Just the mere mention of the wedding decorations sent my fiancée’s “true love” running out in tears. Ashley slapped me so hard I fell to the ground, her eyes burning with hatred. “Liam, are you that desperate to get married? Are you so afraid you’ll never find another girl that you’re trying to force me into this?!” “The wedding is postponed again – for another week!” I held my cheek, but I felt nothing. This was the eighth time she’d pushed the wedding back. I’d been waiting for her since I was twenty-eight, and now, well into my thirties, I was still waiting for an answer. So, this time, I calmly packed my bags and decided to leave. Maybe this wedding wasn’t meant to happen. … I held my throbbing cheek, a searing pain spreading through me. My body trembled, shaking uncontrollably. The woman who was supposed to be my fiancée glared at me with disgust. She disgustedly wiped the hand she used to hit me with a tissue. “Liam, you know perfectly well that Jason isn’t feeling well, so what are you trying to pull mentioning our wedding in front of him?” “Yes, I said I would marry you. Does that mean you have to be so impatient? Are you afraid that no one else will ever want you?” “Can’t you just wait a little longer?” Her face was etched with frustration, and her eyes held a deep disdain. My mind flashed back to Ashley’s passionate proposal three years ago. “Liam, I really want to marry you soon so we can be together forever!” Not long after that, I had brought up the subject of marriage. Ashley promised me a grand and lavish wedding. But I’d been waiting for that wedding for three years, and it still hadn’t happened. The first time, she said it was too early, that we were still young and there was no need to rush. I thought she had pre-wedding jitters and tried to reassure her. Shortly after the second date, she made another excuse, saying the company had something come up, requiring that she go on an indefinite business trip, pushing it back once again. Over and over again, it had been put off, and now we were at the eighth occasion. Every time, I would excitedly book the venue, hire the DJ, and prepare the party favors. But Ashley would always find an excuse to back out. Until today, I couldn’t take it anymore. We weren’t getting any younger, and our careers were stable. I gathered my courage and asked her when we were going to get married. I never expected to be slapped for it. After a long silence, I bit my lip tightly, my ear ringing from the blow, my cheek swelling. Ashley sighed and turned to leave. I instinctively grabbed her hand and asked quietly, “Where are you going?” She jerked her hand away as if she’d been electrocuted, taking a step back. I froze, my hand awkwardly suspended in mid-air, staring at her in disbelief. “I’m sorry, Liam. I was impulsive. I’ll go get some ointment for your cheek.” Ashley quickly offered an excuse, her voice low and apologetic. This time, I just bit my lip and said nothing. Three years of love. Suddenly, I felt like I didn’t know her at all. She could hit me without hesitation, and then immediately apologize? After Ashley left, she didn’t come back for a long time. Worried, I decided to go look for her. But under the lamppost in front of the hotel, I saw two figures embracing. The woman looked up and whispered in the man’s ear. “Don’t worry, Jason. If you don’t want me to, I definitely won’t marry him.” “After all you’ve done for me, I’ll agree to whatever you say!” I suppressed the sadness and pain in my heart, covered my mouth, and tried not to cry out. I wanted to confront them, but my legs felt like lead. 2 After a long time, Ashley reluctantly pulled away from Jason and headed back towards me. I quickly ran home. Before I even got there, Ashley called. Her voice was sharp, scolding me. “Liam, I told you to wait for me at the hotel. Where did you run off to?” My throat tightened, and tears welled up in my eyes. I was about to question her, but the words that came out were full of hurt. “I waited for you at home since you didn’t come back.” Ashley paused, then spoke softly, trying to soothe me. “I’m sorry, I got stuck in traffic.” I had barely sat down on the couch when Ashley got back. She acted like someone whose date had been interrupted and who had no choice but to go home. She tossed the ointment at me. “Here’s the medicine. Rub it on yourself.” I clutched the ointment in my hand, staring blankly at her back, and gritted my teeth. “You hit me in the face. Could you please put the ointment on for me?” A flash of disgust and contempt crossed Ashley’s eyes. She looked away, scoffed, and said coldly, “You asked for it!” “Besides, do you not have hands? You’re a big adult now, can’t you think of a way to do this yourself, or do you need someone to teach you?” A string of questions left me feeling ashamed. She wasn’t like this before. Whenever I got a tiny cut while cooking, she would panic, get a bandage, and stick it on me. I would laugh at how serious she was. She said that if she was any slower, the wound would heal on its own. She would cover my mouth, her eyes red with concern, telling me not to say such things. I took the ointment to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I overheard her talking on the phone. The call was loud, and I heard everything clearly. My heart grew cold. “I’m going to the hospital to see Grandpa tomorrow, Jason, want to come?” “Would I be okay to see Grandpa with you?” “Of course. Grandpa’s met you before. If it weren’t for you saving him, he wouldn’t be here now. Plus, he already sees you as his grandson-in-law!” “Don’t say that, you’ll make me blush. You already have a fiancé. I guess I’m not that lucky!” Then her voice became firm and decisive. “No, I’ll only marry you!” Crash! The ointment fell into the sink, making a loud noise. Ashley quickly hung up and appeared in the bathroom, frowning. Seeing me rubbing ointment on my face, she tried to probe. “Liam, I’m going to the hospital to see Grandpa tomorrow. Want to come?” I already knew the truth, but my heart felt like it was full of holes. Looking at myself in the mirror, my swollen face looked like a monster. “Do you think it’s appropriate for me to see Grandpa like this? Would you even want me to see him?” Over the years, every time I asked to see her grandfather, Ashley would always find a hundred reasons to refuse. Just like she refused our wedding. So, to this day, I still don’t even know what her grandfather looks like. I only know that Ashley was raised by her grandfather and that he was the person closest to her. But she had taken Jason to see her closest family many times. I suppressed the pain in my chest and asked her again. “If I wanted to go, would you take me?” Ashley didn’t answer. She grabbed the ointment from my hand and gently rubbed it on my face, saying. “It’s okay, Liam. Once your cheek heals, I’ll take you to see Grandpa. He’ll love your handsome face!” I didn’t say anything. But I had a big question mark in my mind. She had made similar promises countless times over the past three years. I used to think she was really thinking of me, so I never pushed her. But now I suddenly realized that I couldn’t swallow her lies anymore. The reason she wasn’t taking me to see her grandfather was simple: she didn’t see me as her fiancé. 3 The next morning, Ashley left early. As expected, she was picking up Jason to take him to the hospital to see her grandfather. I washed my face, put on a mask, and went to find a rental apartment. This house belonged to Ashley. I was going to move out. While waiting to meet the landlord, I clicked on Jason’s social media. There was a photo of him, Ashley, and an old man. The caption read “Family photo.” The comments were full of blessings. Even though I knew about this last night, my chest still felt like it was being crushed by a rock. I stared blankly at the photo until the taxi driver told me to get out. Before logging out, I liked their photo and left a comment with a blessing. The apartment search went smoothly. The location was great. It was right next to a hospital. I had recently passed my nursing exam and had been accepted to work at the hospital. I was going to share the good news with Ashley today, but now it didn’t seem necessary. After paying the deposit, I went back to pack my bags. But as I passed in front of the hospital, I saw Ashley and Jason. They were holding hands, their fingers intertwined. It was Jason who saw me. He boldly pulled Ashley forward and spoke to me sarcastically. “Liam, you’re here too? Did you come with Ashley? Why don’t you go up and see Grandpa? “You didn’t even tell Ashley you were coming!” Ashley’s eyes flickered with worry. She took a half-step forward to hide their joined hands, quickly letting go. But at Jason’s reminder, that worry turned into anger, and her eyes flashed. “What are you doing here? I don’t think I told you where I was going!” She frowned, her expression changed, and she glared at me. “Liam, are you stalking me?!” She took another step forward, forcing me back. Her face was scary. She grabbed my arm and ripped off my mask. “You look like hell. Why are you stalking me instead of resting at home?” “Didn’t I tell you I’d take you once your face healed? What are you trying to pull by stalking me now!” Ashley was reprimanding me. She didn’t bother to ask for an explanation. Passersby stared at my swollen face. I felt ashamed and tried to cover it with my hand, arguing with her. “I’m not stalking you!” “You’re not stalking me? Then why are you here?” Ashley scolded angrily. “Don’t tell me you came to the hospital for your cheek. Or are you dying of some terminal illness?” My chest felt heavy. But I wasn’t going to tell her anything. I wasn’t going to tell her that I rented an apartment here, or that I had been hired to work at this hospital. In the end, I just remained silent, letting Ashley scold me. “Can’t talk? Liam, I’m impressed. If you had said you wanted to see Grandpa, would I have refused? You’re stalking me now!” “Next time, do I need to let you know where I’m going?” I was stunned. I didn’t know how to respond. She had never allowed me to come with her, always making excuses. Now it was my fault. I took a deep breath and suppressed the sadness in my heart. I looked at Ashley. “Whether you believe me or not, I wasn’t stalking you.” After saying that, I ignored Ashley’s surprised look, hailed a taxi, and left. As soon as I got in the car, tears started streaming down my face. That’s it, I’ll just let them have each other. 4 As soon as I got home, my phone rang. It was Ashley. “Liam, are you home?” She spoke softly, as if nothing had happened. But her voice sounded insincere. I wanted to hang up, but I needed to settle things with her. She was the one who had messed up this relationship. I shouldn’t run away. “What’s up?” “I’m at a hotel. I sent you the location. I think the decoration style is nice. Come check it out.” I hung up, confused. A hotel? Was it for our wedding? This wasn’t like Ashley. I used to push her, but she would never get involved. Now she was bringing it up on her own. I washed the tears off my face and went to the hotel. When I got there, I realized that it was nowhere near the level of the hotels I had picked out for the other eight attempts. I looked at Ashley, confused. “Didn’t you say we should keep the wedding simple? Why are we picking such a nice hotel?” Just then, Jason came down the stairs. He pointed at things with the hotel manager. “Liam, you think this hotel is great too, right? Ashley said she’s going to have a birthday party for me here.” My face froze. Ashley welcomed Jason and gave me a disgusted look, scolding me. “Don’t talk nonsense. I just wanted you to see the hotel. You’re still fantasizing about the wedding!” I felt embarrassed. I bit my teeth and nodded. I hid my hands in my sleeves, trembling, and said, “Great, it’s great.” Jason grabbed my arm. “You have to come to my birthday, Liam! I want your blessing!” Then, where only we could see, Jason smirked at me. She knew that I had fought with Ashley about the wedding venue. Today, she was provoking me with her birthday party. I couldn’t contain the anger in my chest and pushed Jason to the ground. She screamed, burst into tears, and half-collapsed. “Liam, I just wanted your blessing. If you don’t like me, that’s fine, but why would you push me!” “Liam, are you sick?” Ashley felt sorry for her and helped Jason up. After comforting her, she turned to yell at me. “Go get treated if you’re sick. Don’t be crazy here. You can’t afford to hurt Jason!” My heart was breaking, and I could barely breathe. But I looked her in the eye, tears in my eyes. “Yes, I’ll go get treated. I wish you and Jason a happy marriage and may you have children soon.” I turned and left the hotel. Back home, my makeup was ruined. I packed my bags and moved to the rental apartment. I left Ashley with a letter to terminate our engagement. For the next two days, Ashley and I had no contact. She didn’t come home. I saw on Jason’s social media that they had been all over the city. [This is the best birthday gift ever!] The last photo was of them embracing and kissing in the decorated ballroom. I habitually liked and commented with a blessing. Then I logged out, smiling bitterly. After being with Ashley for so many years, she had never made time to travel with me. Now she was having fun! On the day of Jason’s birthday party, I was starting my first day at the hospital. After two days, Ashley sent me a message. [It’s Jason’s birthday today. You have to come, or you’ll regret it!] I didn’t reply and focused on work. The nurse station rang, and I ran to room 18. An old man had lost consciousness. The machine was beeping. The doctor asked me to call the family. “Notify the family, prepare for surgery!” I used the phone to call the patient’s family. “Is this the family of Shaun Baldwin?” The voice on the other end laughed. “Liam? When did you become a nurse? You’re scheming. You think I’d fall for that?” “Don’t you know that I hate you chasing me?” I didn’t expect it to be her. I suppressed my anger and said coldly, “The patient has heart failure and liver failure. He needs surgery. Please come to the hospital.” “I’ve delivered the message. Believe it or not. I hope you don’t regret it!”

