips, but she pretended not to see, turning instead to comfort the crying woman with soft words. Watching this cozy little scene, I sneered inwardly. Great. Just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. When the woman finally looked up, she saw I was awake and immediately called for a doctor. Seeing my confused and panicked expression, she sobbed, “Oh, my baby girl, you’ve suffered so much.” “Those monsters who took you, they’ll rot in jail for this.” “I’m your real mother. We’re your real family!” I feigned shock and helplessness. Under their expectant gazes, I whispered softly, “Mom?” Just as I expected, the woman answered immediately, calling me her precious darling, overcome with emotion. My father, though, looked uncomfortable. He just smiled weakly and said nothing. My eyes shifted past them. The girl left behind, Ashley, rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. Yeah, this family definitely wasn’t as perfect as it looked on the surface. After the check-up, the doctor said I was out of immediate danger, but my wounds were still bad and needed time to heal properly. Rest was essential. Mom immediately said, “We’re going home! We’ll take care of you at home!” Ashley piped up quickly, “But Mom, her injuries are so severe. Moving her around might not be good. Maybe she should stay here in the hospital to recover.” Seeing Mom hesitate, I spoke up softly, weakly, “Maybe it’s better if I don’t go home and disrupt Dad and Mom’s lives. I can manage on my own.” “Then stay in the hospital. I’ll hire a couple of private nurses for you,” Dad said, glancing at Ashley with what looked like relief. “You be quiet!” Mom shot Dad a cold glare. He immediately clammed up. “Don’t be silly, honey. What disruption?” “We’re going home! My darling girl, we’re going home right now!” Mom made the final decision. Ashley forced a smile and agreed, but I could see her fidgeting, practically shredding the edge of her clothes. In the car, Mom put her arm around me, gently stroking my hair. I leaned against her shoulder, soaking in the rare moment of peace. Suddenly, Ashley spoke up. “Mom, do you smell something… kind of gross?” Mom’s arm around me stiffened. She looked a bit awkward. I lowered my head, acting embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Ashley. The doctor said the dressing for my wounds smells like this. It’s supposed to help them heal faster and prevent scarring.” “Once we’re home, I promise I won’t leave my room for a while, so I won’t bother you.” “Exactly. The doctor said you need rest. Best stay put for now,” Dad quickly agreed. Seeing Mom was about to lose her temper again, Dad tried to smooth things over. “Hey, your birthdays are coming up soon, right? What gifts do you two want?” Ashley lit up. “Dad, you promised! I want that pink Cadillac Escalade! I want to take my friends cruising!” “No problem! Anything for my little princess, you know I’ll make it happen!” Dad agreed readily. Then Ashley turned to me, a smug look on her face. “I guess you don’t need a car yet, sis. You’re not even eighteen until next year.” “Mom, I want a car too,” I said, looking pleadingly at Mom. “Paige, honey, let’s not get competitive. You can’t even drive yet. Anywhere you need to go, we have drivers to take you,” Mom said, still stroking my hair gently, but the warmth in her eyes had cooled noticeably. “Yeah, what would you even do with a car now? Besides showing off or letting it collect dust in the garage? It’s pointless,” Dad added. Biological parents. Not so different after all. 2 Seeing Ashley’s smug “See? Told you so” expression, I reached out and squeezed Mom’s hand, my face falling, my voice barely a whisper. “Mom, that’s not what I meant.” “I don’t want an Escalade. I just… I want a shopping cart.” As soon as the words left my mouth, Ashley burst out laughing. “Oh, Paige, just say what you mean. You want Dad’s credit card with no limit, right? That’s a bit greedy, don’t you think? People might think you see Mom and Dad as walking ATMs.” Dad chimed in, “Paige, don’t push it. Ashley’s being more reasonable here.” Mom’s face grew darker and darker with their words. Seeing the time was right, I quickly shook my head. “Ashley, you misunderstood.” “Unlike you, I didn’t grow up surrounded by Mom and Dad’s love.” “The shopping cart I’m talking about… it’s really just the kind you find at the supermarket.” “When I was little, I’d see other kids riding in the carts, whining and cuddling with their parents. But me? I had to push the cart, trailing behind my foster parents.” “If I pushed too slow, I got hit. If I pushed too fast and bumped into them, I got hit too.” “But those carts… they always wobbled, went crooked. I was so small back then, I really couldn’t control it.” “So,” I paused, looking hopefully at Mom, “I just want a shopping cart. For you guys to push me in.” “Even just once.” Mom’s eyes widened slowly, filling with pain and guilt until tears overflowed, splashing down her cheeks. “My poor baby… what kind of life did you have? You suffered so much.” “Here,” she pulled out a card. “This is my supplementary card. Use it for whatever you want.” I took the card. Might as well. But then, I immediately hugged her, gently patting her back. “Thank you, Mom. But that’s all in the past now.” “From now on, I have you and Dad to love me.” Dad nodded awkwardly, speechless. Mom held me even tighter. I glanced in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, Ashley was staring daggers at me, her eyes red with fury. If looks could kill, I’d be ashes right now. I tilted my head slightly and gave her a small smile. My dear sister, this is just the beginning. If you’re looking at me like that now, what’s going to happen when I take back everything that belongs to me? Your eyes might just pop right out of your head. 3 At dinner that evening, Mom kept piling food onto my plate. “Paige, Mrs. Davison is a wonderful cook. Eat more.” Ashley chimed in with a smile, “Yeah, Paige, you’ve probably never eaten food this good before. Have as much as you want, there’s plenty more.” Her tone was exactly like a hostess showing off to a poor relative. I ignored her and looked apologetically at Mom. “Thanks, Mom, but I really can’t eat any more.” “My foster parents… they often skipped feeding me. My stomach must have shrunk. I’m afraid if I eat too much all at once, I won’t be able to handle it.” The guilt and remorse deepened in Mom’s eyes. Ashley suddenly cut in, interrupting the mother-daughter moment. “You really had it rough, Paige. Couldn’t even get enough to eat before. Was it because the place you lived was really poor?” “Yeah, just some backwards town in the middle of nowhere. Didn’t have enough food when I was little. When I got older, they just stopped feeding me regularly.” “Paige,” Ashley suddenly smiled, a knowing glint in her eye, “stop joking around. How could a poor, backwards town have a supermarket with shopping carts?” The table fell silent. “So, you wouldn’t happen to be… playing the victim, would you?” I could practically feel Mom’s sharp gaze on me. “Huh? Ashley, why would you think that of me?” I said, sounding wounded. “Actually, you know, we have the government to thank for that.” “There were programs, rural development initiatives… they helped the area I lived in develop some local industries.” “The place I was, they started selling medicinal herbs, things like ginseng, and gradually got better off. The town eventually got a couple of small supermarkets.” “When I was really young, the whole family went hungry. Later, they had a bit more money, but then it was just me who didn’t get enough to eat. And I had to work constantly. If I did anything wrong, slightest little thing, they’d whip me with the same switch they used for the sheep.” “I’m not playing the victim.” “They just… they didn’t treat me like a human being…” My head drooped, my voice fading. Mom shot Ashley a furious glare, then took a deep breath. “Sweetheart, are you done eating? Let Mom show you to your room.” Well, well. Guess she’s letting her precious daughter, the one she raised for over a decade, off the hook just like that. Looks like this fire isn’t burning hot enough yet. Back in my room, after a shower, I opened the closet. I stared at the clothes packed inside and paused. The Johnsons seemed pretty well-off. But the clothes in here, aside from the underwear, were all hand-me-downs. Old clothes someone else had worn. And whose old clothes they were? Didn’t take a genius to figure that out. Hmph. I picked out the rattiest-looking pair of pajamas I could find and put them on. Then I went and knocked on Mom’s door. Mom opened it. I heard the shower running in the bathroom – Dad, probably. Good. He wouldn’t be in the way. “Mom, sorry to bother you so late.” “I can’t sleep. I wanted to find some books to read. I’m worried about falling behind when school starts.” “But I don’t know where the study is.” Mom smiled and agreed, but as her eyes fell on my pajamas, the smile froze. I saw her barely contain her anger. She went to the study, grabbed a few books for me, told me to read them there, then turned and walked straight to my room. Less than half a minute later, she marched to Ashley’s room. Who could possibly study at a time like this? Obviously, I followed to watch the show. 4 “Ashley Johnson, it’s your sister’s first day home, and this is how you treat her?” “What’s wrong, Mom?” “Don’t play dumb with me. Those old clothes in her closet, aren’t those the ones you were going to throw out last week?” “I’m sorry, Mom, it’s all my fault. Paige came back so suddenly, I didn’t have time to get her anything new.” Ashley started sniffling, ostensibly taking the blame but subtly shifting it. It’s not her fault, it’s mine for coming back too soon. My dear, dumb sister. “What do you mean, ‘Paige came back too suddenly’?” “I think it’s not that she came back too suddenly, it’s that her coming back made you suddenly anxious, didn’t it?” “She hasn’t had a single day of comfort here, and you’re already tripping her up at every turn.” “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. You think having her wear your ill-fitting hand-me-downs makes you look superior? Makes people think you’ve got her under your thumb?” “Let me tell you, plenty of people are just waiting to laugh at this family!” “They’ll wonder if we’ve gone bankrupt and can’t even afford clothes! They’ll think Olivia Harrison’s daughters are constantly fighting, that this house is chaos!” “They’re waiting for a scandal, for our stock to drop, so they can swoop in like vultures and tear me apart!” “I’ve taught you for so many years, and you haven’t learned a thing about family honor! All you care about is your own petty little world!” “You disappoint me. Greatly.” So, it wasn’t just my imagination. Mom really was the one calling the shots in this house. “Mom, I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again.” Ashley just stood there crying. “The person you should be apologizing to is your sister.” Mom went back to her room. The show was pretty much over. I was about to head back to the study when I heard a knock on Ashley’s door again. I immediately ducked back down. “Ashley, it’s Dad.” After Dad went in, they kept their voices low. I couldn’t quite hear, so I crept closer. And what I heard was one hell of a secret. Ashley’s previous meekness vanished. Her words were sharp, vicious. “Dad! It’s all because of that brat! That crazy woman yelled at me again! Why isn’t she dead yet?!” “You said getting rid of that brat would solve everything, so why is she back?!” “We should have broken her legs, or just finished her off back then.” “You told me I could take her place, that once you got control of that crazy woman’s shares, we’d have a good life!” I clenched my fists, listening to that scumbag comfort his little monster. “Sweetheart, just be patient a little longer. Dad doesn’t have enough power yet to openly confront that crazy woman.” “Give it some time. Dad will find a chance to get Olivia committed, locked up in a mental hospital, and then everything will be ours.” “As for the other brat… she’s nothing to worry about.” Ashley laughed. “If that little bitch dares to compete with me, I swear I’ll slash her face! I’ll sell her off somewhere horrible, make her life a living hell!” That was enough. I stopped the recording on my phone and went back to my room. So that’s why Ashley always targeted me. That’s why Dad only ever defended Ashley. The truth… it was sickening. Absolutely, gut-wrenchingly sickening. 5 The next morning, I pretended to feel unwell and sweetly asked Mom to stay home with me. Ashley and Dad put on a show of concern, asked how I was doing, then left for school and work. Lying in bed, watching Mom tuck me in, I said weakly, “Mom, I didn’t sleep well last night.” Mom looked worried. “Is the pain really bad? I’ll call the family doctor right away.” I grabbed her hand, hesitated for a moment, then whispered in her ear, “Mom… there aren’t any cameras or listening devices in my room, are there?” Mom’s expression changed instantly. She immediately called Mr. Davies, her secretary, and had him come sweep the room. After confirming it was clean, Mom sent him to check the other rooms and gestured for me to speak. I took out my phone and played last night’s recording. Mom’s expression shifted from confusion to fury, then settled into a cold calm. When the recording finished, Mom was silent for a moment, then said, “I knew Mark was ambitious. And I knew Ashley only nice to me for my money.” “That’s why I make sure to put them in their place now and then, remind them not to get too greedy.” So, last night, Mom was using me to assert her authority. Huh. Just as I thought. No way there was that much deep mother-daughter bonding on day one. “But I never imagined Ashley was his illegitimate daughter. Or that Mark planned to drive me crazy and lock me away in an asylum.” As she said this, I could faintly hear the grinding of her teeth. “So, Mom, what’s the plan?” “Let’s not tip them off yet. Play along. You pretend to keep competing with Ashley for attention. I want to see exactly how Mark plans to ‘drive me crazy’.” “Okay, Mom.” I saw a flicker of hesitation in Mom’s eyes. “Is there something else?” I asked, puzzled. “About… your past. Is there anything you want to ask?” I smiled sweetly at her. “As long as I’m your daughter, Mom, nothing else matters to me.” Mom suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. After a moment, I felt a warm dampness on my shoulder. I knew, right then, there was no turning back for me. Whether it was genuine affection or just using each other, I had to climb. I had to fight my way up. I would absolutely not go back to that life of being treated like an animal, always hungry, always covered in bruises. “Over the next little while, you need to pay close attention and learn everything I teach you.” “Okay, Mom.” Thanks to that night, over the next two months, Dad would occasionally ask about my health. I just smiled politely and brushed him off each time. Honestly, spending even a second longer than necessary around him made my skin crawl. Ashley also toned it down quite a bit, even making small talk with me at dinner sometimes, though it was clearly fake. Once my injuries were mostly healed, Mom made an announcement at dinner. “Grandpa’s birthday is in a week. Everyone get ready. Don’t embarrass me.” “No problem,” Ashley said, beaming. “And Paige, since you’re feeling better, you should come too. Grandpa will be thrilled to see you.” “It’ll be crowded, so stick close to me, okay? Don’t be scared. If anything happens, I’ll help you.” Help me? Yeah, right. If you manage not to pour gasoline on the fire, I’ll call you a saint. Despite my thoughts, I put on a look of pleased surprise. “Thanks, Ashley.” Mom smiled at Ashley too. “Ashley, you’ve really grown up.” Ashley’s smile widened even more. Stop smiling. I can practically hear the evil schemes bubbling in your stomach from across the table. After dinner, Mom came to my room. She carefully went over things I should say at Grandpa’s party and things to watch out for. “I understand, Mom,” I nodded. “You’re my daughter. I know you can do this,” Mom said, gently stroking my head.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392345”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The day my fiancé, Mark, and I were talking about setting a wedding date, my sister Chloe threw a wrench in the works. She announced she wanted him too. I refused to back down. So, she went up to the rooftop, crying, threatening to jump. But then she actually slipped and fell. She died with her eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace. Because of that, my parents grew to hate me, blaming and criticizing me at every turn. Mark said cruelly, “You were so cold to your own sister. Serves you right to know what it feels like to be treated coldly.” “Otherwise,” he’d add, “my poor Chloe… imagine how desperate she must have felt.” He teamed up with my parents, determined to ruin me, all to avenge my dead sister. Eventually, I died in a hospital bed. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back right when Chloe had just stepped onto that rooftop ledge. 1 “Hannah, if you don’t do exactly what I say, I’ll jump right off here!” “And if Mom and Dad find out you drove me to this, they’ll never forgive you!” The harsh wind whipped across the rooftop, and Chloe’s face swam into view. This… this wasn’t right! I looked around wildly. This wasn’t the hospital. There was no familiar smell of antiseptic, and my body didn’t ache with the sickness that had consumed me. Seeing Chloe standing there, a triumphant look flickering in her eyes despite the tears, I realized with a shock—I was reborn. Reborn to a time before Chloe died, when there was still a chance to change things. In my past life, it was because Chloe died that Mom and Dad became unbelievably harsh with me. They screamed that I’d deliberately caused her death, that if it wasn’t for me, she’d still be alive. They even said since my sister was dead, I should die too. They hurled the ugliest words at me, looking at me like I was their mortal enemy. But they never cut me off completely—they still needed my money, after all. I used to think their grief was just overwhelming, that one day they’d calm down and remember I was their daughter too, someone who needed love and care. But all I got was falling gravely ill, lying in bed, and facing their disgust. They pinched every penny, refusing to spend a dime on my hospital stay. Right before I died, they tricked me into giving them my bank card PIN, cleaned out my account, and then told the doctors to stop treatment. I died alone and filled with despair in that hospital bed. My only thought before the end was: if only I could do it all over