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Ever since she got pregnant, Sarah’s been obsessed with doing good deeds. She even put up a Virgin Mary statue at home, praying every single day, saying she wants to earn good karma for the baby. While volunteering at a nursing home, she suddenly wanted to adopt a kid the old lady there found. But this kid’s got dark skin and curly hair, obviously a mixed-race kid. Seeing me hesitate, Sarah threatened me with divorce. After a little digging, no surprise, the kid’s hers. What can I do? Of course, I’ll take her and the kid to meet the dad. A family should be complete, right? … After I refused Sarah’s request to adopt “Little Blackie,” she glared at me in front of everyone, like I’d committed some unspeakable sin. “If you don’t agree to adopt him, we’re getting divorced!” Divorce? Hearing that word, I frowned. But seeing her pregnant belly, I grabbed her hand and whispered, “Hold on, don’t get upset and hurt the baby. This isn’t something to joke about. We should talk about it.” “What’s there to talk about? You’re just heartless!” Sarah yanked her hand away. “Old Mrs. Johnson is so old and lonely, living off scraps. What if she kicks the bucket one day? Little Blackie will be a complete orphan! Can’t we just do a good deed?” I glanced around. Mrs. Johnson was hugging Little Blackie, sighing heavily but not saying a word. Little Blackie just stood there, his big, clear eyes staring at us. I had to keep trying to reason with her. “Adopting a kid isn’t as easy as you think. We need to go through proper channels.” “Don’t make excuses, Tom! I don’t care about channels, I just know we can make it happen if we want to. What’s the point of just talking? You don’t care about me or the baby! “You always say you’ll do anything for me and the baby, and now there’s a great opportunity to earn good karma for the baby, but you won’t agree. “I see you now! It must be exhausting pretending to be so nice all the time, huh? I’m telling you right now, if you don’t agree to adopt Little Blackie, we’re through!” Sarah’s words were like knives stabbing me. Thinking about everything lately, my heart sank. I said coldly, “If you come home with me today, we can talk about it. Otherwise, I’ll do as you wish, even if people point fingers at me.” Sitting in the car, I shakily pulled out a pack of cigarettes, but put it back. After a few deep breaths, the turmoil in my chest slowly calmed down. Sarah loves kids. Every time she saw a kid on the street, she’d slow down, her eyes full of envy. Later, she secretly went to the hospital for a checkup. The report said she had a thin uterine lining and it would be hard for her to conceive naturally. Even with IVF, the chances of miscarriage were high. I didn’t want Sarah to suffer needlessly, so I told her to take it easy and we could adopt if we couldn’t have our own. But I didn’t mean adopting some mixed-race kid with a shady background. Besides, we have our own kid now, which is a blessing. And she’s threatening me with divorce! Ten minutes later, the car door opened. Sarah seemed to have calmed down. She said softly, “I’m sorry, honey, I got too worked up just now.” I just hummed, feeling a little warmer inside. On the way home, I saw Sarah looking conflicted in the rearview mirror, wanting to say something but hesitating. I used to ask her what was wrong, but this time I held back. Sure enough, as soon as we got home, she said, “Honey, you know I’m a softie. I can’t help but tear up when I think about Mrs. Johnson and Little Blackie. Buddhists say saving a life is more rewarding than building a seven-story pagoda. What goes around comes around. Adopting Little Blackie can save a life and earn good karma for our baby.” Karma, karma, all she talks about is karma. Ever since she got pregnant, Sarah’s been saying that word all the time, it’s driving me crazy. Looking at her red eyes, I sighed. “How about we send Little Blackie to an orphanage? We can visit him often.” “No way!” Sarah refused sharply. “Look at those kids in orphanages, they don’t have any spark. Sending Little Blackie there would ruin him.” I had no response to Sarah’s reasoning. When we volunteered at the orphanage, most of the kids were quiet and withdrawn. Compared to kids who grow up in normal families, they lack security and become very insecure. I looked at Sarah. “There are so many orphans in the world, why do you have to adopt Little Blackie?” “I just feel like this kid and I have a connection.” Sarah countered, “Then why don’t you want to adopt him?” 2 “Don’t give me that money crap. The rich raise kids in one way, the poor in another. I don’t have high expectations for the kids, I just want them to grow up safe and sound. Besides, you’re a man, it’s your job to make money. Complaining about it just makes you look bad!” “Pressure creates motivation. It’s good for you. If you really think I don’t make money at home, I can go out and get a job to support them!” I paused for a moment and decided to be honest. “But that kid is mixed-race!” Sarah folded her arms and stared at me, her voice scornful. “Wow, Tom, I didn’t know you were a racist.” “It’s not about racism. Haven’t you seen all the news reports?” “The media loves to take things out of context. How do you know they’re not making things up? Even if some of it’s true, are you going to condemn an entire group of people? “Besides, Little Blackie is just a kid. Children are born innocent. If we teach him well, he won’t go down the wrong path!” Sarah rattled off a bunch of stuff like a machine gun, leaving me speechless. She wasn’t completely wrong, but I couldn’t gamble with my own child’s future. I don’t know if children are born innocent or not. I don’t want to demonize any particular group. Everyone has flaws in their genes, but some people are more likely to expose them and do bad things. Thinking about the stories about black people in the news, I shuddered. I wouldn’t put a ticking time bomb next to my family. Seeing me stay silent, Sarah thought I agreed, and a gleam of triumph flashed in her eyes. “Honey, I knew you were the best. Take a day off next week and let’s get this done. The sooner we do it, the sooner we can earn good fortune for the baby.” I shook my head. “No, I don’t agree.” Sarah flared up. “You said we’d talk about it when we got back, and now you say no? Are you messing with me? I see, you just don’t want to earn good fortune for the baby. You don’t want good things to happen to our child! If anything bad happens to the baby, it’s your fault as a dad! “Since you’re starting this, don’t blame me for finishing it. I’m telling you again, if you don’t agree, we’re getting divorced!” Sarah slammed the bedroom door shut. “You’re sick!” I slumped down, feeling lost. The old Sarah was gentle and considerate, able to handle any situation. But in the last three months of her pregnancy, she’s completely changed. She throws a tantrum over the smallest things. If the food’s too bland or too salty, she throws down her chopsticks. If she doesn’t get the fruit she wants late at night, she can sit up all night. Even when I’m working overtime, she’ll cry if I don’t get home by the time she sets. She also wants to earn good karma and show love everywhere, even to an excessive degree. She used to feed stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood, which caused them to gather more and more, and people were often scared or scratched. Everyone complained. The property management company talked to her several times, but she ignored them and even argued in the homeowners’ group. I had to secretly contact the city management to gradually calm things down. I used to understand her efforts to escape her family, knowing it wasn’t easy for her to come out of a patriarchal family in a mountain village, so I felt sorry for her. Plus, pregnancy hormones are unstable, and emotions are easily affected. No matter what she did, I silently accepted it. But this time, it really made me feel cold. Feeling lost, I called my buddy, Kevin. “Let’s grab a couple of beers.” Sarah rarely lets me go out with friends. But today, I couldn’t care less. The anger and gloom in my chest were about to drive me crazy. At the barbecue stand, two glasses clinked together. Kevin grinned. “How come your little wife let you out today? I heard she’s been in a bad mood lately.” I shook my head and smiled bitterly, then told him what happened today. Kevin’s smile faded, and he pondered for a while before saying, “Dude, that’s not right.” That’s why I called him. He’s always been sharp, and now he’s a therapist. He knows more about human nature than most people. “Not to be a downer, but if your wife’s really like that, you should take her to see someone.” “Seriously? But… she definitely won’t go.” My eyebrows twitched. If I say anything to Sarah now, she’ll definitely make a scene. If it affects the baby, I’ll regret it. Kevin clicked his tongue. “That’s not serious? Who gets divorced over something like that?” “Maybe she’s just trying to scare me.” “Just spend some money to put your mind at ease. As a brother for over ten years, let me say something I shouldn’t. Maybe you’re too close to the situation, but is there something else going on between that kid and your wife?” Kevin’s words were subtle, but I wasn’t stupid. “No way!” Some bad thoughts flashed through my mind, and my face changed drastically. I stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the table. “I’m telling you again, spend some money to put your mind at ease.”

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My sister, Ashley, was hooking up with her boyfriend every day after school, but she never used protection. When I asked why, she told me she was going through the back door. I told her that that area was sensitive and doing that all the time could easily lead to health problems. Nowadays, everyone’s got a more open mind, and someone who truly loves her wouldn’t care if she was a virgin or not. Ashley actually listened to my advice for once. Later, after she and her boyfriend broke up, Mom introduced her to a rich dude. On their wedding night, because Ashley didn’t bleed, the guy flipped out on her right there and then. The story spread like wildfire the next day. Ashley, completely humiliated, blamed it all on me. She shoved my head into a pot of boiling water, her face twisted with anger. “It’s all your fault! If I was still a virgin, I’d be a trophy wife, and nobody would dare laugh at me!” I blinked, and suddenly I was back on the day Ashley told me she never used protection. … “Sis, don’t worry, I won’t get pregnant. Every time Liam and I are together, we use the backdoor.” Ashley said, wiggling her hips. Looking at her face, I felt a shiver run down my spine. The feeling of boiling water searing my airways from the last time came rushing back. It took me a while to calm down. “Wow, that’s… brave.” Ashley kept sharing her wisdom. “Sis, I’m telling you, that spot can give a guy just as much pleasure. Don’t always listen to Mom. What year is it? Living in the moment is what matters.” “It’s ’cause you’re so old-fashioned that you can’t keep a boyfriend.” I just smiled. The reason Ashley was so smug was that her current boyfriend, Liam, used to be my boyfriend. We were together for two years, but he dumped me because I wasn’t down for premarital sex. Less than three days after we broke up, Liam and Ashley made it official. I only found out they were hooking up when I went to Liam’s place to pick up my stuff. They’d been at it for ages. Ashley would go to Liam’s apartment every day, and the noises they made could be heard from the third floor to the fifth. All the neighbors knew. When I found out, my first thought wasn’t anger but how Mom would react if she knew. Ashley would be screwed. Mom worked as a matchmaker and had tons of eligible, high-quality singles on her books. Dealing with all those upper-crust types for so long, Mom knew exactly what they wanted in a potential spouse. And a big one was being clean. So, growing up, Mom always taught Ashley and me that dating was fine, but no sex before marriage. Mom would always say, “Marriage is like a second chance at life. These guys might say they don’t care, but deep down, they all want a squeaky-clean girl. You two better keep your guard up, or don’t come crying to me.” On the way home from Liam’s, I was going to tell Mom everything. But when Ashley heard what I had to say, she told me she was still a virgin because she’d never used the front door. It took me a few seconds to process that. Then I started worrying about her health. Being someone with a little medical knowledge, I knew how sensitive the backdoor was. It was only meant for waste, and the sphincter muscles controlled its tightness. It wasn’t meant to be open for too long every day. If it was opened often and violently, it would damage the muscles and lead to all sorts of problems. I immediately gave Ashley the lowdown and told her, “Someone who truly loves you won’t put you through that or care if you still have your cherry. If you like doing that, use the right spot. If someone really cares that much, we can get reconstructive surgery.” Ashley’s eyes lit up when she heard about the surgery, and she stopped using the backdoor after that. I never thought that she’d break up with Liam later, and Mom would introduce her to a rich dude. Even after the surgery, she didn’t bleed on her wedding day. After getting divorced, she blamed everything on me. Thinking about that, I still had to say something. “But using the backdoor all the time… it’s gotta hurt, right? And what about infections?” Ashley batted her eyelashes and smiled. “If you take precautions, it’s fine. Besides, sis, I think I’m just naturally gifted. That spot makes its own fluids too.” 2 That sounded like something Liam would say to trick her. Normally, that spot doesn’t produce anything. If it does, it means there’s a problem. She has an infection. That thought made me feel a little vindictive. I pretended to be jealous and said, “Is that why Liam likes you more?” At the same time, I sent Liam’s account tons of messages with attachments. [Hey, handsome, need any fun toys? Free shipping. 😉] Ashley had always loved stealing my things. When she heard the envy in my voice, she got defensive. “Of course. But you’re probably not that type, sis. Liam’s already tasted me, so he’s even less likely to be into you. You should forget about him.” I lowered my head, looking dejected. At the same time, Liam sent me a message asking for recommendations. I quickly sent over some of the more rough stuff. Liam picked a few, and after he paid, I quickly placed the order at the store. Just as I finished replying, Ashley’s phone buzzed. She picked it up, glanced at it, and her face turned beet red. Soon after, she got up, grabbed her purse, and started heading out. “Sis, I gotta go. Remember to keep this a secret from Mom.” Ashley didn’t come home that night. When she came back the next day, she could barely walk. For the next few days, Liam ordered new toys from me every day. They kept getting kinkier and kinkier, and Ashley’s walk kept getting weirder. I knew that if this kept up, Ashley’s body wouldn’t be able to take it. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. One Saturday, Ashley grabbed my hand and whispered, “Sis, I think I tore something down there.” I tried to keep my voice even. “Where?” “Down there.” She pulled down her pants. “Take a look. It’s bleeding a lot, and it hurts like hell.” I tried to ignore the feeling in my throat and looked. It definitely didn’t look normal. “Sis, do you think I should go to the doctor? I leak when I sneeze now.” I almost threw up. “Go to the doctor?” I frowned. “You wanna tell Mom you’ve been using the backdoor?” Mom was extremely strict about our love lives. She’d been suspicious ever since Ashley had been staying out late. Ashley asked, “Then what do I do?” I rubbed my hands together. “It doesn’t look too bad. Let’s just go to a clinic and get some medicine.” Ashley was embarrassed to go to a clinic, so she ended up buying some cream online and applying it herself. After the cream worked, Ashley went back to her usual routine of staying out all night. It was clear that her backdoor muscles had loosened. She always had a familiar, funky smell. I did the math, and finally, the day arrived. Mom found a suitable rich guy and burst in, telling Ashley to get ready for a blind date. “This Mr. Thompson is one in a million. Over eight figures in the bank, studied abroad. Most important, he’s got a squeaky-clean personal life.” Mom slapped Ashley’s thigh and laughed. “And the best part? He doesn’t have any requirements for his other half. The only thing he wants is a virgin. Ashley, your lucky day’s coming.” Mom was so excited, but Ashley looked like she could care less. “Mom, I don’t want to.” Mom and I were both taken aback. Last time, Ashley had jumped at the chance. Why was she turning it down so easily this time? Mom quickly asked, “Why? Ashley, getting married is like a second chance at life. Aren’t you always complaining that Mom never gave you any advantages? This time I’ve found you a good one.” Ashley threw up her hands. “I have a boyfriend.” “Break up with him.” Mom frowned. “Ashley, don’t tell me you didn’t listen to me and slept with that guy.” Ashley’s face paled. “Of course not, Mom. I just don’t want to get married yet. Why don’t you send Sis on the date?” Hearing that, Mom gave me a look of disgust. “You think she’s worthy?” 3 Mom’s hurtful words stung like a slap in the face. Because she didn’t have a husband, Mom was afraid of gossip, so she raised Ashley and me with an iron fist. Though she was strict with both of us. Mom treated me like a prisoner, and Ashley like her own child. If I didn’t do my homework, she’d rip up all my books and throw them in the trash. Which led to me getting made fun of by teachers and classmates at school the next day. If Ashley didn’t do her homework, she’d just scold her lightly. If I broke a bowl, she’d make me kneel outside in the freezing cold all night. If Ashley broke a bowl, she’d just slap her hands a few times. I always suspected I wasn’t Mom’s biological daughter, and I even got a DNA test after I turned eighteen. But the results showed that I was Mom’s daughter. Last time, after Ashley shoved me into the boiling water, I still had a sliver of consciousness. When Mom rushed over, she didn’t even glance at me. Instead, she asked Ashley if she’d burned her hand. With my last bit of strength, I asked her why she was so biased. She gave me a disgusted look. “I’m not biased. You’re just narrow-minded, so you think I’m biased. Ashley never says I’m biased.” Actually, I knew that the real reason was that Ashley was better looking than me. Mom always said that beauty was a resource in this day and age. She was convinced that Ashley could marry into wealth and improve their lives, so she put all her chips on Ashley getting married. Even though Mom was reluctant, she didn’t force Ashley to go on the date. Not wanting the gravy train to run to someone else’s house, she arranged for me to go on a date with Mr. Thompson. On the way, she lectured me. “Don’t mention your past relationships to Mr. Thompson. You’re already losing points because you’re not pretty. If you say you’ve been messing around, he’ll definitely turn you down.” Sometimes I thought Mom was blind. She thought Ashley was being a good girl when she stayed out all night. Even though I came home from work on time every day and checked in with her, she still thought I was a slut. Luckily, Mr. Thompson didn’t care about my looks. Last time, I didn’t have a good impression of him because of what happened with Ashley. After talking with him this time, I realized that he actually seemed like a decent guy. Polite, knowledgeable. Just like Mom said, he only had one requirement for his other half: that they be chaste. That requirement was only because he came from a wealthy family. He was such a catch, and women were all over him. Even so, he was still a virgin. He held himself to high standards, so it wasn’t unreasonable for him to have that requirement for his other half. We got along well. After that, we went on a few dates, and our feelings for each other grew. Even after our last date, I thought that maybe fate had given me a second chance not to get revenge, but to set things right and marry Mr. Thompson. For a moment, I thought that marrying Mr. Thompson wouldn’t be bad. But I didn’t expect Ashley to break up with Liam after Mr. Thompson agreed to get engaged to me. That day, when she came home and saw Mr. Thompson, she called Mom into her room at night. The next day, Mom told me, “Break up with Mr. Thompson. Your sister wants to be with him.” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I froze for a few seconds. “Isn’t Ashley sick? Does she just like stealing other people’s boyfriends? She wanted Liam, so she took him. This time, Mr. Thompson and I are about to get engaged. Why does she have to steal him? Is she addicted to being a homewrecker?” As soon as I said that, Mom slapped me across the face. “Ashley’s your sister. Why are you talking so ugly? Mr. Thompson was originally for Ashley. You’re the homewrecker who stole her prize.” The slap burned, but it also wiped away the last bit of love I had for Mom. I couldn’t take it anymore. “Even if that’s true, Mr. Thompson’s my boyfriend now. Why don’t you make him like Ashley?” After yelling that, I couldn’t stay in the house any longer. I grabbed my purse and ran out. I knew that if Ashley wanted Mr. Thompson, Mom would make it happen. But I had faith in Mr. Thompson. He wasn’t a guy like Liam. I stayed out all day, replaying the events of today and the past in my mind. Last time and this time, I felt so wronged. I thought that after I got engaged to Mr. Thompson, I’d move out. But a few hours later, I still hadn’t gone home. Mr. Thompson called. He said, “Carrie, we should break up.” My voice trembled with pain. “Why? Is it because of my sister?” There was a long silence. Mr. Thompson didn’t try to hide it. “Carrie, you’re a smart woman. You should know that people in high society like me need a pretty wife to show off. You and your sister are the same in every other way. Of course, I’m going to choose the better one.” “I’m sorry. I’ll give you some compensation, but I hope you won’t bother me. We can still be friends.” Bullshit. I hung up and smashed my phone. After taking a few deep breaths, I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They streamed down my face. I took out my phone and prepared to delete all the photos I’d taken with Mr. Thompson. After scrolling through a few, my eyes widened. A few minutes later, all my anger was soothed by the photos in the album. Since everyone wanted to bully me, I was going to bully them back, one by one.