again. And somehow, miraculously, I was. Looking at Chloe’s smug, tear-streaked face, I slowly smiled. “You want Mark, don’t you? Fine. You can have him.” 2 Not long after I said that, my parents came running onto the rooftop, Mark helping them along. They stumbled, looking terrified and disheveled. Mom rushed forward and clung to Chloe. “Oh, honey, how could you joke about your own life like this? You scared us half to death!” Chloe expertly wiped her eyes and buried her face in Mom’s shoulder, her voice thick with tears. “Mommy, I was so scared.” I rolled my eyes. Just as I was about to speak, my stepfather slapped me hard across the face. He glared at me furiously. “Look what you’ve done! Would Chloe be threatening her own life if it wasn’t for you? I just don’t understand what could possibly be more important to you than your sister’s life!” So, I’m just supposed to stand by and watch her take everything from me? I pressed a hand to my stinging cheek, saying nothing. In my past life, I might have furiously tried to explain, but… what was the point? I’d already spent a lifetime learning that my mother and stepfather didn’t love me. Did fairness or justice matter to them? No. Only their precious Chloe mattered. Ignoring Chloe’s victorious smirk, I turned to leave. But I’d only taken a few steps when a hand grabbed my arm, stopping me. Mark stared at me, his eyes dark. “What happened? What did you possibly do to make Chloe suddenly want to kill herself?” His accusatory tone almost made me laugh out loud. “Mark, you’re so worried about her. Why don’t you just marry her then?” Mark’s brow furrowed tightly. “You know I’m not kidding around, Hannah.” Of course, I knew he wasn’t kidding. Chloe was in trouble, and he, my fiancé, was more frantic than anyone. Anyone could see there was something going on between them. It’s just a shame it took me so long in my last life to realize it. For a moment, I flashed back to those lonely days dying in the hospital bed. Mark visited me every day. He’d sit by my bed, his voice soft, but his words were like ice picks. “Hannah, you were so cold to your own sister. Serves you right to know what it feels like to be treated coldly.” “Otherwise, my Chloe… imagine how desperate she must have felt.” “No wonder even your parents abandoned you, Hannah. You’re just cruel to the core.” I blinked hard, forcing back the wave of overwhelming hatred that surged in my eyes. When I looked up again, my eyes were red-rimmed. “Mark,” I said, my voice clear despite the emotion. “Given everything… let’s call off the engagement.” 3 This time, I chose to give them what they seemingly wanted, but now Mark wasn’t happy. He stared at me, annoyed, clearly confused by my sudden change of heart. “I just said a few things to you, and now you suddenly want to break off the engagement? Do you think this is some kind of joke?” We’d been together for five years, our relationship had been stable. If Chloe hadn’t interfered, who knows how things might have turned out. So, I could understand his reaction, on some level. But having seen his true colors in my last life, even looking at him now made me feel sick. I pulled my arm away from his grasp. “It’s my engagement. I’ll end it if I want to, and nobody can force me otherwise.” “Besides, you don’t know, do you?” I met his angry gaze. “The reason Chloe was on that roof wanting to die… it was you, not me.” “She was willing to risk her life for you. Clearly, she feels very deeply for you. As a good big sister, naturally, I have to grant her wish.” I watched the anger in his eyes shift to confused suspicion, his whole aggressive posture deflating slightly. “Are you misunderstanding something? Let me explain, it’s not what you think. There’s nothing going on between Chloe and me.” He wanted to explain, but I didn’t want to hear it. My parents hadn’t gone back downstairs yet, and a small crowd of curious onlookers had gathered. I yelled out loud, “This engagement is off! I’m not marrying him!” My parents reacted instantly and furiously. “What is wrong with you, changing your mind like this? We’ve already had the engagement party! Do you think you’re still three years old?” My gaze shifted to Chloe, and I gave her a small, sharp smile. She instinctively flinched, realizing something was wrong, and quickly tugged at my stepfather’s sleeve. “This is our family business, let’s talk about it at home.” But I wasn’t going to let her off that easily. I dropped to my knees right there on the rooftop, wailing dramatically. “My sister is in love with my fiancé! What am I supposed to do? What can I possibly do?” “You all just blame me, but what choice do I have? My sister said if I didn’t give him up, she’d jump off this roof! She’s my only sister! If she died, what would happen to me?” Murmurs and pointing started among the onlookers. Mark’s face went pale. He tried to pull me up, but I smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me! Who knows which hand you touched my sister with!” Mark went even paler. Chloe looked like she was about to burst into tears. “It’s not like that…” My parents tried to jump in and defend the situation, but I was lost in my own performance, inconsolable. I started pounding the ground like a madwoman. “Oh God, why is my life so hard? My fiancé is messing around with my sister! How am I supposed to go on?” “I’m a college student, I should have some dignity, but here I am, losing my mind on the ground! Do you think I’d make this up? You all be the judge! My sister threatens to jump, says she has depression… I’ve always loved my sister, what could I do? I wish I could just die myself, boo hoo hoo…” The next second, my stepfather lost his patience. He grabbed my hair, trying to yank me to my feet. My screams became even more heart-wrenching. The onlookers were practically moved to tears by my performance and rushed forward to stop him. The two groups started arguing fiercely. Thirty minutes later, the police arrived. 4 “This damn kid just wouldn’t stop making a scene! Officer, tell me, this was just a family matter, did it really need all this fuss?” Facing the police officer’s questions, my stepfather forced an awkward smile, trying to explain what happened. “Really, it was just a little spat between sisters, nothing serious happened.” The officer looked at him sternly. “Just because nobody died doesn’t mean nothing serious happened. This is your family business, and normally we wouldn’t interfere, but hitting your daughter in public? Don’t you think that’s going too far?” The smile froze on my stepfather’s face. He nodded and bowed slightly, mumbling agreement. The moment we were out of earshot, his demeanor changed. “Damn it,” he muttered. “Nosy cops, telling me how to discipline my own kid. Got nothing better to do.” When we got home and he saw me, remembering the humiliation at the police station, his anger flared up again. I was trying to eat dinner when he grabbed my hair and dragged me away from the table. “You’re afraid our family name isn’t ruined enough, aren’t you? Saying those things in public! How do you expect your sister to face people now? How are we supposed to face people?” I struggled instinctively. He unbuckled his belt and started whipping me with it. Mom just sat at the table, watching coldly. When my eyes met hers, she said flatly, “She’s needed to be taught a lesson for a long time. If we don’t put her in her place, she’ll be walking all over us.” I stopped struggling, stunned. There was a time, long ago, when Mom had been kind to me too. My name is Hannah. When I was born, I represented my parents’ hopes and love. But my biological father died when I was very young. Later, Mom remarried, bringing me into this new family. That’s when my life started going downhill. At first, Mom might have spoken harshly to me in front of others, but in private, she’d secretly be kind. She’d peek in on me late at night, tuck me in. When I got good grades, she’d brave my stepfather’s disapproval and cook a meal full of my favorite dishes. But ever since Chloe was born, her attitude towards me soured completely. When I was little, if my stepfather disciplined me, she never would have just sat by and watched like this. Just then, Chloe started sniffling pitifully from the side. “Daddy, please stop hitting her. Even though Hannah spread rumors outside and embarrassed the family, making the neighbors gossip about us, she didn’t mean to. I’m partly to blame too.” “Besides, if other people find out about this, there will be even more talk. Mom and Dad still have to live here, you know.” Before my stepfather could reply, Mom was already stroking Chloe’s head lovingly. “You silly child, we’re doing this for you. Look at your sister, acting so outrageous, dragging your name through the mud.” “You’re just too soft-hearted and considerate. With a personality like that, you’re bound to get pushed around at work.” “Speaking of which,” Chloe put down her chopsticks, glancing nervously at me. “I’ve been looking for a job recently. Mark actually has a position that would suit me, but if I took it, and it made Hannah unhappy—” “What kind of nonsense is that!” Mom interrupted. “You’re her own sister! Working at the same place, it’s only natural she’d look out for you, right?” “Hannah, did you hear that?” I nodded silently. As I looked up, I saw Chloe hug Mom joyfully, the picture of a happy, harmonious family. A small, secret smile touched my lips. Chloe, let’s see if you can actually handle the things you ‘receive’.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392344”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My husband was convinced I was the reason his first love couldn’t have children. He told me, full of hate, “You give Jenny a child, then you can get lost.” But then, he was the one who took that child’s life away. In the end, he cried, begging for my forgiveness. I just shook my head. “I’ll never forgive you. We’ve lost our past.” 1. “Ow!” Right then, Liam clamped down on my wrists, mercilessly. Tears welled up in my eyes. “Liam, I’m your legal wife, you can’t treat me like this…” Hearing me, Liam scoffed as if he’d heard the funniest joke. My chin tightened as Liam sneered, “Wife? You think you deserve that title?” A sharp pain shot through my heart. “You caused Jenny’s car accident, made it so she can never have kids. A vicious woman like you… if Jenny hadn’t begged me, I would have made you pay long ago!” “No, it wasn’t me…” I tried to defend myself, but it was useless. All the evidence in the accident pointed straight at me. Liam had zero patience for me. His narrowed eyes were dark with menace. “Not you? Then who schemed to crawl into my bed and tipped off the paparazzi?” That night, I’d had too much to drink and woke up in Liam’s bed. Next thing I knew, reporters were camped outside the door, waiting for us. The Hayes family, pressured by the media storm, forced Liam to marry me. And because of that, Liam hated my guts. “I don’t know how that happened…” I sobbed, trying to explain. “Ah!” A familiar, unwelcome sensation started below. I squeezed my eyes shut, a hot tear escaping down my cheek. “I already promised I’d have a baby for you, why do you have to go this far… Ouch, it hurts…” A piercing agony twisted inside me. Heart dead, I just endured Liam’s movements. It seemed like this was the only way – acting this way made Liam despise me more, made him finish faster. Liam gripped my waist, his voice dark. “You stole Jenny’s place, ruined her chances of having a family. I won’t let you get away with it!” I stayed silent, but my passive resistance only seemed to fuel his cold fury. Liam’s low voice was clear in my ear— “Chloe, you better get pregnant fast. You think I want to touch you? You make me sick!” After the long ordeal, Liam slammed the door and left. Ignoring the discomfort, I went to the bathroom to clean myself up, carefully applying some ointment. Married for a year, every time Liam came home, he’d torture and humiliate me like this. He wanted me to have his child, then divorce me. Back then, I thought it was just angry talk. I’d foolishly, happily agreed to give him a baby. I thought, if we had our own child, maybe he’d change towards me. But now, a year into the marriage, I knew with painful clarity: no matter what I did, he would never love me. Tears streamed down my face like broken pearls. “Why…” I whispered to myself. “Why treat me like this? It wasn’t my fault. Why won’t you believe me!” I sniffled, turned, and numbly opened the nightstand drawer. I took out the birth control pills I always kept hidden and swallowed one dry. I wasn’t going to make things easy for them anymore! Bang! Just then, the door was kicked open— It was Liam, back for his phone. He saw the pill bottle in my hand, froze for a second, then realization dawned. He snatched the bottle, glanced at it, and threw it violently to the floor. Pills scattered everywhere. “Chloe, you dare take pills?!” I flinched, terrified of this Liam. He looked like a raging lion. Seeing my silence, he dragged me into the bathroom, shoved his fingers down my throat, and snarled, “Spit it out!” Gag— Retch— The pill came up with the sour bile from my stomach. I had no strength left to fight, just a desolate emptiness in my heart. “Cough, cough…” Leaning against the tub, I coughed weakly, my voice barely a whisper. “Liam, you’ll regret treating me like this…” 2 “Regret?” Liam snorted. “Who do you think you are?” I closed my eyes. My voice was barely audible, yet it felt like it took all the strength I had left. “Liam, I’m tired. Let’s get a divorce. Yes, I love you. I’ve loved you for so long, from seventeen to twenty-seven. But that doesn’t mean you can trample all over my dignity.” I glared at the madman before me. Liam’s face was an icy mask. He completely ignored my feelings, warning, “Chloe, don’t play games. Behave, have the baby, and maybe I’ll let you walk away with your life.” “If you want a child, go find someone else! Why does it have to be me!” I screamed, breaking down. Liam looked down at me imperiously. “Because you hurt Jenny. You have to pay the price!” “It wasn’t me! I told you, what happened to Jenna Sullivan has nothing to do with me!” I asked weakly, “Why? Why won’t you just believe me?” Liam frowned. Just then, his phone buzzed on the table. I heard his voice change— “She collapsed? Okay, I’ll be right there.” Liam clearly had no more patience for me. He finished the call and turned to leave. “Liam! Don’t go…” I don’t know where the courage came from. Hearing he was leaving, I pushed myself up against the edge of the tub, trying to stand and follow him. But suddenly, my vision went black, and I crumpled heavily to the floor! A sharp pain flared in my lower abdomen. I felt like something was draining away… I curled into a ball, whimpering softly, “Liam, help me…” Click. The door shut. He was gone. In his heart, I would never compare to Jenna Sullivan. My heart died. My head spun, and then everything went dark. Mercy General Hospital. I was having a nightmare. “No, it wasn’t me…” “Liam, you have to believe me, I really didn’t hurt her!” The man’s eyes were cold, ignoring my pleas. Suddenly, his hands were around my neck. “Chloe, just die!” “Ah—” I woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat. The faint smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air. Click. The sound of a lighter being set down on a table. Then, a man’s deep, cold sneer. “Awake? I thought you were dead.” A bone-deep chill swept over me. I was fully awake now. “Sorry to disappoint you,” I said, my voice hoarse. Liam tapped ash from his cigarette, stood up, and walked over to me. He looked down, his voice dripping with contempt. “Hiding the fact that you were already pregnant. What kind of game are you playing now?” 3 I froze. “Pregnant?” Instinctively, my hand went to my stomach. I was… pregnant? Right now, a baby was growing inside me. Mine and Liam’s child. A tiny flicker of hope sparked within me. With this baby, maybe Liam would… A sharp pain in my jaw shattered the fragile dream instantly. Liam’s voice was icy cold. “Chloe, let me warn you. Whatever tricks you’re planning, if you hurt Jenny in any way, I will never forgive you!” “And besides, a woman like you can’t raise a child properly. After it’s born, I’ll have Jenny raise him.” I listened in shock, my vision blurring. I couldn’t even see his face clearly anymore. Jenna Sullivan. His heart only had room for Jenna Sullivan. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I ripped the IV needle out of my hand, jumped off the bed, and ran barefoot towards the door. “What do you think you’re doing?” Liam grabbed my wrist, frowning. My eyes filled with tears, but I fought to keep them from falling. “I won’t have this baby! I’m going to find a doctor and get rid of it!” Liam gritted his teeth. “Chloe, you dare!” “You want to give my child to Jenna Sullivan to raise? I won’t let you have your way!” “I could never accept my own child calling someone else ‘Mom’!” Liam gripped my thin wrist tightly, my defiant face reflected in his pupils. Suddenly, Liam’s expression softened, as if remembering something. Then just as quickly, his brow furrowed, the gentleness replaced by cold shadow. He spoke each word slowly, like a dark prince— “Chloe, are you asking to die?” “Yes! I’d rather die than give birth to—” My voice cut off abruptly as Liam threw me back onto the bed. “Ugh…” The impact knocked the wind out of me, forcing out a muffled cough. The man’s voice was low, terrifying. “You want to die? I can grant you that wish. But this child, you will give birth to it for me!” I blinked, cold tears finally spilling over, unable to hold them back any longer. Sobbing, I poured out my pain. “Liam, I hate you.” “I hate that you don’t believe me, hate how you torture and hurt me, and I hate you even more… for trying to steal my child.” Liam’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, cold light. He studied me, his voice filled with disgust. “Once the baby is born, you can get lost.” Bang— The door slammed shut. Muffled sounds came from outside— “Keep an eye on her. Don’t let anything happen.” “Yes, Mr. Hayes!” 