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My kid had been snatched. The kidnappers had shoved him into some kind of ice cellar, livestreaming his torture for the world to see. My heart hammered in my chest, so I immediately called my billionaire husband. He brushed me off, all nonchalant. “Last time it was Little League tryouts, this time you’re staging a kidnapping to get my attention? Give it a rest, babe.” His sweet thing, Brittany, chimed in, her voice dripping with sugar. “Honey, Steven’s got a million things on his plate every day. Why are you being so childish? Even my five-year-old, Liam, is more mature than you.” They hung up on me before I could even get the words out: “The kid being kidnapped is your son, Liam.” … The moment I heard my son was missing, I tore off to the police station. On the way, the kidnappers sent me a video. The kid was hooded, his hands and feet tied tight to a metal chair. He was wearing his school uniform, but I spotted the Bradford family crest on his blazer right away, and those limited-edition sneakers he always wore. The wall behind him was made of thick ice blocks, radiating this bone-chilling cold. He was shivering so hard, his thin clothes offering no protection. His voice was hoarse as he cried, “Mommy! Daddy! Where are you? I’m so scared!” The kidnapper cackled, all menacing. “I want to see ten million bucks in two hours, or the kid gets it!” My blood ran cold. I was about to pass out when the daycare director grabbed me. “Mrs. Bradford, he was taken on his way to school. The police are already checking the security footage. You gotta stay strong for him.” I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. I wired over the five million I had available, no questions asked. Just then, someone shouted. “They’re livestreaming it!” Even though all the kidnapper was showing was his eyes, the cold-blooded cruelty in them sent shivers down everyone’s spine. He kept tapping a hunting knife on the metal chair. Each tap felt like a stab in my own chest. “Mrs. Bradford, you trying to play me? Five million won’t even buy you half your kid.” Before I could respond, he slashed the knife across Liam’s arm. Liam screamed, a gut-wrenching sound, and passed out. I begged the cops to help me negotiate, pleading, “Please, don’t hurt him. I’ll figure out how to get the rest of the money.” To prove I was serious, I called Steven again. It rang forever, and then Brittany answered. She said, all snarky, “You guys are getting divorced, why are you bothering Steven?” I didn’t have time for her crap. “Liam’s been kidnapped! Get Steven to wire over five million to get him back!” I heard giggling on the other end of the line. Steven’s voice dripped with mockery. “Seriously? Pulling this stunt again? Last time you had Liam fake being sick to get attention, now this. Give it a rest. ” I insisted, “I’m not lying! Liam is in real danger! I sent you the video!” Steven was silent for a moment. But Brittany started laying into me. “You are unbelievable. Seriously? Trying to fool us with some deepfake video.” “Steven’s busy, you know? You’re acting like a five year old, just like my Liam!” Steven let out a short laugh. “The five million for the divorce is already yours. You trying to get more money, huh?” I lowered my voice, begging, “You won’t even miss the money. Please, just lend me five million, okay?” Steven acted like I was a piece of gum stuck to his shoe. He spat out the words, his voice filled with annoyance. “No way, lady!” I felt tears welling up. “You gonna just let Liam die?” All I heard was the dial tone. The kidnapper, who’d been watching everything, lost it. He kicked over the metal chair and stomped on Liam’s stomach. “Worthless trash doesn’t deserve to live!” Just as I was losing all hope, the security guard at the station came running in. “The kid’s back! He’s right outside! Everyone, come quick!” 2 Liam looked dazed as he came running over. He threw himself into my arms, sobbing. I checked him for injuries, relief washing over me. He was barefoot, but otherwise seemed unharmed. The director sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead. “Thank God, the kid’s safe!” The police officer next to me was holding his phone, a grim expression on his face. “But the livestream is still going. So who is the kid who got kidnapped?” The kidnappers had only said they snatched Steven Bradford’s son. The teachers hadn’t paid attention, and when they did a headcount, they found out that Brittany’s son, Liam, was missing. The director’s heart sank. “What the hell is going on?” Liam was already asleep, resting his head on my shoulder. Seeing the obvious signs of struggle, I started to put the pieces together. The livestream was blowing up. People recognized the Bradford crest on the kid’s blazer. [This kidnapper is out of his mind! Kidnapping the Bradford heir!] The kidnapper laughed, all cocky. “If the Bradfords don’t come up with the cash, I’m gonna slice this kid up and make sashimi out of him.” The cops told me to play along, to avoid spooking the kidnapper. They also told Brittany what was happening with Liam. She started sobbing, all dramatic. “You’re playing games with my sister-in-law, and you’re putting a curse on my kid?!” The police officer was still trying to explain when Steven cut him off. “Who gave you the right to joke about my sweet thing’s kid? I want your badge number. I’m reporting you for incompetence!” The officer, serious, said, “We are not joking about a child’s life. If you don’t cooperate, you might miss the best opportunity to save him.” Steven scoffed. “Yeah, I’ll wait for the coroner to pick up the body.” Silence fell over the station. Everyone stared at me with a mix of sympathy and pity. Getting Steven’s help was out of the question. Liam wasn’t my kid, but as a mother, I couldn’t stand the thought of him being tortured. I scraped together every penny I could, plus the donations from the daycare staff. It barely reached four and a half million. The kidnappers gave us no time to breathe. They started the torture right in front of everyone online. Liam’s arm was a bloody mess. The floor was covered in blood, almost like a stream. The pain was so intense, he was screaming until his throat was raw, his legs jerking around without control. Viewers were tearing down the parents. [Are the parents dead? How can the richest family in this town leave their kid to suffer like this!] Some sympathetic viewers started donating. Gifts poured in. In the flood of comments, a discordant voice rang out. [This is a scam! Don’t believe it! Bradford already said it’s fake!] I quickly snapped a photo of Liam, showing he was safe. I sent it to Steven. [Liam is right here with me. The kid being kidnapped is really Liam. Stop messing this up!] Then Brittany called in the kidnappers during the livestream. In contrast to the bloody horror, the camera focused on a British shorthair cat. It was curled up on a velvet carpet, fast asleep. Steven petted the cat gently, his eyes filled with love. Then, serious, he said, “I already confirmed with the school. Little Liam is fine. I advise you to stop this livestream now, or I will sue you.” A wave of sadness washed over me. Steven didn’t trust me at all. He even made up facts without checking them. Brittany, all innocent, asked, “Steven, won’t this ruin his sister-in-law’s plans? I think she really wants more followers.” Steven’s face turned hard, the tenderness vanished. “Using a kid for a cheap publicity stunt. I should have kicked her out of the family a long time ago.” Egged on by them, the kidnapper stabbed Liam again. Liam didn’t have the strength to cry anymore. He just shivered, trying to fight the pain. Brittany gasped. “Kidnapper, your acting is too good. Since you’re working so hard, why don’t we play a game.” 3 “Let’s see who gets the most donations. If you win, I’ll give you all the money I get. If I win, you don’t have to pay me anything, just double the ransom. What do you say?” The kidnapper, who wanted money, agreed right away. Brittany signaled the cat to do two backflips. Steven laughed. He took out his phone and tapped the screen. Gifts poured in. Steven said with a deep look of love, “A million bucks a flip. Thanks for making me happy.” People began to see that it was me trying to pull a fast one. They started asking for money back. [Bradford doesn’t need the money. He doesn’t want to play games with you.] [You are scum, using children to play on my heart. Give me my money back!] [Sister, Bradford’s honey is sweeter than you.] We needed more money to save the kid, but no one would help. The kidnapper looked greedy. “The ransom is twenty million now. I want the money in 30 minutes. Or the kid loses a finger.” I asked Brittany, “What do you think you are doing?!” Brittany played innocent. “Sister, I know you are planning this livestream. Just stop! I’m playing a game to teach you that this will not work. Liam is too young to be in such a violent livestream. What if it gives him problems for his whole life?” Steven was angry. “Shelly, this is your last chance. Apologize and admit what you did. I’ll give you fifty million divorce settlement.” Brittany chimed in, “Yeah, you are Bradford’s wife, act like it. Apologize!” The detective was angry. “They are crazy. We cannot deal with them now. We need to rescue the hostage now.” Viewers commented angry things. The kidnapper was done. He grabbed a old blade and tried to cut off Liam’s little finger. Liam screamed in pain. Even the cops were angry and sad. Brittany yawned. “I’m going to eat with Steven.” A comment came. [I think I hear a child crying around the old factory near the school!] We went to save the hostage. Twenty minutes later, we found the kid. Liam was hurt. His white jacket was covered in blood. I went to the hospital. The doctor was worried. “The child lost a lot of blood. He needs a blood transfusion.” I rolled up my sleeve. “I have his blood type!” Just as the doctor tried to inject me, a fast car crashed in front of us. Steven got out. “Shelly, are you trying to fool everyone?! Go home!” Brittany smirked. “Sister, this is not funny! Take Liam home!” I showed them Liam. “See for yourself who was kidnapped!”