4 The Hayes Estate. This was my third day locked up. In the quiet, dim room, I huddled in a corner of the bed, face buried in my arms, lifeless and drained of all spirit. Click. The bedroom light suddenly switched on. Used to the darkness, I felt a surge of fear. “Turn it off… turn off the light.” Mrs. Gable, the housekeeper, came in carrying a bowl of oatmeal, her voice full of sympathy. “Mrs. Hayes, dear, you need to eat something. You have to take care of yourself. Even if not for you, think of the baby. The baby’s innocent.” “You’re such a good young woman. Why does the master only think about that woman outside and not cherish who he has right here? Sigh…” “The baby.” Hearing Mrs. Gable’s murmurs, I felt dazed. I shifted my stiff body. I felt so weak, like I could collapse at any moment. I hadn’t had a drop of water in three days. My voice was raspy. I tried several times before managing a whisper, barely audible. “Is… is Liam back?” Mrs. Gable gently shook her head. I looked up, a self-mocking smile touching my lips. “He’s… with Jenna Sullivan again, isn’t he?” Mrs. Gable pressed her lips together, just looking at me sadly, saying nothing. “I need to see him.” Mrs. Gable seemed like she wanted to dissuade me. “Mrs. Hayes…” “If he doesn’t let me go, he can prepare to collect my body and the baby’s!” Mrs. Gable’s unspoken words were cut off. My face, pale as paper, held a shocking look of determination. She must have been frightened by my expression. She quickly agreed, “Okay, okay… Mrs. Hayes, I’ll call the master right now. Please don’t do anything rash.” Mrs. Gable took out her phone and dialed. “Master Hayes, you need to come back quickly… Mrs. Hayes is…” Bang! The bedroom door was kicked open. The person entering radiated furious anger. I remained huddled in the corner, not even lifting my head, my voice flat. “You’re back.” Liam strode to the bedside, roughly tilted my face up, and ground out, “Chloe, are you trying to threaten me with death, huh?” I was so thin I barely looked human, utterly drained of strength. But I knew I had to fight for myself, or I’d really die here. I looked at Liam with determined eyes. “Let me leave.” Liam sneered coldly. “In your dreams!” I tried to push his hand away. My messy hair covered half my face; I must have looked like a ghost. My voice hoarse, I cried out, “Either let me go, or kill me!” Compared to my breakdown, Liam seemed unnervingly calm. He said coldly, “If you want to die, you’ll wait until after the baby is born.” My heart sank. I looked at him in despair. I couldn’t even cry anymore. Liam suddenly mentioned, “They’ve identified the hit-and-run driver. Once he’s caught, let’s see how you talk your way out of it then.” A flicker of hope sparked in my eyes, but it died just as quickly. “Liam, the car accident had nothing to do with me. How many times do I have to tell you before you believe me?” Even if they found the driver, what difference would it make? Liam still wouldn’t believe me. He’d assume I’d already bribed the driver. In his mind, I was the one responsible for Jenna Sullivan’s accident and infertility. No matter how I explained, he wouldn’t listen. Bottom line: Liam said I did it, so I did it. Heh… I bit my lip, tasting blood. Liam’s voice came from above. “No rush. The truth will come out soon enough.” He paused, then commanded coldly, “Now, eat this!” My voice raspy, I refused, “I won’t eat— Mmph—” Before I could finish, his cold fingers pried my mouth open. Then, he grabbed the oatmeal from the nightstand and poured it straight into my mouth… “Cough… Liam…” I choked, flailing my hands weakly against him, looking utterly wretched and pained. Clack. Liam slammed the bowl back down on the table. He watched me coldly. “You dare starve my child? Then I’ll make sure that old man, Chris Archer, finds no peace even in his grave.” My vacant eyes slowly regained focus, my voice trembling. “What… what are you going to do?” 5 Liam sneered. “His ashes are still buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery, right?” Looking at his emotionless face, I quickly shook my head. “No, don’t!” I grabbed the sleeve of Liam’s suit jacket, my pale face stained with tears and grime, begging in a raspy voice, “Liam, I know I was wrong, please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt my grandpa…” He remained cold. “I’ll eat now, I’ll eat right now…” I immediately grabbed the oatmeal from the nightstand and started wolfing it down. A suffocating feeling gripped my throat, but I didn’t dare stop. I knew Liam too well. If I showed even a hint of defiance now, he really would send someone to desecrate Grandpa’s ashes. Grandpa was the kindest person to me in the whole world. I couldn’t let Liam do that. My desperate effort to eat seemed to satisfy Liam somewhat. A crack appeared in his stony expression. He frowned, snorted dismissively, then turned and strode out. The door closed. I put down the bowl. My stomach churned violently. I jumped off the bed and rushed into the bathroom. Retch— I threw up everything I had forced down. My stomach felt like it was being twisted by a giant hand, the pain making it hard to even stand steady. My vision blurred. Standing in front of the mirror, I suddenly didn’t recognize myself. I used to be the cherished darling of the Archer family. Ever since falling for Liam and becoming his wife, I had completely lost myself. But still, he wouldn’t even look at me. I tried to force a smile, but couldn’t. “Sob…” I covered my face and cried helplessly. Just then, my phone vibrated. I answered. A soft female voice came through. “Chloe, it’s me.” It was Jenna Sullivan. “Can we meet?” I walked into the lobby of The Serene Spoon. Jenna was already waiting at a window table. The gentle piano music matched Jenna’s elegance perfectly—a picture of refined beauty. I wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it. I sat down. She glanced at me, then pulled a document from her designer bag and slapped it on the table. Her tone was almost commanding. “This is the divorce agreement. Sign it, and I can convince Liam to let you go.” “Why should I listen to you?” Jenna lifted her chin slightly, sneering. “Chloe, who do you think you are? In Liam’s eyes, you’re nothing! Don’t you feel ashamed clinging to the title of Mrs. Hayes?” My hands resting on the table clenched unconsciously. I shifted my gaze from the agreement, looked up at Jenna, and retorted, “No matter what, I am his legal wife. Even if we get a divorce, he should be the one talking to me about it.” Jenna’s face hardened. “Chloe, you don’t have any other choice!” She paused, then suddenly smiled cryptically. “Either sign, or I’ll have the hit-and-run driver point the finger at you.” “What did you say?” I felt a wave of dizziness. I studied Jenna’s expression carefully. Her face was full of mockery and triumph. Thinking back on what Jenna had just said, realization slowly dawned. “Could it be…” Jenna chuckled lightly. “That’s right. I planned everything.” I was stunned. “Why would you do that?!” “I orchestrated everything perfectly. I thought Liam would send you to prison.” Jenna’s expression suddenly turned vicious, her teeth clenched. “But I never expected him to marry you! What right do you have to be Mrs. Hayes?!” A chill ran down my spine. A terrible premonition surfaced. “Jenna Sullivan, you’re insane!” I shot up from my chair. “I’m going to tell Liam about this!” Jenna stood up too, stepping closer, a dark glint in her eyes. “You won’t get the chance.” I froze for a second, not understanding. Before I could react, she forcefully shoved a knife into my hand. Then, Jenna grabbed my hand holding the knife and pulled it hard, stabbing herself.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392343”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My bakery had just opened, and my biological parents showed up at the door. The girl I was switched with at birth, now a renowned violinist, refused to acknowledge her birth mother. Fine by me. I didn’t want to go back to my biological parents either. 01 My bakery, “Annie’s Oven,” was finally opening, and I’d managed to get A-list celebrity Ethan Cole for the ribbon-cutting. A superstar appearance plus grand opening specials – those two things were enough to draw a massive crowd of customers and reporters, packing the street outside. Suddenly, a shriek pierced through the noise: “Annie! Mom and Dad are here for you!” A well-dressed woman, tears streaming down her face, pushed her way through the crowd. Her eyes scanned my face for maybe two seconds before she latched onto my employee, Ashley, and started sobbing uncontrollably. Everyone was stunned by the sudden interruption. The photographers didn’t know where to point their cameras. The woman wailed as if no one else was there, “Honey, Mom looked for you for so long, I finally found you!” Ashley looked completely bewildered. She was fresh out of high school, hadn’t put much thought into her appearance, and looked pretty plain next to this woman. The woman’s grip seemed incredibly strong. Ashley kept yelling, “I’m not her!” but couldn’t break free. I sighed and stepped forward to help pull the woman off her. “Ma’am, maybe there’s some misunderstanding?” This was my grand opening day, and I absolutely couldn’t let anyone cause trouble. But with so many people watching, I tried my best to keep my voice gentle, even though inside I was already furious. The woman shot me a quick glance, annoyed. “Don’t you interfere with our mother-daughter reunion…” “No, no, Ma’am, you’ve got the wrong person.” Two men pushed through the crowd, one tall and thin, the other short and stout. It was the shorter man who spoke. He was panting, pointing right at me. “This is your daughter, the one who was taken from you years ago.” Me: “…” The woman’s expression twisted from shock into something truly distorted. Kidnapped, reunited, A-list celebrity… Those words together were pure dynamite for news headlines. The reporters went even wilder than before. Ethan quickly stepped in front of me, shielding me from the surging crowd. He firmly shut down the reporters: “Today’s event is over. We’ll release an official statement regarding everything that happened here later.” With that, he guided me back inside the bakery. Behind us, the relentless reporters kept shouting questions. 02 After finally getting rid of the reporters and gawkers, my biological parents, the Davises, and I could finally sit down and talk. I called my adoptive mother, Martha, out from the back kitchen. Being a woman from a small town, she felt awkward and maybe a little guilty about the whole situation, and it took some coaxing to get her to come out. The tall, thin man and the woman were my biological parents. The short, stout man was Mr. Henderson, the coordinator from the family reunion website. Mrs. Davis looked incredibly embarrassed. Before I even walked into the room, she kept asking Mr. Henderson to double-check. “Mr. Henderson, are you absolutely sure you didn’t make a mistake? Didn’t you say my daughter was taken to some poor, backwoods place? How could she possibly own a business like this?” The coordinator assured her, “You can rest easy. Annie Davis has been registered on the reunion site for years. We’ve verified all the information. There’s no mistake.” Mrs. Davis still seemed unconvinced. How could the daughter she imagined living in poverty suddenly turn out to be the owner of a trendy bakery? Ethan Cole, Martha, and I sat together. Mrs. Davis started in with a sarcastic tone, “Well, isn’t this interesting. A big movie star getting involved in messy family drama, just like regular folks. How rare.” Ethan wasn’t known for his patience, and without reporters around, he didn’t hold back. “Ma’am, you were just hugging the wrong girl a few minutes ago. That’s what’s rare.” Mrs. Davis looked ready to explode, but Mr. Davis stopped her. “Honey, let’s not forget why we’re here. We came to find our daughter, not to start fights.” Mrs. Davis visibly reined in her temper, gave Ethan a scrutinizing look, and then turned her gaze to me with a new, calculating glint in her eyes. I had a pretty good idea what she was thinking – that I was probably Ethan’s secret girlfriend, the sugar baby he’d set up in a fancy bakery in a prime location. My adoptive mom, Martha, huddled in a corner of the sofa, staying quiet, but her eyes kept darting towards a girl standing silently near the wall. Following her gaze, I realized there was someone else in the room. The girl was dressed all in black – black pants, black shirt. A baseball cap was pulled down low, and she wore a mask, making it impossible to see her face clearly. Mrs. Davis suddenly snapped at her, “Shouldn’t you be home practicing your violin? What are you doing sneaking over here?” The girl hesitantly took off her hat and mask, revealing a delicate, timid face. She bore a slight resemblance to Martha. Her voice was soft. “I’m sorry, Mom. I was just… passing by.” 03 Mrs. Davis was aggressive and condescending, demanding I move back home with them in three days. My response was firm. “That’s impossible.” She seemed genuinely surprised that I’d push back. She paused for a second, then her eyebrows shot up, and her tone became sharp and insistent. I shot up from my seat, suddenly past caring about appearances. “You didn’t give a damn about me for over twenty years, and now you just show up, acting all high and mighty, expecting me to call you Mom?” “Mr. Henderson just said my information has been on that reunion website for years. I’ve lived in this city for years. If you really cared about finding me, we would have found each other long before today! Why now?” “Today is my bakery’s grand opening! Have you asked even one single question about it? About how I got here? How I learned to bake, what struggles I faced? Did you care about any of that?” “You did nothing! You just crashed my opening day, ruined my business, all to satisfy your own self-important need to feel like a mother finding her long-lost daughter!” “How is what you did any different from that mob outside just looking for a spectacle?” All the reporters’ questions today were about Ethan. Nobody cared about my bakery. The occasional question about me was just probing my relationship with him. I couldn’t really blame them. Even my own biological mother seemed more interested in that. I felt my eyes start to burn, like something was about to spill over. Ethan gently squeezed my hand from behind me. Mrs. Davis clenched her fists, her lips pressed tight. Her throat moved, like she wanted to say something. Mr. Davis stepped in to smooth things over. “Annie’s obviously got a lot on her plate, running a business, especially on opening day. It must be hectic. We should head home for now. We can come back another day when Annie has more time.” Mr. Davis guided Mrs. Davis towards the door, the girl following closely behind them. Martha suddenly darted forward, grabbing the girl’s hand, her voice trembling noticeably. “You’re May, aren’t you? You’re May!” The girl looked startled. Mrs. Davis slapped Martha’s hand away sharply. “Get away from her, you hick! I worked hard to raise my daughter into a renowned violinist. I won’t have you showing up now to reap the benefits.” Martha flinched back, silent. I stepped between them, retorting, “Well, isn’t that a shame? This renowned violinist still came from my mom’s womb.” Mrs. Davis looked like she could spit fire. She threw one last cutting remark over her shoulder as she left. “You could have been a wealthy young lady, and instead, you choose to call some woman from the sticks ‘Mom’!” Later that evening, back at my apartment, Ethan was still there. He leaned in conspiratorially, watching my face, then hesitantly told me about the girl. Apparently, after the Davises left, she had circled back alone, found Ethan, claimed she was a huge fan, and gave him her business card. I knew exactly what was going on. I playfully lifted the edge of Ethan’s shirt, revealing a glimpse of his well-defined abs. “Well, well, look at my big celebrity friend. So popular now, even famous violinists are your fans.” He’d improved. Usually, he’d blush up to his hairline, but now it was just the tips of his ears turning red. His hands hung obediently at his sides; he didn’t stop me. I stopped teasing him and took the card. The name on it was Melanie Davis. Ethan said, almost pleadingly, “I’ll throw it away right now.” I glanced towards the kitchen where Martha was busy. “No need,” I smiled. “Call her. Ask her out to dinner.” Just as I said it, Ethan’s phone rang. It was his agent. The second he answered, a loud yell came through the phone: “Were you seeing that small-town girl again?!” Ethan flushed, looking embarrassed, and quickly moved to another room to take the call. 04 Initially, the four of us started dinner together: me, Ethan, Martha, and Melanie. Melanie seemed to have snuck out without her parents knowing and looked a bit uncomfortable. When the moment felt right, I grabbed Ethan and pulled him out of the private dining room. As soon as we were outside, Ethan asked excitedly, “Okay, where are we going for dinner?” I pointed to the room right next door. “Not so fast. We’re just next door for now.” I pressed my ear against the wall, trying to listen in. Ethan looked a little grumpy about being sidelined. I mumbled a few reassuring words to him, then went back to eavesdropping. Ethan looked like he was about to lose his temper, but the argument in the next room erupted before he could. I burst through our door just in time to see Melanie pulling her hand away from Martha’s grasp. “I’m sorry,” Melanie said firmly. “I have my own life now. We don’t have any connection anymore.” Martha stood frozen. I rushed out after Melanie. Meanwhile, someone had recognized Ethan, and he was instantly surrounded, stuck in place. “Melanie Davis, stop right there!” I finally caught up to her and called out. “Is there something you need?” Melanie turned slowly, composed and calm, a stark contrast to the timid girl I’d seen before. I stepped closer. “Having a new life is your business, but Martha is your biological mother. Don’t you care about her feelings at all?” “Oh?” She tilted her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. “And have you considered your biological mother’s feelings?” I was momentarily speechless, stammering that the situations were different. Melanie tilted her head, thinking. After a long pause, she said, “Hmm, you’re right. They are different.” I didn’t want to argue with her. I reminded her that the anniversary of her biological father’s passing was in a week. As his daughter, she really should go home and be with Martha on that day. She didn’t agree directly. Instead, she smiled faintly. “My parents’ wedding anniversary is in three days. You should come for dinner too.” Again, I was speechless. I knew she was using Martha to pressure me. A girl raised in a wealthy family clearly knew how to play games. Pathetically, I felt I had no choice but to agree. As I was leaving, I noticed a huge poster of Melanie advertising her concert tour hanging in the plaza. Right next to it was an ad featuring Ethan. Seeing their posters side-by-side like that… it looked pretty good. Suddenly, something sharp pricked at my heart. 