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The day after someone “doxed” me online, an AI-generated deepfake video starring me went viral in the company group chat. In the video, I was naked, crawling for a middle-aged, balding man. A few minutes later, the company group chat, filled with hundreds of people, was shut down after being reported. With trembling hands, I opened an anonymous email on my phone. “Hey there, old lady! Did you think you could just be a jerk with no consequences? Keep running your mouth, and I’ll send the video to your parents so they can see what kind of bitch they raised.” 1 The office’s heating system was making everyone sleepy. It was lunchtime, and I was dozing off, using a pillow as a support on my desk, until my coworker Lisa frantically shook my arm to wake me up. “Sarah, you gotta see the company group chat!” Rubbing my eyes, I clicked on the chat, not sure what was happening. Usually, the work group chat was just filled with “Received” replies, but there were hundreds of new messages. I scrolled down, but it was mostly just meaningless emojis. “Click on the video at the very beginning!” The source of the messages was a short video with the words “Performance Review” written in ugly letters on the cover. I clicked it, and the first thing I heard was a moan that made my cheeks burn. “S-slower, please…” The woman’s moans grew louder, and my heart started racing. I felt a sense of panic for no reason. Then, the screen showed a naked body. The fair skin was arranged in a pose, open to anyone who wanted it, crawling for a man whose face was hidden. The camera slowly moved up, focusing on the woman’s dazed face. My mind went blank for a moment. The woman had a face that was exactly like mine. Or, rather, it was my face. At the end of the video, there were two lines of text in big, bold red letters. “Wet and Wild, $100 a Pop” “Interested? Contact 555-123-4567” All the blood in my body rushed to my face. I don’t know how I got through those few seconds. When I came to my senses, I realized that my hands were shaking uncontrollably. There were several retracted messages below the video, except for one. “Isn’t that Sarah Miller from the marketing department?” The messages that followed were all from Lisa. “Keep your damn mouth shut, you idiot! Can’t you see it’s a deepfake? Is your brain full of shit? “Spreading rumors is against the law, you know? If you think jail food is better than company food, keep talking!” After sending those messages, Lisa flooded the chat with emojis. Some other friends in the group chat joined in, covering up the video-related messages. But that had been ten minutes ago. I always muted my phone during lunch breaks, so I didn’t see the series of missed calls. Screech- I jumped up, and the chair made a horrible noise as it scraped against the floor. “Where are you going?” The coworker next to me looked worried. “To find my manager.” I forced myself to calm down, saved the video, screenshotted the information of the person who forwarded it, found my department manager, and explained the situation in a few words. “That person quit last month. I don’t know why they’re still in the company group chat, but I can’t just give you their information.” The manager narrowed his eyes, slowly leaned closer to the computer screen for a while, and then turned to me. “Sarah, have you pissed someone off recently?” I took a deep breath, trying to swallow the curse words stuck in my throat. “I’m going to the police station. I need to take the afternoon off.” As I turned to leave the office, I felt like everyone was staring at me. Even though I was fully dressed, I felt like I was being stripped naked in public, enduring their judgment. Just as I was swiping my card to leave the office, an email popup caught my eye. “Hehe, did you get a surprise, old lady? Keep being a jerk, and I’ll send the video to your parents so they can see what kind of bitch they raised.” 2 An anonymous email. Raw, undisguised malice. At the police station, the officer’s uniform across the long table calmed my racing heart. “Think carefully, have you had a conflict with anyone recently?” “No.” I shook my head. I wouldn’t say that I was always friendly, but I hadn’t really pissed anyone off. After graduating college, I’d moved to this city alone. My apartment was in a community, and I barely saw my neighbors. Most of my coworkers were just acquaintances, but things were generally okay on the surface. “Go sit in the waiting area. I’ll have someone look up this phone number and email address.” I agreed and walked over to a chair. My phone had been buzzing with messages since everything happened. Most of them were from coworkers offering comfort, mixed with curiosity and probing, but Lisa had sent the most messages. “What did the cops say? If I find out which son of a bitch did this, I’m gonna beat them until they don’t recognize their own mother, and then sue them until they’re broke!” “Sarah, this isn’t your fault, okay? Don’t overthink it, and don’t do anything stupid. I’m on my way back now!” I felt a warmth in my heart. I could almost imagine Lisa rolling up her sleeves, ready to kick some ass. She was my college roommate. After graduating, we both joined the same company, but Lisa was more attractive and outgoing, so the public relations department quickly recruited her. I stayed in the marketing department, doing my job. Our company focused on short videos. It was high-pressure and fast-paced, and there was a lot of turnover. “It’s okay, I’m fine. This is America, if there’s trouble, I know to call the cops. Pat on the head.jpg” “Are the cops hot?” Lisa joined in with the jokes, and I couldn’t help but smile. “But who would do something so awful? You’re just a keyboard warrior online. You don’t even bother arguing with people in real life!” Online. My eyes widened, and my heart skipped a beat. At that moment, the cop called me, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Sarah, can you come here for a second?” I put away my phone and hurried over. “The tech guys tracked the IP address of the email. It’s an abandoned account. As for the user who forwarded the video, we contacted them. They’re about to leave the country, and their phone number was changed last week. They just haven’t had time to cancel it yet.” “Do you know this person?” I carefully looked at the person in the photo, but I didn’t recognize them. “That’s going to be a problem.” The cop frowned. This wasn’t a big deal, but it wasn’t a small one either. With the recent efforts to combat online crimes, this person’s actions were serious enough to warrant criminal charges. “I haven’t had any conflicts with anyone in real life, but I’ve argued with people online. I don’t know if that would help solve the case?” I bit my lip, hesitant to bring it up. That was the reason for my hesitation. Bringing an online fight into the real world and using such a low tactic seemed unbelievable. But after opening those “rant accounts,” the cop’s expression became serious. 3 Rant accounts are used for people to express themselves and their opinions anonymously, others with similar interests would gather together to discuss things. But in recent years, some accounts have become digital trash cans for people to vent their emotions, like toilets filled with filth and poison. Two days ago, I had argued with someone under a post on X (formerly Twitter). It started when an artist I had followed for years was being called out. The person posting claimed that the artist had copied their ideas and that some of her popular paintings were directly using AI painting templates. This post was like a torpedo, setting off all the trolls who had been lurking. “Aww, poor baby. Hugs. Copycat artists are like formaldehyde-soaked silicone cockroaches. Kill them all.” “Oh my god, I’ve been following Chloe for so long. I can’t believe she’s like this?” “A friend of mine asked her for permission to repost something, but she refused. She’s a bad person!” When I saw the post, I checked the artist’s name several times. Chloe, it was the artist I had been following for years. When she was just starting out, I was drawn to her imaginative paintings. Her skills improved over time, and she gained more and more fans. Then, last year, her art book was published, and I met her at a signing. She was an incredibly sweet girl, young, with dimples on both sides of her lips when she smiled. When she heard my username, her eyes lit up. “I know you. Thank you for your support over the years.” Because I liked Chloe, I carefully looked at the pictures posted by the person who claimed she had copied them. I quickly noticed something was wrong. “Since when has the art community started judging people without proof? First of all, the person posting released their painting on December 20th, while Chloe posted hers on December 22nd. Anyone who knows anything about painting knows that it would be impossible to finish a painting as detailed as Chloe’s in two days. At best, this is just a coincidence.” “Secondly, there is no real evidence that she used AI templates. Both Chloe’s painting and the AI picture are just common poses.” “Thirdly, she refused to give permission because the person reposting didn’t credit her. Don’t try to confuse things.” I typed a long comment and clicked send. A few moments later, a new message popped up. “Here comes the white knight. How much did your queen pay you to lick her boots?” “I’m an artist, and I’m on Chloe’s side. It really would be impossible to finish that painting in two days. And, to be honest, the poster’s art skills are nowhere near as good as Chloe’s. Don’t try to punch above your weight class.” At first, there were a few insults, but after my comment was liked and moved to the top, the poster quickly deleted the post. I thought it was over, but then I started getting hate comments on X. “Hey there, Karen! Are you going through menopause? Why do you have to stick your nose into everything?” “Just you wait. I’m gonna make your life hell.” The person commenting had an ID made up of random letters and numbers. I reported them and blocked them after replying, “Oh, I’m so scared.” Arguing with trolls online didn’t make a splash in my life, but the pornographic video and Lisa’s words made me think about that fight. The cop frowned. After reading everything, his face was grim. “Are these people young? Why are they so nasty at such a young age?” I was speechless. I’d only learned about these anonymous rant accounts in the past few days. Cursing, insulting people’s parents, and talking about killing themselves were all common. “You can go home now. We’ll call you if we have any news.” After leaving the police station, I took a cab home. My mind was a mess, but I fell asleep anyway. Until the phone woke me up. “Hello, is this Sarah Miller? This is the Y city police station. We’ve made progress on your case.” In the dark room, a few lights from the building across the street flickered on the windows. I sat up, breathing heavily. “Yes?” “It’s not good. The suspect is under 16.”

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“The next time I saw Zach Rivers, he’d gone from a D-list nobody to a corporate shark. Six years ago, when he needed me most, I’d walked away and moved halfway across the world. Now, my eyesight was failing, and he had a new arm candy – the latest “It” girl. Everyone gushed about them being a match made in heaven, but my sudden appearance caused Zach to lose it at a press conference. “Now that you’re back in the States, I wanted to use this to introduce you to some directors, see if they have any roles you’d be good for.” My old friend, Tiffany Blake, said as she looped her arm through mine. “No sweat, I’ll take anything that pays.” “Even a hardcore porn flick?” “If the price is right.” I hesitated, “Listen, Tiffany, it’s…” “Don’t tell me you blew through that money Mr. Davenport gave you? Five hundred grand, just to leave Zach alone? That’s real money, girl! How could you spend it all already?” Tiffany still hadn’t gotten over my decision six years ago. Back then, both Zach and I were struggling actors. Mr. Davenport, a sleazy producer with deep pockets, threatened to destroy Zach’s career if I didn’t sleep with him. Zach’s star was finally rising, and I couldn’t let him be dragged down. I grabbed Tiffany’s wrist, my eyes stinging. “Tiffany, I’m sick.” Tiffany’s face changed. “What? What’s wrong? I thought you were living the high life overseas. What happened?” Her tone softened. “Retinitis Pigmentosa. I just want to make as much money as I can while I can still see, so I can take care of myself when I go blind.” I said it calmly, but Tiffany’s eyes welled up. “Why didn’t you say anything? Does Zach know?” I squeezed her hand. “Please don’t tell him. He’s… happy now.” “Jamie! You’re just as pathetic as you were six years ago!” “I just… don’t want to mess with him anymore.” Of course, as fate would have it, Tiffany brought me to a press conference where Zach would be. I saw him right away and immediately tried to get out of there. Only, I got lost and ended up in some VIP lounge. I heard footsteps getting closer, and dove behind a sofa, holding my breath. Click. Someone came in and sat down. “Brittany, I think the strapless dress would look better on you for the wedding. We’ll have it in New Zealand, if you want.” That voice. Zach. So sweet, so caring… like a knife twisting in my gut. Brittany Wells, the A-list actress he was now with. I’d seen the stories even before I came back to the States. It seemed they were planning a wedding. Six years is a lifetime. He had moved on, and I shouldn’t be affected by it. Especially since I walked away. Suddenly, my phone rang, snapping me back to reality. I fumbled for it, hitting mute, and bolted for the door. Wearing a cocktail dress and heels, I wasn’t exactly making a quick getaway. Zach’s footsteps were closing in. I spotted a door on my right and threw it open, praying it would lead somewhere safe. Bad luck, it led to the main hall where the press conference was happening. In an instant, every camera turned on me. I covered my face and hurried down the steps, trying to stay out of sight. “Stop her!” Zach’s voice boomed behind me. I looked back and saw him staring at me, his face like thunder. A couple of bodyguards grabbed me. “If anyone releases a single one of those pictures, they’re going to regret it.” Tiffany elbowed her way through the crowd, shouting at Zach. “What do you think you’re doing? This is America!” Zach sauntered up to her, cool as ice. “I’m not doing anything, Tiffany. I just want to have a little chat with Ms. Jamie Walker.” Tiffany was taken back to the VIP room. Zach grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the hall. “Zach, you’re hurting me!” He ignored me, his face like a stone mask. I had no idea what he wanted, but my heart was pounding out of my chest. He threw me onto a sofa. Two goons closed the door and turned to me, grinning. “You two! Get over here!” Zach yelled. He pulled out his phone and pointed it at me. The two goons grinned as they began to approach me. “Zach! Please… don’t!” I cried, shrinking back. “You like being on a man’s arm? How about I let these two beefcakes have their way with you? Sound good?” The two men reached for my dress, and the strap broke. 2 “Zach! I… I’m begging you! Please! Don’t do this!” I sobbed, shaking all over. Zach’s knuckles were white as he gripped his phone. He hesitated, then shoved it back in his pocket. My dress was torn, and as I struggled to cover myself, the men’s lips began to touch my neck and chest. Zach’s face twisted with something that looked like disgust. He grabbed the two men by the hair and threw them back. “Get out! Get out!” The goons scrambled out of the room. I grabbed the scraps of my dress, shivering. Zach’s eyes were bloodshot, like a wild animal. He grabbed my arms, digging his fingers in. “You like this, don’t you? Isn’t this how you ended up in Davenport’s bed?” “No… no, I didn’t…” I stammered. Just then, Tiffany kicked the door open and pointed her phone at Zach. She shoved him away from me and slapped him hard across the face. “Zach Rivers! You are scum! If you don’t let us go right now, I swear, I’ll ruin my own career to send you to prison!” Zach glared at her. “You think you can stop me?” I tugged at Tiffany’s sleeve. “Take me away.” Tiffany took off her jacket and put it around me, her voice shaking. “Let’s go.” She helped me to the door, then stopped. “Zach, if you don’t want to regret it for the rest of your life, you’ll never hurt Jamie again. Or I’ll make you wish you were never born.” We didn’t turn around and didn’t see Zach’s expression, but I knew it wasn’t pretty. At Tiffany’s place, after I’d calmed down, she asked me. “Do you regret it? Giving up your reputation for that scumbag?” “Actually, no.” Tiffany looked shocked. “But Davenport spread those stories…” “It was all a lie.” I said, looking at the ceiling. Six years ago, Davenport had set a trap. That night, if I didn’t go to his room, Zach would be drugged and filmed in bed with another actress. I had to do something. In his moment of weakness, I slashed him with a knife I’d hidden in my boot. He saw I’d rather die than sleep with him. He demanded I never return to the States, or he would hurt Zach. Zach’s grandmother was sick and needed surgery, so he couldn’t lose his job. He had endorsements coming out of his ears. I had no choice. I left, and I didn’t take the five hundred thousand. Life overseas wasn’t easy. I washed dishes, waited tables, and ran a cash register. I finally came back when I saw that Davenport had died. Tiffany hugged me, crying softly. “Jamie, you suffered so much. You don’t have to work. I’ll take care of you, even if you go blind.” “You know me. I can’t stand to be a freeloader.” “But if you go back into show business, you’re going to run into Zach again. He went crazy looking for you. Especially when he heard you were with Davenport. Everyone thought Davenport sent you to Europe to live like a queen, until some rag posted a picture of you throwing up over there. Zach was a mess. Then his grandma died.” Tears streamed down my face. “I had severe depression. I couldn’t cope. Now, I don’t have a choice. This is the only way I can make money fast. My vision is getting worse, and I’m running out of time.” Two weeks later, Tiffany got me an audition for a supporting role. And I got it. But after the first day, I learned that Brittany Wells had replaced the lead actress. I knew Zach had something to do with it. But I didn’t know why. Did he just want me to suffer? 3 That evening, Zach’s Maybach was parked near the set, waiting for Brittany to get off work. We were supposed to be done by noon, but I was forced to stay until midnight. At night, my vision got really bad. I could barely see anything, and tripped several times on set. Brittany saw me trip and deliberately tripped me. I fell to the ground. “Oops, are you blind or something? You just walked right in front of me, without even saying hi! And you stepped on my foot.” I backed away. “Sorry, I didn’t see you.” “Are those eyes on your face for decoration only?” Brittany leaned in, pointing at my eyes. Before I could react, she grabbed my necklace and ripped it off. The pearls scattered all over the floor. “No! This was my mom’s…” I got down on my knees, frantically groping for them. I couldn’t see them. Tears welled up. “What’s going on here?” Zach walked over. I heard his voice and froze. Brittany wrapped her arm around his, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Just your ex-girlfriend, who just stepped on my foot.” Zach crouched down and wiped off her shoe. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you a new pair. I don’t want you catching anything nasty.” I knew he was talking about Davenport. “Oh, it’s okay. Maybe she didn’t mean it.” Brittany said with fake sincerity. I swallowed my tears and turned to leave. I could grab the pearls in the morning. “Jamie, this is the middle of nowhere. Does someone have to come pick you up? Do you want to ride with us?” Most of the crew had already left, and I wasn’t sure if I could get a ride. But I wasn’t getting in Zach’s car. “Don’t worry about her. Ms. Walker knows how to get a man’s attention.” Zach sneered. “Actually, she has a ride right here.” Tiffany’s voice came from behind me. “You can’t see at night, I figured I should come pick you up.” I grabbed her arm, whispering. “Thank God you’re here.” Tiffany turned to leave, but Brittany stopped her. “Oh, is she that delicate? Is she going blind?” Tiffany whirled around. “Yes! She is going blind! You should watch your mouth, or you’ll get what’s coming to you.” I pulled Tiffany. “Let’s go, please.” But Zach grabbed my arm, hard. “What did she mean by that? Did you tell her to say that to get my sympathy? Of course, the prettiest women are always the most manipulative.” I jerked my arm away. “Just leave me alone, Zach.” I pretended to stare fearlessly into his face. But he held up a pearl, shaking it in front of my eyes. I reached for it. He dropped it. 4 I bent down to pick it up, and his shoe came down hard on my hand. Tiffany tried to shove him. “Zach, that’s enough!” But his shoe didn’t move. “Say it. Say you’re a slut, and I’ll move.” Zach’s voice was low and furious. The pain was blinding, but I didn’t make a sound. Tiffany was almost crying. “Zach! Get your foot off her! She was never with Davenport! She only went to his room that night for you! She wasn’t pregnant! That was a reaction to her depression!” Zach’s foot didn’t move, but I felt the pressure lighten. Tiffany shoved him aside. I grabbed the pearl and tried to leave, but ran straight into Zach. “Is that true? Or is it just another lie? Are you really that kind of woman?” I snapped. I bit him on the hand, hard, until I tasted blood. Brittany rushed over and pushed me away. “What are you doing? You’re going to give Zach some kind of disease!” I spat onto the grass, then glared at Zach. “Yes, I slept with Davenport. I’m a gold digger. If you think I’m dirty, then stay away from me! I quit the show, and I just want you to leave me alone!” Tiffany yanked me away, slamming into Zach as we went. “Just wait, Zach Rivers. I’m going to take you down.” Two days later, my eye doctor, Dr. Dwayne King, told me to come in for a checkup. “What’s the point? It’s not like it’ll change anything.” “Jamie, you can’t give up. I’ll get you your favorite dessert.” I dragged myself to the hospital. I ran into Zach and Brittany, who were getting a pre-marriage physical. I ducked into a supply closet. But Zach saw me and dragged me out. “Jamie! How long are you going to keep this act up? Last time you said you were going blind. What is it this time? Can’t you just stay away from me? You make me sick!” I didn’t realize he hated me this much. He didn’t care if you were dying, he would think you were wasting his time. My heart sank. “Okay, fine. Give me a million dollars, and I’ll disappear forever.” “When did you get so cheap? Two million dollars, and sleep with me for a month.” I slapped him, turned, and walked away. “Jamie Walker, I’ll remember this. You’re going to pay for that!”

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The night before the SATs, I was kidnapped by my foster sister’s cronies. They locked me in a dark warehouse for three days and three nights. When I finally saw light again, I was barely alive. My hands and feet were broken, my lower body was a bloody mess, and there wasn’t an inch of my skin that wasn’t bruised or cut. My mother was devastated, swearing to make the perpetrators pay. My father spent a fortune on top doctors to try and save me. As I was wheeled into the ER, I faintly overheard my parents talking. “Emily is still our biological daughter. Even for Ashley’s sake, we should have stopped her from taking the SATs in a different way.” My father sounded regretful. “Who knew those animals would be so ruthless? But Ashley’s been struggling with depression because Emily’s grades were so high. If Emily had taken the SATs, it would have been a huge blow to Ashley.” My mother started to say something, but my father cut her off. “Okay, from now on, we’ll shower Emily with love and make it up to her.” Make it up to me? So, in my parents’ eyes, their adopted daughter was worth more than their own flesh and blood. 1 “The patient has suffered severe trauma to her lower body. The uterus is damaged, and she won’t be able to have children. Her intestines are also severely damaged. We need to remove a section and perform a colostomy. She’ll have to live with a colostomy bag for the rest of her life.” That’s what the doctor said after examining me. “How could this happen?” Mom choked, unable to accept the reality. “For something like this to happen to such a young girl, I suggest you call the police right away!” “We can’t call the police!” Dad immediately stopped him. He probably realized he sounded harsh, so he added, “She’s just gone through a terrible trauma. We want to focus on her treatment first, then we’ll contact the authorities.” “Please arrange everything as quickly as possible, Doctor. Use the best materials. Money is no object!” I lay in the hospital bed, the anesthesia wearing off, and my parents’ conversation grew clearer. “It’s almost better this way for Emily. Now Ashley won’t have to worry about her getting better grades. And since Emily wasn’t around us when she was little, we can spend more time with her now. That’s a kind of compensation, right?” Dad’s words seemed like a sigh of relief. His tone wasn’t cold, but it made me feel frozen inside. This was the family I’d longed for? These were the people I loved and trusted? They were the ones who pushed me into this abyss, letting those thugs trample on my dignity and my body, drowning me in endless pain. And now, they were putting on a savior act, shedding fake tears. How ironic! “Ashley’s waiting for us at home. We promised her a graduation party. Let’s not waste time here. Emily won’t wake up anytime soon anyway.” Their footsteps faded away. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t tell whether my physical wounds or my emotional scars hurt more. I thought finding my family was a gift from heaven. Turns out it was a punishment for my naive hopes. When I was fifteen, I was brought back to the Anderson’s. I could tell my parents weren’t exactly thrilled to see me. Especially whenever Ashley looked at me with those teary, timid eyes. That just made their faces darken. But I’d grown up in an orphanage, and the desire for a family had become a natural part of me. I’d finally come home to my mom and dad, and I kept telling myself that if I was good and got good grades, they’d love me. At least, that’s what the orphanage director always told me. To win my parents’ favor, I tried not to cause them any trouble. I kept the house clean, even though Ashley always sneered and said that was something servants did. But when I got the top score in my class, my parents just said a few words of encouragement. I thought I wasn’t good enough, so I joined the advanced program and entered all sorts of competitions. The awards kept coming, and my name was often mentioned. Around that time, the school started calling home frequently. But Mom and Dad weren’t happy. The atmosphere at home grew tense. Especially for Ashley. Her eyes were always red when she saw me. Dad’s gaze toward me became colder and colder. I didn’t understand why back then, but I finally get it. They thought my achievements were making their darling daughter feel inferior. So, to make Ashley happy, they hired people to hurt me, ruin my chances at college, and maybe even ruin my entire life. 2 I opened my eyes again. Mom was gently wiping the sweat from my hand, and Dad was putting away his phone. “Emily, you’re awake! Are you in any pain?” Mom was looking at me with a worried expression. This was the scene I’d always dreamed of, but now that it was happening, it felt stifling. “Did the SATs happen?” My voice was so weak it was barely a whisper. Mom’s eyes flickered with anxiety, but Dad patted my hand reassuringly. “Let’s not think about that right now. The most important thing is for you to get better. Even if you didn’t take the SATs, Mom and Dad will give you the best future. There’s no need to be sad.” Could I even have a good future? “I begged him.” Mom and Dad exchanged a look, realizing who I was talking about. I turned my head away, staring blankly at the white hospital ceiling. “I told him my parents were rich, that they would come to rescue me. But the more I talked, the more he enjoyed hurting me. The more he enjoyed, the crueler he became.” As I spoke, I felt like I was back in that terrifying place, smelling the rotting stench in the air, seeing the shredded pieces of my clothes. I couldn’t help but tremble. “I tried to run, but he broke my legs.” “I was too scared to cry, but he used a heavy iron bar…” “Okay, okay, don’t say anymore…” Mom couldn’t help but interrupt, hugging me tightly, tears streaming down her face. Dad frowned, his face grim. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked “It’s not your fault. It’s my fault. If I had picked you up earlier that day, you wouldn’t have met those thugs.” I remembered now. The day before the SATs, Ashley was sick and stayed home from school. When I left for school, Mom specifically told me to wait for her at a street corner just outside the school. It was the first time Mom had shown me any special concern since I’d come back to live here. I was so happy, so excited. But all I got was a nightmare, carefully orchestrated by my own parents. Who was the real monster here? “Don’t worry, Emily. It’s all over now. I promise, we’ll use every resource we have to catch that son of a bitch and make him pay!” I closed my eyes, no longer wanting to see this fake concern, letting the tears run down my cheeks. “Family, please step aside. It’s time for the patient’s medication.” The nurse came in and pulled back the covers, exposing the worst parts of my injuries to everyone. A gasp filled the room. “How could anyone do this?” Even though the doctor had warned her, Mom couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Now she had to face the reality: my legs were strapped to a frame and couldn’t move at all, my abdomen was covered in a horrifying network of stitched scars, some of the wounds were still bleeding, and a bag filled with yellow fluid was attached to my side. Dad had already left for another room, and Mom also hurried out of the room in tears. “I can’t believe anyone could be so cruel to a young girl like that!” The nurse cursed as she gently cleaned my wounds. The pain from the medication made me shake, but it was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I could hear my parents arguing outside. “Honey, should we really send Emily’s photos to the media? It’ll be a huge blow to the company’s reputation.” “We have to! Don’t you remember? Before the SATs, all those top college coaches were contacting us to say they wanted to recruit Emily. We have to make this a big deal so they’ll withdraw their offers. Look at her! She can’t go back to school in this condition!” I had worked so hard to earn recognition from those schools, but my own parents were wiping it all away. When I’d first come home at fifteen, Dad had told me, “Our business is at a critical stage. We can’t have any negative publicity, so we have to pretend that you’re an adopted child, just like Ashley. You’ll have the same rights as her.” Such grand words, but they were hiding everything, even the fact that I was their daughter. Now, to protect Ashley and to keep themselves from getting implicated, they were willing to sacrifice the company’s reputation. “Nurse, can I borrow your phone for a minute?” I asked, enduring the throbbing pain. I dialed a number, and someone picked up. “I accept your offer to be your heir.” “But I have one condition.” 3 The doctors were still busy preparing for the surgeries. I had to rest and wait for the right moment. As for my parents, they’d sent the photos of my injuries to the news. It had caused a huge uproar online. I treated scrolling through my phone as part of my recovery. All sorts of news about me were popping up online. [I know this girl. She’s a straight-A student at our school, but she’s a terrible person. I heard she’s an orphan. Some kind-hearted people paid for her to transfer here. She even bullied another girl until she got depressed.] [Yeah, I heard about that too. This girl shamelessly moved into someone else’s house and tried to steal their parents!] [That’s right! There’s even a version where she’s a gold digger. A friend of mine saw her getting into a fancy car with an older man.] [Have you noticed? She never wears tights with her school uniform. She’s obviously trying to seduce people! Why else would they pick her instead of someone else?] These cruel comments hidden behind online anonymity felt like knives stabbing me in the heart. Even though I was prepared for it, my hands still shook as I scrolled through the screen. They said I was trying to steal Ashley’s parents, but they were my family. Every classmate who wanted to be friends with me was seen as a threat by Ashley and harassed by her supporters. Eventually, I became a loner in my class. In school, my socks were always being torn for no reason, just to make fun of me, all because Ashley wanted to embarrass me. The internet leaves a trail, and I did everything I could to screenshot these comments and save them for future use. Some people were trying to defend me, to speak up for me as a victim, but those posts were quickly deleted. It was obvious someone was behind this, and their goal wasn’t to make people feel sorry for me, but to completely smear my name. But I wouldn’t let them win! 4 “Emily, look who’s here!” Mom excitedly pushed open the hospital room door. I saw Ashley holding a bouquet of flowers, a smile on her face, and she skillfully sat down next to my bed. This was the person who’d made me into what I was today. “Mom and Dad didn’t want me to miss the SATs, so they didn’t tell me you were in the hospital until now. You’re not mad at me, are you?” Ashley sounded like she was complaining, but her eyes were full of triumph. She wanted to show me who was the most loved in the family. “Don’t talk like that. We did it for you, and now you’re complaining.” Mom pretended to be angry, but she gently tapped Ashley’s head with affection. “No, I know Mom loves me the most. Right, Emily?” Their interaction felt more like a mother and daughter than me and my own mom. When I didn’t respond, the room suddenly fell silent. “Mom, Emily might not be in a good mood. I want to talk to her alone for a bit. Can you go downstairs and meet Dad?” Mom left the room with a hint of displeasure. As soon as the door closed, Ashley’s beautiful face twisted into a malicious grin. “Emily, you look so disgusting right now. You’re going to have to live with a pee bag for the rest of your life, aren’t you? Haha.” “So what if you’re their real daughter? I’m the one they care about the most!” “Dad promised me ten percent of the company’s stock after the SATs. It’s already in my account. He even said I’ll be the heir to the company.” Ashley frowned, looking annoyed that I wasn’t reacting. “I don’t even care about the SATs score. Dad already arranged for me to study abroad, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you be better than me!” “You probably don’t know, but Mom and Dad hired the people who kidnapped you. They even sent your photos to the internet.” “It’s because you made me unhappy. Of course, they’d help me get rid of you.” I kept my expression blank, my heart numb. When I decided to leave, I had already given up on this family. Ashley suddenly stood up, grabbed my collar, and her eyes flashed with malice. “Emily, I wish you’d just die.” “But if you died, I’d be bored.” “I almost forgot to tell you. Dad only wanted to kidnap you and keep you from taking the SATs. But I paid them more to beat you up so you’d be useless for the rest of your life. You’re not worthy of being my stepping stone.” !!! I looked up, one thought in my mind: kill her! Before I could act, Ashley smirked. She quickly grabbed the water pitcher from the bedside table and smashed it on the floor. “Ah! Don’t hit me!” “Ashley, are you okay?” The door burst open, and Mom and Dad rushed in and hugged Ashley. Fragments of the pitcher had hit her feet, leaving a few shallow cuts. The injuries weren’t serious, and there wasn’t any hot water in the pitcher. But Dad’s eyes were filled with rage as he looked at me. “Emily! Ashley came to see you! How could you hit her?” “You can’t blame her for your unhappiness!” “If anything happens to her, don’t blame me for disowning you!” Mom looked anxiously at Ashley, who appeared terrified. “Emily, how can you be so petty? I’m so disappointed!” They quickly took Ashley to find a doctor, not even glancing at me. If they had looked, they would have seen that my injured body didn’t even have the strength to lift a pitcher. Those words were just for their own ears, to make themselves feel better. But it didn’t matter. I picked up my phone. “Hello, I’m ready.” My eyes scanned a hidden corner of the room where a small light was blinking. Everything here was being broadcast live for everyone to see. “It’s time to go.” And it was time for them to pay. 5 On the way to the airport, I saw a trending news story. It was a video taken by a bystander showing Ashley being rushed to the hospital by Mom and Dad. In the video, Mom went to pay the bill while Dad stayed with Ashley. “Dad, I’m really okay. Don’t blame Emily. She must be upset after what happened. If it makes her feel better, I don’t mind.” “You’re too soft-hearted. That’s why she always bullies you! If I hadn’t looked into it, I wouldn’t have known she was using her grades to isolate you from the other students.” “As long as Mom and Dad love me, I’m happy.” The video had thousands of likes, and the comments praised Ashley’s kindness, while others cursed me, some even threatening to expose my personal information. It was obvious Ashley had done this on purpose. They were the ones who did all the bad things, but I was the one being condemned by the entire internet. But karma was a bitch. Because of this trending story and the photos the media had released, the traffic to my livestream exploded. My injuries had already attracted a lot of attention, and now with the added drama of a rich family feud, the internet was in a frenzy. “Mr. Anderson, something terrible has happened. Several of our major partners are withdrawing from our deals, and the bank won’t approve our loan.” Dad’s phone rang, and his assistant sounded frantic. “What? What did they say?” “They… they said they don’t work with criminals. Mr. Anderson, you should check the livestream online.” [Oh my God, did her own parents really do this? This is completely changing my perspective!] [This girl is such a drama queen! Is she staging this too?] [Someone call the police!] Dad finally realized there was a livestream in the hospital room. He made a public relations announcement to take it down, and then rushed into the room to turn off the camera. It was too late. All the marketing accounts had already recorded it. Just then, he realized that I was gone. Thirty minutes later, under the respectful guidance of several staff members, I walked into the VVIP lounge. Seeing the figure waiting there, I felt at ease and grateful. “Aunt Susan.” The woman turned around. She’d already known about my situation from the time I’d contacted her. But when she saw my injuries in person, she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. “Sweetheart, you’ve suffered so much. I’ll make those people pay.” “I’ve found the best medical team in Switzerland for you. They’ll start the surgery as soon as you get there and heal your wounds.” “Thank you, Aunt Susan.” Aunt Susan was the biggest donor to our orphanage. She didn’t want to get married, but she needed an heir, so she started observing the children at the orphanage six years ago. Eventually, she chose me. I was just starting middle school then, and I’d shown an amazing talent for academics. Not only was I gifted at math, but my understanding of physics was almost genius-level. But I wanted to find my birth parents, so I turned down Aunt Susan. She wasn’t disappointed or looking to replace me. Instead, she helped me find my family. Even so, she continued to support me, sending me all kinds of study materials every year. After I went back to the Anderson’s, we kept in touch. I once asked her why she chose me. She said she had a lover once. They planned to get married after graduation and dreamed of having a daughter. When the time came, the father would teach her physics, and the mother would teach her math. However, her lover’s family wasn’t wealthy. Aunt Susan was the family’s only heir and had to obey the elders. To completely end their relationship, her lover’s family arranged a car accident that killed him. From that moment on, Aunt Susan never wanted to get married. She used her power to control the family business and successfully avenged her lover. So sometimes, fate is strange. My parents hurt me for Ashley’s sake. But Aunt Susan, who wasn’t related to me by blood, helped me selflessly. “The private jet is ready. Let’s go.” “Okay.” Just before boarding the plane, my phone kept buzzing with messages and calls. [Emily, where are you? You’re not well. I’m worried about you. Please come home.] [Emily, don’t listen to your sister. You’re our real daughter. How could we ever hurt you? Come home, and I’ll explain everything.] I didn’t hesitate to turn off my phone.

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The new intern, determined to maintain her “ditzy darling” persona, had been “accidentally” eating my pre-ordered lunch for a whole month. She even took my food to curry favor with the picky boss. And because of her “clumsiness,” she’d once forced a scalding bowl of spicy ramen down my throat, nearly burning it through. By the time I got to the hospital, they had to remove half my stomach! When I asked her for medical expenses, she burst into tears and threw herself into my boyfriend’s arms. “Waaah… I’m just a little clumsy, you know? I didn’t mean to eat her lunch…” “Her pre-ordered lunch only cost a few bucks, and I even compensated her with my spicy ramen…” My boyfriend, all sympathy, didn’t hesitate to fork over my $10,000 year-end bonus to her. Meanwhile, the boss, whom I’d been busting my butt for for over a decade, fired me without a single penny of compensation and even blacklisted me in the industry. Because I couldn’t get the money in time to pay for my surgery, my beloved grandma passed away. She, that airhead, enjoyed the adoration of my boyfriend and boss. And when my body was found, my phone was still looping a trending video: #GoldDiggerTwoTimerKillsGrandmaGetsWhatSheDeserved# Then I woke up. I was back to the day she ate my pre-ordered lunch for the nth time! 1 “Oh my god, is Lynn okay? Is it low blood sugar? Everybody back up, let me handle this!” That sugary-sweet voice grated on my ears. My senses gradually returned. I opened my eyes to see Zoe rushing towards me, clutching a steaming bowl of spicy ramen. My face went white. Last time, after Zoe swiped my lunch, she found me passed out and tried to force a whole bowl of spicy ramen down my throat. The searing heat shocked me awake, but she ignored my struggles and kept pouring the ramen over my face. I almost burned my throat through. I had to get half my stomach removed, and my face was scarred, leaving me ugly. I demanded compensation, but she just ran crying into my boyfriend, Kyle’s, arms. “Waaah, I’m just a natural airhead, I didn’t do it on purpose. Lynn is being so petty!” Hearing it was just a pre-ordered lunch, my boyfriend’s face darkened immediately. “You’re feeding Zoe that garbage? You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel! Luckily, Zoe’s okay, or you’d pay the price!” And my boss, Simon, whom I’d been working my tail off for since graduation, sided with her unconditionally. “Kneel down and apologize to Zoe, or you don’t have to come back!” To please Zoe, they fired me and stripped me of everything. When I tried to sue, they threatened my grandma, who was about to have surgery. Reluctantly, I started live-streaming to earn money, only to be smeared by Zoe. She gained a massive following for her “ditzy” image. And my grandma and I were just stepping stones to her fame, leaving us to die with regrets! As Zoe got closer, my stomach started to clench involuntarily. “Get away! What kind of idiot tries to revive someone with scalding spicy ramen? Can’t you see I’m having a stomach spasm? Are you trying to kill me?” “Even if I did have low blood sugar, wouldn’t a glass of water be better?” I roared with all my strength, trying to vent all the resentment from my previous life. A coworker chimed in, “Is Zoe doing this on purpose? She was standing ten feet away. I was right next to Lynn and didn’t see what happened. How did Zoe just grab that bowl and run over?” “Plus, she yelled so loud, I thought she was grabbing medicine, not spicy ramen. Look at that steam! If that gets on someone’s face, it could cause serious damage!” Zoe clearly didn’t expect me to wake up suddenly, or that my usually friendly coworkers would be whispering about her. Instantly, her pretty face crumpled. 2 “You’re all so mean! You’re not friendly to us clumsy people at all! You’re so bad!” Just then, my boyfriend, Kyle, came to inspect the office. He was a company shareholder who usually only came once every two weeks. Ever since Zoe arrived, his visits had become way more frequent. Seeing Kyle, Zoe immediately produced a few shimmering tears and ran to him, looking wronged. “Kyle, I’m so sorry! It’s just because I’m so clumsy. Lynn is right to be angry. But I was just trying to help her!” Kyle, full of sympathy, comforted her, asking if she was okay. Only after he was sure she was fine did he relax. Then, he glanced at me on the ground, disgust plain on his face. “Who do you think you are? Everyone knows Zoe’s clumsy. Can’t you be more understanding?” “As a senior employee, you’re arguing with an intern and hurting the company’s reputation. Half your salary for this month is docked!” “Gah!” Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I barely managed to crawl to the trash can before I threw up. The office filled with a foul odor. Zoe, unable to hide her revulsion, yelled at me. “Lynn, that’s so gross! You’re throwing up in the trash can!” My stomach was in unbearable pain. It felt like there was a blender inside me, and I almost passed out. I couldn’t focus enough to deal with her. “Oh my god! What is she doing?” I heard my coworkers exclaim. I hadn’t even opened my eyes to see what she was doing, and I felt my mouth being forced open. “Mmmph…” An unbearable taste filled my nose and mouth. Zoe suddenly grabbed my neck and squeezed, preventing me from moving away. “Lynn, don’t move! I’m saving you!” I shook my head frantically, trying to push her away, but I couldn’t summon any strength. After she finished forcing it down, I barely managed to whisper, “What… did you give me?” It tasted sour and rotten. It made me feel physically and mentally sick. Her voice was triumphant and proud. “You said the spicy ramen was too strong for your stomach, right? Then, there shouldn’t be any problem with what you threw up, right?” “I turned over a trash can for you, and I even dirtied my nails.” I was shocked! “Was I your entire family in a past life? What kind of moron does that?” My blood boiled, and I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I threw up again. But Kyle just praised her, “You’re so thoughtful, Zoe! You’re clumsy but you work hard!” Whether it was anger or pain, I couldn’t take it anymore. I passed out just as I heard the ambulance arrive. 3 When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. My throat was hoarse, but my face wasn’t scarred, and my stomach wasn’t bandaged. Only then did I feel a little relieved. As I wondered what to do next, the hospital room door was kicked open. “Don’t play dumb, Lynn! I didn’t know that you would fake an illness to slack off and give your work to Zoe!” “Get back to the office and keep the client happy, or I’m firing you!” It was Simon, my boss. We’d grown up together. To thank me for taking care of his grandma when he was in college, I’d followed him into this business right after I graduated. During the company’s development, Simon wasn’t good at management and faced many setbacks. Whether it was a lack of funds or contacts, I was the one who begged people and saved the company. He had promised me countless times that when the company grew, he would give me a promotion, a raise, shares, and help me buy back the house I’d sold. But ten years had passed. The company had grown, but he hadn’t fulfilled any of his promises. Instead, he made me do the work of six people. He called it “making the most of my abilities.” What did he say back then? “It’s so hard to find a job these days. I gave you one, and you’re not grateful. Instead, you dare to ask for a raise?” My salary was still only $3,000 a month. In my previous life, he even gave my year-end bonus to Zoe. When I brought up leaving, he always used my grandma’s medical expenses as an excuse. Thinking about this, I wished the company would go bankrupt right now! The words “I quit” spilled out of my mouth. “Fine, go! But before I go, you have to pay back the $100,000 I put into the company. Plus the $30,000 interest, my $10,000 year-end bonus from last year, arbitration compensation, monthly bonuses, and so on. When are you going to give me $150,000?” I opened my phone and showed him the receipts. Luckily, I’d always kept track of my finances. I’d been waiting a long time for this moment! Simon’s eyes widened. “You’re out of your mind! When did you put money into the company? And because of your work, there is no year-end bonus, and we can even ask for compensation for losing the client. And you dare to ask for money?” I was about to say something when Zoe’s voice sounded. “Why do you have to be so materialistic? Simon is giving you a platform to show off your talents. How could a recent graduate find such a good job?” “Apologize to Simon, or so many days you’re unexcused absence will spread around and after that no one will hire you.” I smirked and glanced at her. “The only reason you’re saying all that because you’re worried that after I leave, no one will clean up your mess!” Zoe choked and looked at Simon, feeling wronged. He immediately came to her defense. “I will protect Zoe. My Simon Company can run without you!” Okay, let me see which department of Simon Company can operate normally without me! 4 Simon then made a promise to Zoe. “Zoe, you will take over her position after Lynn leaves!” “Me? Really? But I’m just an intern, what if I mess things up?” Zoe said these words but was smiling with joy. The two were flirting, and Kyle couldn’t watch it anymore. “Simon, Lynn has been working at your company for ten years. Zoe is under my protection, so don’t take advantage of her.” “Zoe, don’t worry. I’ll have Lynn be your assistant, and if you mess up the work, just give it to her!” Hearing this, I laughed. “Impossible!” I answered definitely, but it led to Kyle’s disdain. “Look at these and then answer me!” He looked at his phone. When I looked at it, he had naked photos of me when I was asleep! “Kyle, are you sick?” Three years ago, I saved his life. But he started chasing after me. The company was being funded, and Kyle became the second-largest shareholder. He was always in the office every day. I am just a normal girl, and it is hard for me not to get moved by a rich and handsome guy. But after we got together, he changed. He stopped caring about me. Especially after Zoe entered the company, he got more distant. After death, I found out that the reason he was with me wasn’t a way to thank me for saving him, but because he had never been with a poor girl like me. And the reason he didn’t break up with me because he wanted to me to work for Zoe. Thinking of this, I wanted to kill the bad couple! “Not willing? Then I’ll show these pictures to your grandma. She’s in the same hospital as you. It doesn’t matter if she dies sooner or later. It would be more interesting to make her angry to death.” He smiled but forgot that without me, how could he be a family member in the family! “Okay!” I planned to take the money and leave. If this is how it is, don’t blame me for not being polite! 5 To shame me, Simon arranged a seat next to the bathroom for me. He was in a suit and ordered me, “The company is tight on money, and the cleaner is gone. Lynn, you are closest to the bathroom. Clean the bathroom from now on.” And Zoe stopped being clumsy and started knocking on my table. “Lynn, do you have a sense of time? We need this PPT for the meeting later. Why haven’t you finished it?” “There will be reporters for the interview. This will damage the company’s face. Don’t think I’m clumsy and trick me!” I laughed. She told me the work for months ago today and want me to finish it in the morning? “This looks like a good lunch. So much, you won’t be able to eat it all. We’ll eat it together later!” This time it wasn’t mistaking it but purposely taking it. But I wasn’t against it. It was a prepared lunch with special ingredients. In my past life, my friend opened a restaurant and because of my stomach, she gave me the prepared lunch. She said it was all to get known, and I shouldn’t worry. But did her restaurant need to get known? I knew what she meant but didn’t reject. How else would they think it was a normal prepared lunch, how could they take over the picky mouths? And Zoe saw me being obedient and finally left. The bathrooms were broken early on. Simon didn’t have people fix it. Simon gave the dirty work to me. Everyone was getting on me. I was in the air with all the other workers. Only Zoe were flirting. Smile! You won’t be smiling later! [Lynn, the company has arrived. The reporter has arrived and are waiting for the elevators!] Lynn sent me a message. I responded, getting ready to go to them. Simon then walked in a rush. I stopped him, “Boss, let’s go meet the client and reporter!” He tried to get my hand off him. “What did you feed me?” Kyle came and swore, but the bathroom doors were closed. The coworkers were working, but they were all eavesdropping. Zoe felt wronged but held herself in. “Simon, Kyle, how about you use these?” She gave them plastic bags. How would they do this in front of everyone. “It’s okay, we can hold it!” The partner arrived. “Simon and Kyle are young and talented!” Mr. Smith walked over to them and reached out his hand to hold, the reporters took out their cameras. But the next moment, everyone heard a giant noise!

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I came back from a business trip and had a wild night with my boyfriend. But when it was over, I suddenly realized: he was in his usual spot in the bed. I grabbed him and scrutinized the details to see if he was cheating. The next second, he covered my eyes, trembling: “M-Maya… I can’t go another round today…” 1 I froze. He looked up at me, pitiful. “I have a basketball game tonight. If we go again, my legs are really going to turn to jelly…” I sat up like a corpse springing back to life. I suddenly realized the man next to me might actually be my boyfriend’s younger brother! He was still a college student who hadn’t even graduated yet! I knew something was off when I came back! My boyfriend’s build looked slightly different! A fine layer of cold sweat broke out all over my body. I yanked the covers over myself and screamed: “Why is it you?! Why are you in my apartment?!” The air… went completely silent. The young man’s eyelashes fluttered nervously. He stared at me, his voice hoarse and full of disbelief. “What… what do you mean? So just now, when you were so happy… you didn’t know who you were with?” He looked so wronged and hurt. It made the excuse of “face blindness” get stuck right in my throat. I took a deep breath. Trying hard to stabilize my emotions, I asked another question: “Where is your brother? Why isn’t he home?” Noah looked down. “My college game was nearby, and the schedule was tight. All the hotels were booked, so I could only crash at his place… He was afraid of waking me up, so he stayed overnight at his office. We didn’t know… you were coming back so suddenly…” His voice trailed off. Coupled with his expression, he looked even more innocent. Unacceptable! So he’s innocent, and this is entirely my fault?! I gritted my teeth and kept interrogating him: “Then why didn’t you explain who you were before you took your clothes off?!” Noah looked even more dejected. “You kissed me the second you walked in. When did I have a chance to explain…” “I know you’re afraid my brother will find out about us. I won’t tell him…” “Everything that happened today… I’ll just treat it like a dream…” As he spoke. He put his clothes back on, diligently stripped the bed, and smoothed out every single wrinkle, erasing all the evidence. Everything was playing out exactly according to the best-case scenario I had envisioned. It was so perfect I actually felt like I was the villain… Finally, when he was hand-washing my thong in the sink, I couldn’t hold back anymore: “Just give that to me…” As I walked over, he flinched like he’d been burned. He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. “I got it dirty…” Damn it! I really am a monster! 2 My phone buzzed. It was a voice message from my boyfriend, Liam. I wanted to play it, but seeing Noah’s wet, puppy-dog eyes, I suddenly felt guilty. I hit the speech-to-text button. [Baby, when are you coming back? I learned a new recipe recently!] [Miss you, miss you /emoji] One of the main reasons I got together with Liam in the first place was that he knew how to cook. He was the only one who could satisfy my stomach, which was completely sick of takeout. I couldn’t help but smile. Noah floated over beside me like a ghost. “That new recipe my brother learned? I taught it to him.” Huh? I looked up, but Noah had already pulled open the fridge, desperate to prove himself. “I didn’t use up all the ingredients I bought yesterday. If you don’t believe me, I’ll make it for you right now.” As he spoke. He stripped off his shirt in three swift motions and threw on his brother’s apron. Why are you taking your shirt off to cook?! I followed him into the kitchen. Noah was already swiftly slicing, washing, and stir-frying like a pro. The apron straps perfectly covered his nipples. I could only catch a glimpse of them when he made large movements… I couldn’t help but panic. “It’s covered, it’s covered. Hey! Stop it! Why are you cooking right now?!” While I was talking. He had already plated the dish. He looked at me, full of expectation: “Maya… do you want to try a bite?” Try… what exactly? A buff, buzz-cut stud, and he’s in his prime college years. At a time like this, what kind of modern-day saint could resist?! There were two little people fighting in my head. One said, “Hurry up and taste it!” The other was violently choking me, “It’s not like you haven’t tasted it already! Doesn’t knowing who it really is make it even more thrilling?! Hurry the hell up and taste it!” Noah put the plate down. He stepped closer to me, step by step, looking down at me. “Maya, why aren’t you saying anything?” An inexplicable tension bounced around the room. I stammered, “You can… you can just call me Maya…” His footsteps stopped. His expression darkened: “You mean, when?” Well, that time, obviously— Before I could get the words out. The sound of the front door unlocking clicked loudly. My scalp went numb. The next second, a surprised voice came from the doorway, “A suitcase? Hmm? Baby, are you back?” 3 Six eyes met. The air was dead silent. Cold sweat poured down the back of my neck. I wanted to say something to explain this mess. But my quick wit suddenly completely failed me! Until Noah casually spoke up, “Oh, Liam, you’re back too.” “Maya just got in. Just in time for me to finish cooking.” Phew. I let out a massive sigh of relief. Liam took off his shoes and picked me up in a pleasantly surprised hug. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back early? You didn’t even reply to my messages!” He spun me around twice. My energy was completely drained; I felt dizzy and lightheaded. Thankfully, Noah called a stop to it. “Liam, let’s eat.” His voice was cool and clear. He turned around, revealing his bare back. Liam frowned. “Noah? Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Noah stopped in his tracks. I started anxiously twisting my fingers together… “I washed it.” He dropped that single sentence and went back to busying himself in the kitchen. Thank God! There actually were clothes Noah had just washed out on the balcony! Wait. Crap! My toes curled up in sheer panic. My freshly washed thong was also out on the balcony. If Liam saw it…! I grabbed Liam and kissed him hard. He was stunned by my sudden aggressiveness. But he quickly reacted, responding passionately. In the blink of an eye, his voice went husky. “Baby, hold on. Noah is still here…” 4 Crash— In the kitchen doorway, porcelain shattered. Noah stood there, his eyes instantly turning red. Liam and I immediately separated. Liam coughed awkwardly. “Your sister-in-law and I haven’t seen each other in a long time. We couldn’t help ourselves. Just pretend you didn’t see anything.” The young man’s lips trembled slightly. “Couldn’t help yourselves, huh…” Liam didn’t catch it. “What?” Noah stopped talking. He silently cleaned up the mess on the floor. From my angle, I could only see his lonely, dejected back… The food looked and smelled amazing. But I couldn’t taste a thing. My entire focus was concentrated on my right leg, which was constantly rubbing against the leg next to me. I knew that wasn’t Liam, because Liam was sitting on my left… The dinner table was completely silent. Until Noah picked up a piece of green pepper and dropped it into Liam’s bowl. “Liam, eat your vegetables.” Then, he picked up a glistening piece of sweet and sour ribs and dropped it into my bowl. Liam’s expression froze… I burst into a violent coughing fit. Liam looked at me. “Baby, I’ll go get you some water.” Yes! Anything to end this suffocating atmosphere! I nodded frantically. As Liam walked away, I finally let out a long breath. I glared at Noah. “What are you doing?!” He acted like he didn’t hear me. He elegantly chewed a grain of rice, glanced at me, and said slowly: “Maya, Liam’s fridge is out on the balcony.” The thong! In a flash of lightning! I felt like I had been struck by a thunderbolt! I jumped up and sprinted toward the balcony. Liam already had the water. His expression was normal. “What’s wrong, baby?” I gulped hard. But then I noticed his lips were slightly pale. “Were you that impatient to drink water…” 5 Sitting on pins and needles. That was the truest description of my current emotional state! Liam didn’t ask anything, but a guilty conscience makes it hard to sit still. I was terrified he was saving up his questions. Just waiting for Noah to leave so he could draw his sword on me when we were alone! The feeling of impending doom was agonizing! While I was squirming in my seat, Liam looked up. His voice was cold: “You need to leave today.” He was talking to his brother! The two men locked eyes. For a moment, even the dog barking next door went silent… My soul left my body. When I snapped back to reality, Noah was already rolling his suitcase to the door. He stopped at the doorway and looked at me: “Maya, see you next time…” The door clicked shut. Only Liam and I were left in the apartment. It was the most normal scenario, yet I instinctively looked away. He grabbed my wrist. I looked up. I saw that Liam’s eyes were already red. “Maya, you have no idea… how much I missed you these past few days…” The guilt almost drowned me. I took a deep breath. I was going to confess everything to him! But Liam sealed my lips before I could. He kissed me with a desperate devotion. Something wet dripped onto my face… This time. He was incredibly passionate. The world, rising and falling, brings people joy, but also confusion. In my hazy, dizzy state. I heard Liam murmur: “Baby… does he make you feel better than I do?” Instantly, my eyes shot wide open! “What did you say?!” Another storm of passion hit. Liam focused entirely on the physical, not saying another word, as if what I just heard was a hallucination. He knew my body too well. A few movements later. My thoughts drifted away with him again. When it was over, I was completely drained, just overwhelmingly exhausted. In my half-asleep state, it sounded like someone was telling a bedtime story. A husky voice, thick with a nasal tone: “The year Noah was born, I was four… “He seemed to be born with a better knack for making the adults happy. I couldn’t help but be jealous of him… So I stole everything he had since we were kids. Until his 18th birthday. My parents and I went on a trip, and he called to complain… “I thought he was just fighting for attention again, so I secretly turned off my parents’ phones. We only found out when we got back from the trip that Noah had acute pancreatitis. No one was there to take care of him, and he almost died at home… “I swore to him then that as long as it was something he liked, whatever he wanted, I would never fight him for it again. But Maya… why did it have to be you…” 6 When I woke up again, the apartment was spotless. Yesterday’s leftovers, even my luggage, everything was neatly organized. Liam was always like this. Silently doing things in the background. I picked up my phone. Someone had added me on Snapchat at some point. [Maya, my game tonight. Are you coming?] [If you come, I’ll be really happy.] It was obvious who it was. Noah and I had already made a mistake once… Looking around the clean, tidy apartment, I decided to cut things off with Noah completely! After that… I’d beg Liam for forgiveness. Mind made up, I called him on the app. He picked up instantly. “Maya?” His voice pitched up at the end; he sounded really happy. I stayed silent for a moment, then spoke: “After this, let’s delete each other. Let’s not contact each other privately anymore.” The call went dead silent. A moment later, a loud crashing sound erupted. Someone on the other end yelled in panic: “Noah! Noah! Quick, call an ambulance!” My heart violently clenched. “Noah, what happened to you?!” 7 The other end of the line was in total chaos. Not long after, someone hung up the phone. Something happened to Noah. That realization threw me into a panic again. I tried to call back, but no one answered. It couldn’t be because of my phone call, right? I was a nervous wreck the entire day. Until Liam came to pick me up after work. “I have to go to the hospital. I’ll drop you off at home and then head over.” The hospital?! My heart hammered against my ribs. “Who got hurt?!” Liam glanced at me: “How did you know it was an injury and not an illness?” My breathing hitched. I wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. The light turned green. Liam started the car again. After a long, long time, he asked in a muffled voice: “It’s my brother who got hurt. Do you… want to go?” It really was Noah who got hurt! Because of my phone call! I gripped my seatbelt tightly. I didn’t even notice my voice cracking. “I have to go. Liam, take me with you!” 8 Noah really did get hurt because of me! They said Noah was on the phone, and they didn’t know why, but his expression suddenly looked awful. When the basketball came flying down, he didn’t dodge it. He fell right on the bleachers and hit his head, bleeding immediately. He still hadn’t woken up! The other guys on the basketball team were also anxious. “Noah never even has girls around him normally. But this afternoon, for some reason, he suddenly got a call from a girl!” “Otherwise, with his reflexes, he definitely would have dodged it!” In the hospital corridor. No one said another word. Liam’s expression was heavy. It was completely impossible to guess what he was thinking. I stood rooted to the spot. I couldn’t even describe what I was feeling. All I knew was that Noah was lying there entirely because of me… One mistake after another. I shuffled over to Liam. All sorts of thoughts were warring in my head. Right now, it seemed the only option was to confess. Whether it was the older brother or the younger brother, this tragedy was entirely my fault… I wrung my hands. “Liam…” He looked up. There was a raw emotion in his eyes, and he was trembling slightly. “Don’t say it.” His voice was hoarse. His fists, resting on his legs, were clenched so tight the veins bulged. “I don’t want to hear it right now…” A dull ache throbbed in my chest. I had no idea how to clean up this mess. The door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open. The nurse said the patient was awake. Noah’s head was wrapped in bandages. From far across the room, the first person he looked at was me. “Maya, I’m dizzy.” 9 Noah suffered a concussion from the fall. Besides dizziness, he also had bouts of nausea. When Liam was ordering food, Noah dry-heaved until physiological tears ran down his face. “Liam, I want home-cooked food.” Liam put his phone away. He gave me a fleeting glance. “Then your sister-in-law and I will go back, make some food, and run it over to you.” “Liam!” Noah raised his voice and sat up abruptly. The next second, he started gagging and feeling nauseous again. I couldn’t help but pat his back. I looked at Liam. “Why don’t you stay here with him? I’ll go back, make some food, and bring it over…” After all. Noah’s injury had everything to do with me. Liam pressed his lips tightly together. He didn’t say anything, but the patient started groaning. Noah held his forehead, saying the room was spinning. Finally, he looked at me pitifully and asked: “Maya, can my current physical condition handle your ‘creative’ cooking?” “Your sister-in-law can’t stay here with you!” Before I could even react, Liam suddenly stood up. Noah blinked. His voice was soft: “Then I guess… I’ll just be hospitalized alone…” Liam’s body went rigid. He looked at me. The rims of his eyes were flushed pink. “Maya, you stay at the hospital with Noah for now… I’ll be back as soon as I can…” He walked away unsteadily, his footsteps rushed. “Maya~” Noah called me, his voice full of grievance. “Look at me.” I slowly turned my head, looking at the pitiful man on the hospital bed. “You did that on purpose.” My voice was certain. “You got hurt on purpose. You acted pitiful on purpose. You drove your brother away on purpose.” “Noah, your brother is already miserable enough!” “Why did you have to do this?!”

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My sugar daddy and I were having a very intense session when he hit his head on the nightstand and passed out cold. When he woke up, he became… weird. He no longer pestered me endlessly; instead, he treated me like a mouse seeing a cat. Just exchanging two sentences made his ears turn bright red, and he’d get all flustered. After half a month of this cold shoulder, I was convinced he had found someone new. I decided to terminate our contract early. But before I even reached his study, I heard him on the phone. “I went from eighteen to twenty-seven after just one nap. This nap was way too long.” “I think I’m going crazy too. Because the girl I have a crush on is suddenly my girlfriend, and every night she asks if we can sleep together. Who can handle that?!” Crush? Was he talking about me? Weren’t we just a simple transaction? I looked at the contract in my hand, lost in thought. 1 My sugar daddy had been acting weird lately. A week ago, he returned from a business trip. That night, during our “friendly exchange,” he hit his head on the nightstand and passed out. At the time, I thought I had literally loved him to death. Later, when I found out he just bumped his head, I let out a long sigh of relief. But then, it was like he became a completely different person. After he woke up in the hospital, I immediately made his favorite lean meat congee and went to visit him. The moment I raised the spoon to his lips, the man rolled right off the hospital bed. The IV drip was forcefully yanked out, and he scrambled on the floor for ages, his face flushed red, unable to get up. The scene was total chaos. A moment later, Assistant Young stepped out of the room and said to me, “Ms. Song, the CEO asks that you go home first. He will return shortly.” Holding the now-cold congee, I stood on my tiptoes to peek into the room. The second our eyes met, Arthur Vance whipped his head away so fast… A scream followed, and a nurse’s shriek echoed from the room. “Sir! Did you sprain your neck again?!” I was very worried about Arthur. Because I was very afraid of him not “performing” well. After all, this was my job. If the sugar daddy couldn’t perform, my existence was meaningless. The current economic climate was terrible. A boss like Arthur—handsome, rich, and with low demands—was a rare find. So I went home and meticulously dressed up. But for two whole days, I didn’t see hide nor hair of Arthur. I called him, but he kept hanging up. I started feeling a creeping unease. Daddy, I’m not about to lose my job, am I? I turned around and called Assistant Young. Assistant Young was a good guy. Without a word, he transferred the call to Arthur. “I’ve been busy with work these past two days, I…” Before he could finish, I started sobbing dramatically. “I just wanted to see the wound on your head. I’m so worried about you.” The line went dead silent. My manipulative “green tea” tactics had always worked perfectly on Arthur. That night, Arthur came home. Only, from the moment he walked in, he wore a stony expression. Although Arthur usually had a cold demeanor, the softness in his eyes was always impossible to hide. Right now, the man looked more like he was deliberately keeping his expression rigid. “Work has been so tiring lately. Your wound just healed, you shouldn’t overexert your brain…” I took the initiative to break the weird atmosphere, reaching out to walk toward him. But before I could even touch him, the man executed a perfect dodge, and I lunged at thin air. Looking at my empty hands, I didn’t process what happened for a second. Then, my heart violently sank. Although my relationship with Arthur was transactional, his infatuation and affection for me usually allowed me to act a little spoiled. This man usually stuck to me like glue the moment he saw me. Before, let alone dodging my touch, he would have loved to tie me to his belt 24/7, just to satisfy his animalistic desires. But now… Alarm bells rang in my head. I’m doomed. My charm wasn’t working on him anymore. Arthur looked very awkward. He stammered, “The wound is almost healed. Let’s… let’s eat first.” 2 When I placed a piece of lamb kidney into Arthur’s bowl, his hand visibly shook twice. I observed him discreetly. The man kept his head down, picked up his chopsticks, and lifted the meat. He didn’t have a good grip, and the meat fell back down. After two or three attempts, his ears turning red enough to bleed, he finally, shakily, shoved the meat into his mouth. I let out a sigh of relief. He was still willing to eat what I served him; I guess I hadn’t lost favor entirely. But this meal was incredibly depressing. He ate whatever I served him, never once lifting his head. It wasn’t until I saw the table full of food was almost completely wiped out that I realized Arthur was about to eat himself sick. After dinner, I sent the nanny away, gritted my teeth, and put on that revealing purple nightgown. This was Arthur’s favorite. In the past, I only wore it when I wanted to buy a new designer bag. Tonight, I was determined to see if he was still up to the task. Good news: he was. Bad news: Arthur, with his lower half noticeably swollen and a nosebleed, ran away. I sat on the edge of the bed like a helpless husband, listening to the roar of a car engine fading into the distance. Just moments ago, I, freshly changed, had locked eyes with the man who had just walked in the door. His gaze landed on me; my gaze landed on his crotch. Then, a trail of blood slowly trickled down from Arthur’s nose. We both stared wide-eyed. “Arthur…” I scrambled to get some tissues and approach him. Arthur was clearly more panicked than I was. Holding his nose with one hand, he made a “stop” gesture at me with the other. “Don’t come any closer!” I was startled by his sudden shout and froze in place. Arthur, still holding his nose, stumbled toward the door. “I suddenly remembered I have something to do at the company. You go to sleep first.” 3 … The sound of the car completely vanished. I dejectedly took off my clothes. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, the facts were right in front of me. Arthur wasn’t interested in me anymore. Otherwise, knowing him, he would have nearly broken the bedframe by now. I took out my phone and opened a job-hunting app. Looking at the postings for $3,000 a month with no room and board, my vision went dark. Just as I thought I was about to go from a pampered canary to a corporate pack mule, Arthur came back. It was noon the next day. I had slept in until eleven, completely giving up. When I went downstairs, I found he was already sitting at the dining table. The man looked up at me. I stood there, brain dead, sporting a massive bedhead. Then, I turned and sprinted back upstairs in a panic. Damn it. He used to always tell me before he came back. In the two years of our relationship, I had never let him see me look this ugly. I always appeared with a full face of makeup, looking my absolute best. Great. Not only had I lost his favor, but he had also seen me at my worst. I threw my hands up, did a quick, sloppy cleanup, and went back downstairs. Arthur was still sitting at the table. “Good afternoon, Chloe.” The man’s voice stumbled. I didn’t have the energy to dwell on it, so I just plopped down right next to him. “Sorry about deliberately standing you up last night. Did you cry?” He looked into my eyes cautiously. I raised my hand and touched my eyelid, restraining the urge to roll my eyes. This was the “peach blossom” makeup I had done on myself. The pitiful, pink corners of the eyes were meant to evoke tenderness, but he mistook them for being swollen from crying. I almost laughed out of sheer annoyance. Arthur must have been possessed. A stupid question like that shouldn’t have come from him. Seeing me silent, Arthur pulled a massive shopping bag from behind him. “Don’t be mad. Here are some gifts for you.” My eyes lit up, and I almost screamed when I opened the bag. So many bags! Why was he being so generous today? Not that he was stingy normally—after all, Arthur had even given me a supplementary credit card. But in the past, he would just transfer money and let me buy things myself. I lovingly picked up the bags, one by one. The joy was quickly washed away by terror. This must be a severance package. The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. The bags in my hands suddenly lost their appeal. Arthur watched my expression, speaking cautiously. “Do you not like them?” I forced a stiff smile. “No, I do. Are you sleeping here tonight?” This topic once again plunged the atmosphere in the living room to freezing point. Arthur’s gaze began to wander. “The company is really busy lately. I’ll probably have to stay there for a while…” My heart turned completely cold. Such a clumsy excuse. It was just a polite, adult way of rejecting me. Sure enough, these expensive bags were my severance pay. For the next few days, Arthur always made time to eat with me. But only eat. Every time I tried to initiate some physical intimacy, he’d act like a mouse seeing a cat—his hair would stand on end, and he’d jump three feet in the air. Let alone staying the night. After several failed attempts, I opened the job-hunting app again. I had just managed to negotiate a $3,000 job with no room and board up to $3,200 when Arthur returned again. I put down my phone, deciding to try one last time. If he pushed me away this time, I would give up completely. “Do you like them?” This time he brought back a bouquet of flowers. Very vibrant yellow roses. Yellow roses symbolize farewell and separation. I sighed, losing even the interest to take off my outer clothes and reveal my “battle armor.” The man had practically spelled it out for me, telling me to get lost if I knew what was good for me. What was I still struggling for? Arthur had a high sex drive. During our two years together, almost every day I ended up with weak legs and had to be carried into the bathroom by him. He hadn’t been back home recently, yet he looked radiant and energetic every day, as if he was ten years younger. He was definitely getting his needs met outside. Because he had found a canary he liked and obsessed over more, he wouldn’t touch me, and was constantly hinting for me to leave. I took the flowers, forcing a smile. “I like them.” Then, I turned around, said I was going to change clothes, and went back to my room. I took off my seductive clothes and pulled a contract out of the nightstand. We had signed this two years ago, renewable annually. Seeing that it was about to expire next month, I had originally planned to renew it after he returned from his business trip. Now, it seemed there was no need. I smiled bitterly and slowly opened the contract. To be honest, I was very reluctant to let go. Even though Arthur and I had no emotional investment, having a top-tier handsome guy giving me money daily, who was great in bed and kept himself clean, was truly a rare find. I took a deep breath, holding the contract, and walked towards the study. I, Chloe Song, had stooped to being a canary. But I still had my dignity. The contract clearly stated that if either party wanted to end the relationship, or found someone else, it could be terminated. I was going to end this relationship now and go take that $3,200/month job. Arthur wasn’t in the living room. I walked to the window and looked out at the courtyard; his car was still there. So where did he go? Just as I was wondering, the man’s helpless voice came from around the corner by the study. “How did it go contacting that brain specialist abroad?” “I know appointments are hard to get, but you can’t just watch your buddy live the rest of his life like this idiot, right?” “I went to sleep and woke up going from eighteen to twenty-seven. The memories in between seem to have been eaten by a dog.” “The company is a minor issue. I can figure out those documents if I try hard enough. The real problem is my girlfriend.” The hand holding the contract trembled. Sure enough, a woman’s intuition is always accurate. Especially for a beautiful woman like me. It’s even more accurate. Arthur really had gotten a girlfriend. But what did ‘eighteen to twenty-seven’ mean? Before I could figure it out, the next second, I heard my own name. “When did I start dating? Didn’t I tell you? It’s Chloe Song! I probably didn’t brag about it because I was afraid you’d get jealous.” “My girlfriend now asks me every night if we can sleep together.” He sighed. “It’s a good thing my crush became my girlfriend, but I’m really terrified of blowing my cover. I’m so pent up I’m about to explode, but I don’t dare touch her.” I was completely bewildered. Crush? Me? What was Arthur talking about? I didn’t understand. He was still complaining pitifully. “You think I’m crazy too, don’t you? I think so too. You have no idea how cute she is, swaying around in front of me all day.” “She even washes up all nice and smells good to seduce me every day. I absolutely can’t handle it. I’m afraid to go home.” “I’m just venting to you, don’t you dare imagine it.” I looked at the contract in my hand, deep in thought. Wait, if what Arthur is saying is true… Then not only have I not lost favor, but I’m actually getting a promotion? “You need to think of something fast. I need to get my memory back quickly. If Chloe finds out and wants to break up with me, I’ll hang myself at your door the next day.” The call ended. The man’s footsteps were getting closer. I panicked, clutching the contract, and ran back to my room. Back in my room, I shoved the contract back into the nightstand. My thoughts were a tangled mess. Arthur and I had absolutely never met before. At least, in my memory, we had no connection. Our first meeting was in a coffee shop. I was being scolded by the boss for clumsily breaking a cup. Arthur just appeared like that. His broad back shielded me from all the reprimands, and just like that, he pulled me out of that impoverished environment. When he offered to cover all the medical expenses for me and my puppy, I didn’t hesitate to search online for a sugar baby contract template. He froze for a few seconds, then signed those few pages. My puppy, who I depended on for survival, ultimately wasn’t saved. But my relationship with Arthur continued in this ambiguous way. In the past, when Arthur took me to banquets, other female companions would enviously tell me that Arthur really liked me. I didn’t really believe it. I thought he just liked my body. But now… I opened the wardrobe, his recent words echoing in my mind. If the eighteen-year-old Arthur had a crush on me, what did he like most? I decided to personally verify the truth of his words. Looking at the school uniform in my hand, I recalled my eighteen-year-old self and tied my hair into a neat ponytail. “Chloe, time for lunch…” The moment I finished changing, Arthur’s voice came from outside the door. I looked in the mirror at my bare face and the school uniform, feeling like I had instantly traveled back to being eighteen. Bracing myself, I opened the door. 4 Arthur’s hand, raised to knock on the door, froze mid-air. I took a deep breath and looked up at him. The moment the man’s amber pupils clearly saw my appearance, they violently contracted. The air stalled for three seconds. Arthur seemed completely stunned, his hand still maintaining that awkward posture. I blinked, raising my arm to hold his hand. With a thump, the man fell to his knees on the floor. I stepped back in fright. The sharp pain in his knees seemed to snap his sanity back as well. “What are you…” I looked at Arthur kneeling on the floor. It was an angle I had never seen before; it was quite novel. Arthur was very tall. When we interacted, I always had to look up at him when he spoke to me. Every time I looked at his sharp jawline, I wondered how much milk he must have drank to grow so tall. This was the first time I saw the fluffy top of his head. It was rather cute. Arthur kept his head down, not daring to look at me, his face flushed bright red. “I… I was practicing proposing.” He stammered. I looked at him kneeling on both knees and tried hard to hold back my laughter. Who proposes on both knees? It looked like he was visiting a grave. But I didn’t expose him. I stepped forward and tried to pull him up. “Let’s go eat.” Arthur shrank back in terror. My hand paused. “It’s fine. You go downstairs first; I’ll get up myself.” I looked at him silently, then down at the clothes I was wearing. Is this really necessary? It’s just holding hands, and his legs turned to jelly like this. I figured the young Arthur had a very low psychological tolerance; I needed to increase the dosage tonight. By the time Arthur came downstairs, I was already half done eating. He sat cautiously across from me, not even daring to lift his head. My eyes darted around. I stood up, walked a circle around the dining table. Then, I sat down right next to him. The hand Arthur was using to hold his chopsticks froze. “Try this dish I made…” I pushed the dish closer to him. The man frowned slightly. “Isn’t there a nanny at home? Why are you still cooking? Is he abusing you?” Then, as if realizing he misspoke, he coughed lightly twice. “Am I abusing you?” I shook my head, picked up some food with my chopsticks, and placed it in his bowl. “I only made it because you like it. Do you not like it anymore?” Arthur put the food in his mouth, staying silent for two seconds before speaking. “It’s very good. I like it.” Consequently, that plate of food was eaten clean. After dinner, he grabbed his coat again, trying to slip away. I was quick and grabbed his arm. “You’ve been busy for days. Even if you don’t come back to keep me company at night, can’t you just sit with me for a bit during your lunch break?” I spoke pitifully. Arthur swallowed hard, and like a marionette, he was led by me toward the living room sofa. I turned on the TV, then lazily leaned against his shoulder. Arthur’s whole body went rigid, breathing heavily like he was about to die. I pretended not to notice. I reached out to touch his leg. The man was so startled he tried to get up and run, but I forcefully locked my arms around his waist.

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