05 Thanks to Ethan, a lot of fans and influencers started hanging around my bakery, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I didn’t mind. Money is money, right? Taking it from fans isn’t shameful. One day, an influencer filming a video suddenly shrieked at the top of his lungs, “Oh my god! There’s a cockroach in this bun! Gross!” “Eww!” Customers immediately crowded around. I had to push my way through from the outside just to see what was happening. By the time I saw the actual cockroach, the influencer had already finished showing it off to his camera. He held up his “trophy” triumphantly, smirking at me. The other customers started freaking out, yelling and complaining. Some even looked like they wanted to trash the place. It was chaos. I grabbed a glass jar from the counter and smashed it on the floor. “Everybody quiet down!” I yelled. People finally stopped shouting. I climbed onto a table, looking down at everyone. “As the owner, I promise I will get to the bottom of this. Today, all the buns are on the house!” “And,” I turned to the few fans still recording with their phones, “This bakery means everything to us. Please don’t spread rumors before we know the facts.” Seeing me address them, the fans quietly put their phones away. Hearing about free food, the other customers started calming down, trying to smooth things over. The influencer wasn’t happy. He pointed at me, shouting, “She’s just trying to shut this down! Don’t listen to her! Keep making noise!” “Who wants to make noise?” A strong, authoritative voice came from the doorway. The police had arrived. I’d told Ashley to call them as soon as the influencer started his act. Thankfully, they got here quickly. Faced with the police, the influencer lost his bravado and meekly went aside to give his statement. That evening, I got a call from an unknown number. “Hello?” “Hello, is this Annie? It’s Mom.” A strange chill ran down my spine. “What is it?” “I heard… something happened at your shop. Do you need Mom to help you out?” “Help me?” “Yes, Mom knows a lot of people in the media. I can make sure they don’t report this incident. It won’t affect you at all.” “You can really help me?” I asked, skeptical. “Of course! And that influencer today, he’s just trash. Did he try to blackmail you? Don’t worry, Mom can handle everything.” I let out a dry laugh. “How did you know he tried to blackmail me? Is he a friend of yours?” After the police left, the influencer had tried to demand hush money from me, but he did it when no one else was around. I hadn’t told a soul. “Ah… um…” Mrs. Davis stammered on the other end, unable to form a coherent sentence. I scoffed, calling her bluff directly. “Let me guess. You hired that influencer today, didn’t you? Arranged for him to cause trouble, so you could swoop in and ‘fix’ it, making me feel like I owe you?” Mrs. Davis’s voice became urgent. “Annie, Mom really just wants to make things right with you. I also looked into your relationship with Ethan Cole. I know you’re just childhood friends from the same town, nothing more.” My voice turned cold. “If you claim to be my mother, why didn’t you just ask me? Why did you have someone investigate me? What if I was Ethan’s sugar baby? Would you have decided not to acknowledge me then?” Mrs. Davis sounded frantic now, with a faint, almost undetectable sob in her voice. “I’m just a normal person! I just want my daughter back! What’s wrong with that?” “Right, nothing’s wrong with that. But you always try to do it by making me bow down first, making me compromise. Why can’t you just respect me?” “I’m a normal person too! I have dignity! This bakery is something I built with my own blood, sweat, and tears! Did your investigation tell you that?” Silence on the other end. I laughed bitterly. “Apparently not. Mrs. Davis only cares about my connection to a superstar, not about me!” “You went through all this trouble, staged this whole drama, just so you could play the savior and have me grovel at your feet for mercy, is that it?” “Well, I’m sorry, Mrs. Davis, but I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. I got where I am today by myself, not by relying on some man. I don’t need your help. I can handle this on my own.” I hung up the phone, cutting off a faint, half-formed “I’m sorry” that I couldn’t quite make out. Raising a hand to my face, I was startled to find tears streaming down my cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow move in the corner of the room. “Come on out,” I said wearily. “You’ve heard enough.” Ethan emerged, looking sheepish. He started to speak, but was interrupted by his phone ringing sharply. “Hey, man, yeah, I know,” Ethan said into the phone, his voice suddenly deferential. “Tomorrow’s press conference, I’ll nail it! Don’t worry, I’ve memorized all the answers to those questions. It’s all good.” Ethan was practically bowing to the phone, but the person on the other end didn’t seem ready to let him off the hook. “And you know how to handle questions about that girl, right?” The voice from the phone was loud, filling the small apartment. Ethan’s face stiffened. He answered quietly, “Yeah.” A long silence followed. Ethan opened his mouth to say something to me, but I cut him off. “It’s late. Don’t you have that press conference tomorrow? You should go.” Without another word, I pushed him out the door. He kept knocking, wanting me to let him back in, but I wouldn’t.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392342”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My wife, Olivia, lost her memory unexpectedly. She forgot all about me and our daughter, Lily, and now all she wants is to get back together with her college boyfriend and marry him. She calls me a freeloader, someone living off her success. But the truth is, I took a step back in my own career, settling for a less demanding job, specifically so I could support her ambitions and take care of our family. She insists on a divorce. My friends tell me to wait, that she’ll come back once her memory returns. But they don’t know. They don’t know that my time is running out, every single day. 1. Olivia went to Chicago for a business trip. She was supposed to be back today. She works incredibly hard. She’s always wanted to be a powerhouse in her field, so I made the sacrifice. I chose a stable but quiet job that gave me more time to manage the household and be there for everything. She didn’t really need to push herself so hard, though. Her family is wealthy; she could have walked into the family business right after graduation and had an easy life. But she went against her parents’ wishes, insisting on marrying me – just a regular guy from a modest background, nothing special to look at. They haven’t spoken since. We met in grad school. It’s been eight years since our first year. Olivia climbed the ladder from an entry-level position to a top executive. Meanwhile, I work a steady job with predictable hours, focusing on raising our daughter, Lily. Lately, I haven’t been feeling well. I managed to get to the doctor for some tests. The results came back today. I held the report, my hand shaking uncontrollably. Late-stage lymphoma. It’s spread throughout my body. There’s no cure, especially since the tumors have likely already metastasized. I don’t have much time left. I just can’t believe it. Why me? The doctor tried to comfort me. “Mr. Hayes,” he said gently, “what about your family? It would be best to have them come in so we can discuss the next steps, the treatment options. Don’t worry, medical science has come a long way. There are always options.” I looked up, forcing a smile. “Thank you, Doctor. My wife is out of town on business. I’ll check into the hospital as soon as she gets back.” 2: The Attack Nine o’clock at night. Olivia wasn’t home. I called her phone. Three times. No answer. Knowing how she usually is – affectionate, a little clingy, calling me three times a day even when she travels – a terrible feeling started creeping into my gut. I immediately tried calling her assistant, Alex. Alex picked up right away. “Hey, Ethan,” he said. “Uh, we ran into Olivia’s parents here in Chicago. She told me to head back first. Didn’t she tell you?” My stomach dropped. Olivia’s parents were in Chicago too? Why hadn’t she mentioned it? But I kept my voice calm. “Oh, right. I forgot. Sorry about that, Alex.” “No worries, Ethan.” After hanging up, I thought for a moment and sent Olivia a text: “Hey honey, did you run into your parents? Is that why you can’t talk? It’s okay, no worries. Just waiting for you to come home.” The message went unanswered, like dropping a stone into the ocean. But I trusted her. Putting my phone down, I got Lily ready for bed, washed up, and tucked her in. Lily looked up at me with her big, round eyes, so soft and sweet. “Daddy, where’s Mommy?” I tried to soothe my little princess. “Mommy’s still busy with work, sweetie. You go to sleep now, and you’ll see Mommy tomorrow, okay?” I reached down to pick her up, but the next second, it felt like someone smashed the back of my head with a hammer. An explosion of pain wiped out everything else. My vision went black. “Daddy! Daddy…” Lily kept calling me, her little voice shaky, on the verge of tears. I struggled to open my eyes. The back of my head still throbbed with a dull ache, like someone was tapping it with a small chisel. “…Daddy’s okay.” I forced myself to carry Lily to her bedroom and lay her down, then went to get some painkillers for myself. 3: She’s Back Olivia was gone for a whole week. No, not exactly gone. Alex could reach her; her work continued without interruption. She was just… gone from my life. That week, I was busy researching my condition, getting prescriptions filled, taking care of Lily. I didn’t have the energy to dig into the real reason for her “disappearance.” Until the day she came back. And she wasn’t alone. A man was with her – handsome, well-dressed, with an air of effortless charm. “Liv, this is your husband?” the man asked, looking me up and down with disdain. “So ordinary. How did you put up with him for eight years?” I clenched my jaw, ignoring him, my eyes fixed on Olivia. “Liv, what’s going on?” Then my gaze fell to their hands, fingers tightly intertwined. That grip, seeing them like that, felt more suffocating than the sharpest pang of my illness. Olivia shot him a playful, scolding look before finally turning to me. “Ethan, let’s get a divorce. Name your terms.” She still looked so sweet, so lovely. Her career had only made her sharper, more polished. But her eyes… they were completely different, terrifyingly unfamiliar, especially when she looked at me. My throat felt tight and sore. “Honey, you want to divorce me… to be with him?” I stared at them, standing there like a couple. It took me a moment to place the man. Brandon. Olivia’s first love from college, the source of four years of campus romance stories. When Olivia and I got together, she and Brandon had only been broken up for less than six months. Later, Brandon tried to get back together with her. I didn’t interfere. I calmly told her that when she figured things out with Brandon, she could come find me. I don’t know how she handled it, but after that, Brandon never appeared in our lives again. Until now? Olivia had always been devoted to our family, clean-cut in her professional life. I couldn’t believe my wife would do something like this. I stared hard at her. “What happened to you these past few days?” Olivia scoffed. “What happened to me? What business is it of yours?” I stepped forward, reaching for her hand. “Liv…” “Don’t touch me!” She recoiled as if I were something disgusting, pulling her hand away sharply. She even glared at me, her eyes fierce. “Ethan, I’ve worked my ass off for eight years, bought you this house, this car. You’ve been living off me for eight years. You should be grateful. Don’t make this split uglier than it needs to be!” “Liv, what are you talking about?” I was the one who shifted my focus to our family, who supported and encouraged her career. How did that turn into me living off her? Haven’t I contributed just as much to our home, to our daughter? What happened to her during those seven days? I fought to control my emotions, trying to ask calmly, “Liv, really… what happened?” But she couldn’t be bothered to explain. She took Brandon’s hand, turned to leave, and tossed over her shoulder, “If you won’t agree to the divorce, I’ll have my lawyer contact you.” I wanted to chase after her, but a sudden, violent pain ripped through my stomach. It felt like my insides were being tied into knots and then torn apart. My legs buckled, and I collapsed to my knees. Olivia was already out the door. If she had just turned around, she would have seen me, pale as a ghost, barely conscious. But she didn’t. Just then, Lily came out of her bedroom. Seeing Olivia, her face lit up. She ran towards her, smiling, calling out sweetly, “Mommy!” But Olivia just pushed Lily away. 4: The Check My health was getting worse by the day, the pain flaring up more often. I hired a nanny to help take care of Lily. My original plan was simple: when Olivia came back, I’d take her and Lily to the coast to watch the sunrise one last time. We were always so busy – busy with studies when we were students, busy with careers after graduation. We never made time for trips. She used to always say, “Ethan, remember, you owe me a sunrise by the ocean.” I also wanted to give her a proper wedding. We basically eloped when we got married. Her parents had cut her off. On the day we got our marriage license, we just wore new clothes, celebrated with takeout from our favorite Thai place, and didn’t even invite any friends. She put on a brave face that day, but when she talked about her parents, her eyes welled up with tears. I held her close back then and swore, “I’m sorry, Liv. I promise I’ll work hard, I’ll make your parents see, I’ll make them accept me.” But now… I had to break that promise. The next day, Brandon showed up. He asked to meet me. He slid a blank check across the table. I kept my face neutral. “What’s this supposed to mean?” Brandon smiled confidently. “Agree to the divorce, stop bothering Olivia, and this check is yours.” I laughed, a bitter, mocking sound. “Liv and I are legally married. You’re the one bothering her.” “Think what you want,” he said, crossing his arms, adopting the smug posture of a winner looking down on me. “But she’s chosen me now. Even if you’re legal, that’s about to change.” Suddenly, I grabbed his arm. I squeezed so hard the veins in my neck bulged. My eyes must have looked terrifying. Brandon flinched, startled. “Ethan! What are you doing?” I ground out through clenched teeth, “What the hell happened to Olivia? Tell me everything!” A tickle started in my throat. I couldn’t stop a violent cough that wracked my body. A wave of hot, metallic fluid surged up from my chest, and I sprayed a mouthful of blood onto Brandon’s shirt. “What the—!” His face turned whiter than mine. He looked terrified, trying to pull away, but I held him fast. All my remaining strength flowed into my hand, gripping his arm like a vise. I growled, “Talk!” Brandon yelled, “Olivia lost her memory! She doesn’t even remember you!” 5: I Agree “Even if you tell her everything now, she won’t believe you,” Brandon spat out as he was leaving, dusting himself off. “A woman never forgets her first love. Why else would she remember me and forget eight years with you? Ethan, Olivia doesn’t love you anymore. Just let it go with some dignity!” He left the check behind. “Looks like you’re not doing too well yourself,” he added. “You probably need the money. Take the check, get yourself treated.” I gave a cold smile and ripped the check into tiny pieces. … I went back to the hospital for another check-up. The doctor’s expression was grim. “The tumors have spread everywhere. Your condition is critical. You need to be admitted immediately!” I managed a weak smile. “Will staying in the hospital save my life, Doctor?” “…It can at least help manage the pain. Where are your family members? Call them in. I need to speak with them.” I shook my head. “I don’t have any family.” My parents died when I was young, which forced me to become independent and strong. I learned early on that you can only rely on yourself. My only real family is Lily, and she’s just five years old. My poor daughter. Her mother doesn’t remember her, and her father… her father is about to die. I refused hospitalization again and went home with more painkillers. Truthfully, when the pain wasn’t actively flaring up, I felt okay, just incredibly weak. But the tumors were everywhere, ready to attack at any moment… And when they did, the pain was like a saw blade cutting through my organs, each wave agonizing enough to make me pass out. I was sleeping maybe two hours a night, tops. Even with the painkillers, the pain would wake me in the middle of the night, soaking the sheets in cold sweat. I’d find bruises and nail marks on myself later, unaware I’d been clutching at my own body in agony. Until one night, I surfaced from a haze of pain to find my bedroom door open. Lily was standing by my bed, her eyes red. Her small hand was trying to wipe the sweat from my forehead. “Daddy, let me rub it better…” I was too weak to do much more than gently take her tiny hand. I whispered, trying to reassure her, “Daddy doesn’t hurt.” Her face was full of worry. She stubbornly refused to go back to her own room and eventually curled up beside me, falling asleep. Sleep was impossible for me now. I lay there, staring at the ceiling. They say real men don’t cry easily. But tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, soaking into the already damp pillow. What would happen to Lily after I’m gone? My daughter is only five. She’s so small, so sweet. Without her father, how will she navigate the rest of her life? An overwhelming wave of sorrow washed over me. When I finally calmed down a bit, my hand was already on my phone. The contact name “Olivia” burned my eyes. I dialed her number anyway. It rang for a long time before she finally answered. She must have been asleep. Her voice was quiet, but I could instantly detect the underlying irritation. “Ethan?” My voice was thin. “Honey, I’m not feeling well…” She cut me off impatiently. “If you’re not feeling well, call a doctor. Why are you calling me? Do you know what time it is?” It felt like a needle piercing my heart. Even breathing hurt. “Liv, you’re my wife…” She paused, a hint of weariness in her voice. “I wish I weren’t. Unless this is about the divorce, please don’t bother me.” She hung up. My voice was so weak, but she couldn’t even tell. I let out a long, bitter laugh, then dialed her number again. As soon as she picked up, I said, “I agree to the divorce. Let’s get the papers drawn up tomorrow.” Our eighth anniversary was just around the corner. Looks like I wouldn’t make it.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392341”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel