In our past life, Chloe and I were adopted on the exact same day. Chloe, the bubbly little sunshine, was taken into a cold, strict, and unforgiving family, eventually driven to depression and suicide. And I, the gloomy, cynical one, was taken by a warm, loving family… only to be returned. After being sent back to the orphanage, I was severely isolated and eventually met the same tragic end as Chloe. Reborn into a new life, Chloe asked, “Should we…” Without hesitation, I said, “Switch.” 1 When the two couples came to choose, I noticed Chloe’s hands were trembling non-stop. It was entirely different from the eager anticipation she showed in our past life. I knew immediately: Chloe had been reborn too. As for me, I maintained my usual gloomy, apathetic expression. To my surprise, Chloe actively came over to comfort me. “Don’t worry, they’ll definitely pick you.” I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. They’ll just send me back anyway.” Hearing my words, Chloe’s eyes went wide. In that momentary eye contact, we rapidly communicated our shared memories. In our past life, Chloe was adopted by the wealthy and powerful Sterling family. However, when she enthusiastically threw herself into her new home, the freezing reality of the Sterlings left her bruised and broken. The Sterlings adopting a daughter from an orphanage seemed like nothing more than fulfilling a quota. They had no love for Chloe. They only offered programmatic, perfunctory care, along with a mountain of strict rules to control her. Chloe tried. She tried using her lively, obedient nature to earn some warmth, but all she got was severe self-doubt. Under that suffocating atmosphere, Chloe sank deeper into depression every single day. Finally, she took a leap from a high building, finding her only release. As for me, I was adopted by the Miller family. Mr. Miller was a middle school principal, and Mrs. Miller ran a kindergarten. Both of them possessed an endless, overflowing enthusiasm for children. They desperately wanted me to respond with that same level of enthusiasm. But no matter how hard I tried to fake it, I couldn’t. In the end, the Millers were disappointed and returned me to the orphanage. After returning, I became the ‘ungrateful brat’ in everyone’s eyes. Many of the other kids resented me for wasting a precious adoption opportunity, leading to severe isolation. Coupled with the news of Chloe’s death, I lost all will to live. I never expected we would both be reborn. 2 Just like in our previous life, both the Sterlings and the Millers wanted Chloe. Just standing there, she radiated the vibrant energy of a sunflower. Who wouldn’t like her? Being chosen by both meant one family had to give her up. In our past life, the orphanage director stepped in to smooth things over. She pushed Chloe toward the Sterlings and suggested the Millers take me instead. The Millers, noting that I looked somewhat similar to Chloe, agreed. In this life, the exact same stalemate occurred. But this time, without waiting for the director to step in, I proactively walked toward the Sterlings and said, “Choose me. I can become exactly what you want.” Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were stunned. Meanwhile, Chloe sprinted to the Millers’ side, smiling sweetly. “Thank you so much for wanting to take me home.” The Millers joyfully accepted her. And just like that, the Sterlings had no choice but to agree to my request. So, in this life, Chloe went to the Millers. And I, Ava, went to the Sterlings. 3 The Sterling family currently consisted of three people. With me, there were four. Arthur Sterling was the father, Victoria was the mother, and Julian was the older brother. All three were entirely consumed by their work, so the house was usually cold and empty. We only saw each other during dinner. Honestly, I loved the quietness of the day. I could read my manga in perfect peace. When the maids asked, “Miss Ava, would you like [insert food] for lunch today?”, a simple nod was all it took. As for their muttered complaints of “Why doesn’t she speak all day?”, I just pretended I didn’t hear them. Dinner time, however, wasn’t nearly as relaxing. Even when Arthur put food on my plate, it sounded like an order. “Eat this piece of fish.” I immediately held up my bowl to receive it, replying with equal seriousness, “Understood. Thank you, sir.” An eerie, awkward silence instantly fell over the dining table. Even Julian, who had treated me like thin air since I walked through the door, shot me a glance. Victoria finally spoke up. “You don’t need to be so formal at home.” Except, her expression was freezing cold when she said it. I nodded. “Understood. I see.” Victoria sighed. She looked at Julian and said, “Starting today, remember to teach your sister some proper etiquette and rules.” Julian rolled up his sleeves and gave a low, dark “Okay.” 4 The next day, Chloe rushed over to meet me. After jumping out of the car, she enthusiastically waved at the driver’s seat. “Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!” “Bye, sweetie!” A warm laugh echoed from the car. I knew Chloe going to the Millers was exactly the right choice. The first thing Chloe asked when she saw me was, “How are things at the Sterlings’?” Before I could answer, she sighed. “Actually, asking is pointless.” However, Chloe told me a lot more about the Sterling family. It turned out the reason the Sterlings went to the orphanage in the first place was because their biological daughter had died in an accident. They wanted to adopt a girl of a similar age to fill the void. This was entirely Arthur and Victoria’s idea. Julian was vehemently opposed to it. He believed that his sister was gone, and she shouldn’t be replaced by a new one. That’s why, in our past life, Julian’s attitude toward Chloe was always abysmal. Chloe warned me repeatedly, “No matter how Julian treats you, absolutely ignore him.” 5 But it was impossible for me not to interact with Julian. Per Victoria’s orders, he had to teach me the rules of high-society living. Julian called me into his study. The moment I stepped inside, his handsome face instantly radiated pure ice. He frowned and snapped, “Don’t you know how to knock?” I replied rigidly, “I apologize. I will try again.” I stepped out, knocked several times, and only went back in after. Julian continued to scrutinize me. “In a few days, it will be your Aunt Victoria’s birthday. Many people will be here. What will you say when you meet them?” I said expressionlessly, “Hello, I am Ava. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Julian looked at me. “Do you not know how to smile?” “I am not naturally inclined to smile.” Julian: “…” Finally, he said to me, “Being like this will make it very hard for people to like you.” That’s fine. I don’t really care about that. However, Julian seemed slightly shocked to see a faint, disdainful smirk ghost across my lips. “A dead pig doesn’t fear boiling water,” he scoffed coldly. Keep insulting me. What if I actually start enjoying it? 6 Since Julian declared I was too difficult to teach, Victoria decided to take over personally. Aside from when I was at school, Victoria would make time to supervise me during my other activities, like piano and tennis lessons. While I was playing the piano, Victoria sighed repeatedly. “Why do your hands look like chicken claws?” “In the past, every time it was my birthday,” Victoria continued, “Lily would come out and play the piano. Making you do it right now is like trying to teach a pig to sing.” Lily was the Sterlings’ deceased daughter. I looked at Victoria and said, “I can do it next year.” “Next year?” Victoria said casually. “That depends entirely on your performance.” Even though I was impervious to most things, when Victoria said that, my sharp instincts picked up on the key information. So I said, “I will perform well. Please don’t send me back.” “So you are afraid of that.” A slight ripple appeared in Victoria’s usually cold expression. “Ava, I recall you saying you were willing to become whatever we wanted you to be, correct?” I nodded. “Yes.” “What if I want you to become just like Lily?” I remembered the family portrait hanging in the villa. The Lily in the photo looked gentle and elegant. I had learned a little bit of drawing in the past, so I imagined myself as a model mimicking Lily, and successfully produced a soft smile. Victoria was instantly captivated. She looked at me critically. “Not bad.” That day, I practiced in the soundproof piano room until the early hours of the morning, eventually falling asleep on the bench. The nanny found me there the next morning. When Julian found out, he was disgusted by how desperately I was trying to flatter them. But Victoria was very satisfied. 7 Victoria’s birthday arrived. As the banquet approached, the Sterling family dressed impeccably. As for me, I was wearing a snow-white cocktail dress that Victoria had prepared, with a beautiful ribbon clip fastened in my styled hair. But after I put it on, a fully suited Julian walked in, ripped the ribbon clip from my hair, and demanded of Victoria: “What right does she have to wear the same clothes as Lily?!” Victoria: “Because she is your sister now.” Julian pointed at me and said, “How is she my sister?! My sister is dead!” Victoria’s face darkened. “You are not the master of this house yet. Not unless I’m dead too.” “Fine. Perfect.” Julian sneered. He turned to me. “Ava, listen to me. You do not deserve this.” I didn’t say a word. Julian locked onto me with a piercing glare. “Ava, do you have absolutely no self-respect?” Hearing that, I froze for a moment. I sort of understood why Chloe had found the Sterling household so suffocating. I could imagine that if she were here, she would be drowning in a tidal wave of grievance and injustice right now. But I seemed to have been born missing a crucial sensitivity chip. No matter how harsh the words were, when they hit my ears, it was like dropping a coin onto a pile of cotton—it didn’t even make a muffled thud. “I apologize. I will be more mindful next time.” Julian turned to Victoria. “Mom, look at her. Look at how pathetic she is.” Victoria said in dissatisfaction, “Ava, have you forgotten what I told you?” Oh, right. Be like Lily. I held my hand out and said gently, “Brother, please give the hair clip back to me.” I just needed to follow orders. Julian shuddered violently. He immediately threw the butterfly clip back at me and ordered, “Do not ever call me that again.” Sorry, but Victoria makes the rules in this house. 8 Chloe also attended the banquet because the Millers and the Sterlings were acquaintances. Chloe stealthily pulled me aside and pulled out a wallet. She said, “Ava, I get so much allowance now! Did you buy Aunt Victoria a birthday present? You absolutely cannot skip the present. If you don’t have enough money, I’ll give you some.” “No need, I have money. Just save yours. What if in the future…” I paused. I originally wanted to say, what if the Millers don’t want you in the future? But then I remembered Chloe wasn’t me. The Millers would adore her. I continued, “I already gave Aunt Victoria her present.” “What was it?” “Aunt Victoria likes watercolors, so I painted her a picture.” Chloe: “Then she must love it.” Before giving it to her, I wasn’t sure if Victoria would like it. But this morning, when I saw that watercolor painting sitting in the trash can, I knew she didn’t really like it. Oh, she disliked it very much. While Chloe and I were talking, Victoria came over and pulled me away, telling me to go greet the guests.

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I genuinely thought I was dating Liam. That is, until he casually said: “Hey, my girlfriend is coming to visit. You should probably stay somewhere else for a while.” I completely froze, the words slipping out before I could stop them: “Aren’t I your girlfriend?” His response was an unapologetic, mocking laugh. “Seriously? I was just messing around, and you actually took it seriously?” 1 I pressed my swollen, feverish lips together. For a terrifying second, I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being completely serious. Liam’s devastatingly handsome face was inches from mine. His alluring, slightly slanted eyes held a faint, teasing smirk—the kind of look that made people weak in the knees. I turned my head away. The floor from the entryway to the living room was littered with our discarded clothes. Just a second ago, we were completely intertwined. “I’m dead serious this time.” Liam grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. “It’s Chloe. The childhood sweetheart I’ve always loved. You can’t ruin this for me, okay?” My nose stung. I violently ripped myself from his grip and looked down. Chloe. I hadn’t heard that name in years. When Liam first came to live with my family, he would cry out her name in his sleep almost every night. He constantly begged his mom to let him go see ‘Chloe,’ but she always firmly refused. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but he eventually stopped bringing it up. He stopped saying her name. I thought he had forgotten… Seeing me stay silent for so long, Liam leaned down, inspecting my face. “Wait, seriously? You didn’t actually fall for me, did you? I’m five years younger than you! You really want to be a cradle snatcher?” He threw his head back, laughing as he sprawled out on the sofa. “If my mom knew this was how you were ‘taking care’ of me, what do you think she’d say?” His words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head, chilling me to the bone. I blinked rapidly, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall. “I-I’ll go pack my things.” I shoved his legs off of me, frantically grabbed my clothes from the floor, and pulled them on. I practically sprinted into my bedroom, grabbing whatever clothes I could find and shoving them into a suitcase. Liam threw on a pair of sweatpants and leaned against my doorframe, arms crossed, watching me in silence. The profound, agonizing shame of feeling completely naked and exposed in public crushed me so completely I couldn’t even lift my head. 2 I genuinely believed Liam and I were dating. We lived under the same roof. We did everything together. We hugged, kissed, and made love in every corner of this apartment, exactly like a couple. He loved the nightlife, often staying out at clubs until the early hours of the morning. No matter how late it was, he would always call me to come pick him up, claiming it was an exclusive “girlfriend privilege.” When his frat-bro friends chanted for us to get married, he would pull me into his arms and say I was the boss of the house, warning them not to scare me away. He would wrap his arms around my neck and whine until I made him midnight snacks. And when the nosy aunties downstairs chased me around trying to set me up on blind dates, he would grab my hand, kiss me right in front of them, and publicly claim me. But apparently, in his mind, every single one of those things was just a hilarious joke. Dragging my suitcase to the intersection, I felt completely, utterly lost. For the past five years, my entire life consisted of exactly two things: Liam, and work. Now that I had left his apartment, I literally didn’t know where to go. “If you don’t know where to go, go make some money.” My director took my suitcase from me, looking at me with deep sympathy. “Fuckboys play with your feelings. Money doesn’t.” She slid a transfer application form across her desk. She had asked me to transfer to the corporate headquarters with her countless times. I always refused, claiming I preferred “stability.” The real reason, of course, was that I didn’t want to do long-distance with Liam. But now… “You aren’t still in love with him, are you?” I stared blankly for a second before answering honestly, “I don’t know.” Claiming I felt absolutely nothing would be a lie. We had known each other for nineteen years, and we were in love… Wait, no. We were in a situationship for five years. You don’t just erase that kind of history overnight. But I still took the transfer application. Leaving was the most dignified exit I could possibly manage. 3 I just didn’t expect to step foot in Liam’s apartment again so soon. Liam’s phone was turned off again. Unable to reach him, his mother defaulted to calling me. She gently reminded me to take good care of him and drop off his lunch. I didn’t even have a chance to explain our current situation to her. After agonizing over it, I caved. When I was eleven, Aunt Sarah married my dad, bringing Liam with her. It was the first time I had ever experienced a mother’s love. Later, my dad was killed in a horrific car accident, and the severe injuries I sustained left me with a permanent limp in my right leg. For three agonizing days in that hospital bed, I was consumed by absolute despair and terror. I didn’t even dare close my eyes. Right when I was at my most isolated and broken, Aunt Sarah and Liam rushed to the hospital. “Don’t be scared. You still have me and Liam. We will always be your family.” Her voice was so gentle, and the way she wiped away my tears was so tender. Even after she eventually reconciled and remarried her ex-husband, she never neglected me. She even used my father’s entire life insurance payout to send me abroad for specialized medical treatment. I could say no to anyone in the world, except Aunt Sarah. But when I opened the door, the painfully familiar apartment felt like a silent interrogation, forcing me to confront the memories I was desperately trying to suppress. Flashbacks of our intimacy assaulted me, ultimately freezing on the humiliating image of me fleeing the apartment last night. The vase I had accidentally shattered in the entryway was already replaced. The sunflowers I bought yesterday were gone, replaced by a massive bouquet of red roses. My favorite Stitch plushie was missing from the sofa, and the living room was spotlessly clean. For Liam, this was practically a miracle. Ever since I moved in, I was the one who did every single chore, big or small. I couldn’t remember the last time he had voluntarily cleaned anything. “Liam? Liam?” I called out softly. The door to his bedroom was shut tight. No answer. I gripped the takeout bag tighter. After a few seconds of hesitation, I pushed the handle down. “Liam? Your mom wants you to wake up and eat…” The bedroom was thick with a very specific, undeniable scent. Clothes were scattered haphazardly across the rug. Under the tangled duvet on the bed, two bodies were pressed intimately together. One of them was Liam. My voice woke him up. He aggressively rubbed his face, his morning voice dripping with intense irritation: “What do you want?!” The girl next to him stirred, her eyes half-closed as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck, before settling back into a peaceful sleep. The reality of the scene crashed over me like a tidal wave, wave after agonizing wave completely obliterating my thoughts. My brain was entirely blank. It actually hurt. “My mom made you bring me food again? How long has that been sitting there? It’s probably soggy by now. Just eat it yourself.” “I’m not making her eat takeout on her first day here anyway. I’m taking her out to a nice place, and then I’ll cook for her tonight.” Liam propped himself up on one elbow, revealing a chest covered in fresh hickeys. His utterly dismissive tone echoed in my head. It felt like I was choking on glass. 4 I remembered my thirtieth birthday. I had been so incredibly hopeful, just wanting him to personally cook me a simple bowl of noodles for tradition. And how did he respond? Oh, right. He threw his phone aside, wrapped his arms around me, bit my earlobe, and used that low, magnetic voice to lazily reject me: “So greedy. I already took the day off to stay home with you, isn’t that enough? Cooking is too much work. Let’s just order takeout so we don’t have to wash dishes.” In that moment, the smile froze on my face, and all my quiet hopes shattered into dust. As he shamelessly continued to initiate intimacy, I forced myself to swallow the disappointment. I rationalized it, telling myself that as a stereotypical “straight guy,” it was completely normal for him to lack romance and understand the importance of milestones. But looking at him now. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand. He just couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort for me. “Liam, is this the older lady who lives with you? I want to get up, do you think she could… give us some privacy?” The woman’s soft, groggy voice cut through the silence. Her large, shimmering eyes stared directly at me. The older lady who lives with him? I instinctively looked at Liam. He was the one who had sneaked into my company dorms multiple times while I was at work, packing my things and moving them to his apartment. He was the one who explicitly told me that this was my home now, and that I was the woman of the house. But right now, he couldn’t even be bothered to look at me. He was entirely focused on gently running his fingers through the woman’s hair. I opened my mouth, but swallowed the words before they could escape. Anything I said would just make me look like an even more pathetic, desperate clown. I turned around and practically sprinted out the door, feeling exactly like a humiliated, defeated coward. Staring at the completely cold bowl of wonton soup in my hands. I aggressively cursed my own cowardice and hated myself for crying so easily. And Liam wasn’t about to let me go quietly. Barely thirty minutes later, he called me. “Didn’t I specifically tell you not to ruin this for me?! Can you use your brain for one second?! You’re thirty years old, do you not know how to knock on a bedroom door?!” “Your little stunt terrified Chloe! She was being perfectly polite to you, and you just threw a fit and ran off! Now she feels incredibly awkward, and I have to spend all my time trying to calm her down!” “This is an absolute nightmare! I never should have taken pity on you and let you stay here!” His voice grew louder and more piercing with every word. My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. My hand was shaking. Just as I finally gathered the courage to speak, the line went completely dead. I was the one who was completely blindsided, humiliated, and publicly degraded. How did I end up being the one who did everything wrong? 5 I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined our relationship would end up like this. The first time I met Liam, he was only 6 years old. He barely came up to my waist, but he stood in front of my dad and swore, in his squeaky little voice, that he would never let anyone bully me. From that day on, whenever he wasn’t in school, he was basically superglued to my side, following me around like a little tail. In other families, the older sibling compromises for the younger one. In ours, it was the exact opposite. Whenever he got a new toy, he would look at me with big, expectant eyes, insisting I play with it first. Whenever he had a delicious snack, the very first bite was always offered to me. After school, he would always wait for me at the gates. The second he saw me, he’d launch himself at me like a happy little deer, excitedly chattering about everything that happened that day. Even when relatives gave him red envelopes for Lunar New Year, he would immediately hand all the cash over to me, looking incredibly proud as he asked me to keep it safe for him. A younger brother like that was literally an angel. But all of that joy and warmth was violently annihilated in a car crash three years later. After my dad passed away, a tiny Liam knelt in front of his grave and solemnly swore he would protect me forever. When his parents got back together, he literally went on a hunger strike, threatening his grandparents until they finally agreed to let me live with him. When his grandmother called me a “cursed jinx,” he didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately stepped in front of me to defend me, and spent all his saved-up allowance on candy to make me feel better. All those warm, beautiful memories were real. But now, he was saying he regretted it. When he was twenty, he snuck into my room, his face burning red, and clumsily stole my first kiss. He didn’t say he regretted it then. Throughout the years, playing all those ambiguous, flirtatious games with me in front of all his friends… he didn’t say he regretted it then. When he turned twenty-five, and we finally crossed that final line, half-resisting, half-yielding… he didn’t say he regretted it then. And now, just because my presence made his precious childhood sweetheart slightly uncomfortable, he was completely obliterating all the laughter, the tears, the deep affection, and the years of companionship we had shared. The massive, agonizing chasm between the past and the present finally broke me. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. … I only want to see you, only want to see you, in the future and the past… My ringtone suddenly shattered the silence. The name ‘Liam’ glared mockingly on the screen. I hesitated. My emotions were a chaotic, tangled mess. After agonizing over it for a long time, I finally answered: “Aunt Sarah told me to bring you lunch. If there’s an issue with that, you can…” “Mia. I’m so sorry.” A soft, sobbing voice interrupted my defense. It was Chloe. “Liam just told me he yelled at you. It’s all my fault for being so sensitive and making you feel bad. He was just overly anxious about me, and he lost his temper. I’m apologizing for him. Please don’t take it to heart.” “I know an apology isn’t enough. If you have time in the next few days, I want to take you shopping to make it up to you. You can pick out whatever you want. Please, just give me a chance to fix this.” Chloe’s tone was incredibly humble and apologetic. It completely threw me off. After all, she had almost nothing to do with what actually happened, yet Liam, the one solely responsible, was aggressively defending her. Right on cue, frustrated by my prolonged silence, Liam sounded even more annoyed than Chloe: “Mia, Chloe is literally apologizing to you personally! What more do you want?! Don’t forget that if it wasn’t for me and my mom, you’d be a crippled, useless orphan on the streets!” Liam’s words were like a jagged knife plunged directly into my heart. He ruthlessly tore open my deepest, most agonizing scars, dragging my most vulnerable insecurities into the light, offering them up as a sacrifice to the woman he truly loved.

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After being hit by a car, the doctor told me I had suffered a head injury and might experience amnesia. When I woke up, I jokingly asked the man sitting by my hospital bed who he was. He paused for a second, then replied that we were just friends. 1 I stared at Arthur, who had just uttered the words “just friends,” his face a mask of cold detachment. He definitely wasn’t joking. The words “Gotcha” died in my throat. I could only look at him in silence. I suspect if the hospital hadn’t called him directly, he wouldn’t even be here. But I didn’t question him. I just paused, then forced a polite, oblivious smile. “Oh, really? I’m so sorry to trouble you, then.” He gave a curt “Mm,” looking at his phone screen as if my presence was a massive inconvenience. “Since you’re awake, I’m heading out. Things to do at the office.” Before I could even process what was happening, he was on his feet and heading for the door. Just as he pulled the door open, perhaps driven by a microscopic shred of remaining conscience, he glanced back and tossed out a generic: “Get some rest.” The polite smile stayed plastered on my face until the door clicked shut. Only then did it drop, leaving me completely expressionless. No one knew Arthur and I were dating. We were college sweethearts. After graduation, we moved to the city together and both landed jobs as marketing strategists at a top-tier firm. We were young, but we knew the stigma around office romances, so we mutually agreed to keep our relationship a total secret. Four years later, we both got promoted to branch managers, leading competing teams. At that point, going public was even more out of the question. So, we remained a secret. I had hesitantly asked him a few times if we should just tell people—it wasn’t strictly against company policy—but he always brushed me off, changing the subject. Honestly, right now, I didn’t even know if we still counted as a couple. Well, today I got my answer. The doctor told Arthur I might have temporary amnesia, but also stressed there was nothing to worry about and I would recover quickly. Knowing all that, and knowing the logic didn’t add up, he still looked me in the eye and called us “just friends.” He obviously didn’t care what would happen when I “got my memory back.” He didn’t care if I actually had amnesia or if I was just messing with him. He had probably been wanting to break up for a long time. Makes sense. If we don’t break up, how can he officially pursue Chloe? 2 A woman’s intuition is more accurate than military radar. Even before this incident, our relationship had grown stale. We had been together for too long. From sophomore year of college to now, it had been seven years. We knew each other as well as we knew the lines on our own palms. He couldn’t hide any changes from me. The shift started when a new intern, Chloe Lee, joined his department. She was fresh-faced and pretty. Her last name was Lee. The HR rep who handles employee files once gossiped with me that in the ‘Father’s Name’ section of Chloe’s intake form, she wrote ‘Richard Lee’—the CEO of our company. A wealthy heiress slumming it in his department. At first, that was Arthur’s excuse for taking such good care of her. “I can’t exactly afford to offend her, can I? Besides, she’s practically a child. Totally not my type. You’re overthinking it.” I didn’t bother pointing out that this “child” was actually two years older than me. I accepted his excuse in silence. Later, I couldn’t tell if he just didn’t care enough to hide it, or if he genuinely wanted me to find out. About two weeks after Chloe started, I logged into a music streaming app Arthur hadn’t used in ages to find some background music for a presentation. I noticed he and Chloe were following each other. He hadn’t listened to music in two years because work had been so crazy. This was an account we shared back in college. We used to listen to music together all the time; our shared listening history was over 13,000 hours. Back then, he even made a playlist named after me. It was filled with cheesy love songs that reminded him of me, artists I liked, songs I shared on social media, and tracks he listened to when he missed me during our long-distance summer breaks… I checked. He had deleted that playlist. His recent listening history was filled with trendy K-pop songs—stuff he had zero interest in, but that Chloe listened to constantly. We work in marketing. I told myself he was just trying to stay updated on what younger demographics were into. I was just overthinking it. So I didn’t say a word. I just quietly logged out of his account. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t make a scene or throw accusations without hard evidence. After all, the person who wins the poker game is always the one who talks the least and hides their expressions the best. Of course, his “coincidences” and “shared interests” with Chloe didn’t stop there. In early February, his team took on a massive project. I was leading my own team out of state, handling a different campaign. I only heard rumors that the main client contact for his project, a British executive, was notoriously difficult to work with. After working a 14-hour day without even having time to eat, I tried calling him to ask how the project was going. He didn’t answer. Assuming he was busy, I shot him a text instead. He never replied. Later, I saw he had posted a team photo on his social media. Chloe was standing right next to him, flashing a peace sign and a brilliant smile. The project had clearly gone well. His caption read: “Know the enemy, know yourself.” Chloe posted the same photo with the caption: “A hundred battles, a hundred victories.” I clicked on his profile and saw he had changed his status to match hers. It was an inside joke, a shared moment of triumph that only the two of them understood. His previous status had been: “Sailing through the night, guided by the clear moonlight.” Because my name is Mia. Mia Claire. ‘Claire’ meaning clear moonlight. I don’t know if he thought of me for even a second when he erased our shared status. Probably not. Because he never returned my call, and he never replied to my text. But he did leave a comment on Chloe’s photo: “Eat something soon. Don’t ruin your stomach.” I rubbed my own empty, aching stomach, and turned off my phone. That was strike two. 3 I was discharged from the hospital three days later. The doctors kept me under observation and finally cleared me. I hadn’t received a single message from Arthur the entire time. Someone did, however, send a bouquet of Cappuccino roses—my favorite. Holding the flowers, I decided to give Arthur one last chance. Sitting in the hospital corridor, I called him. It rang for a long time before he finally answered. I kept my voice gentle. “Arthur, I’m being discharged today. Do you have time to come pick me up?” We both tacitly avoided mentioning the “amnesia” or the “just friends” incident. We pretended it never happened. He was silent. After a long pause, he said, “I’m sorry, Mia. I’m completely swamped right now. I can’t get away. Do you want me to call you an Uber?” “What are you busy with?” I asked calmly. He paused again. He was probably surprised; I was usually so understanding and rarely pressed him for details. I knew for a fact that our first quarter projects had just wrapped up. This was our downtime. But he claimed he was busy. He didn’t answer. I sighed and hung up the phone. When a man stops loving you, it’s incredibly obvious. I remember right after we graduated, I had a severe stomach virus at 3 AM. Before I passed out, I managed to call him. When I woke up, he was sitting by my hospital bed, his eyes red. He was wearing one slipper and one sneaker, and both were for the left foot. I couldn’t help but laugh weakly. He looked terrified, his eyes brimming with tears. “Don’t laugh. When I opened your door and saw you on the floor, my heart literally stopped.” “Next time, call 911 first! What if I hadn’t answered? It’s too dangerous.” I had smiled at him then, completely dependent and trusting. “But to me, you’re the safest option.” See? He used to care about me so much. We really did have a beautiful, genuine, passionate history together. Even though it was almost completely unrecognizable now, remembering those distant moments still brought a bitter, self-deprecating smile to my face. I shook my head and tossed the expensive bouquet into the nearest trash can. “Didn’t you like the flowers?” a voice asked from behind me. I turned around. It was a man I didn’t recognize. He pointed at the trash can and apologized. “I’m so sorry. My driver accidentally hit you yesterday. I brought you to the hospital and contacted your emergency contact, but I had an urgent meeting and had to leave.” “The flowers are a get-well gift. I’ve also taken care of all your hospital bills. I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience. If you need anything else, please let me know.” I let out a harsh, silent laugh. Even the flowers were from a stranger. I looked up, offering a polite, composed apology. “I’m sorry. I assumed someone else sent them.” I sighed internally. I have always been a reasonable, dignified person. But having good manners doesn’t mean I’m weak or easily manipulated. Arthur and I were completely, irrevocably done. 4 When I got back from the hospital, Arthur was already home. I unlocked the door and walked in. He was sitting on the sofa, the TV playing some variety show he had absolutely zero interest in. He was staring at his phone, texting someone, a soft smile playing on his lips. The screen’s glow illuminated his face. It was an incredibly tender look. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had seen that smile directed at me. I stopped in the entryway. He was so engrossed he didn’t even hear the door open. I finally called his name softly: “Arthur.” He dropped his smile instantly and looked up. My eyes fell on his hands. He reflexively locked his phone screen and placed it face down on the sofa. He looked at me, genuinely surprised. “You’re back?” That was the moment I finally broke into a real smile. Laughing at him, and laughing at myself. I looked at him gently, my tone distant and indifferent. “We need to talk.” Our breakup was highly “civilized.” We are both very pragmatic people. The entire process didn’t take long at all. We are mature adults; we value maintaining a facade of decency. When everything is laid bare, there really isn’t much left to discuss. It’s just a mutual, unspoken understanding. After I said “Let’s break up,” he didn’t ask why. He just stayed silent. I imagine, in that moment, he felt a profound sense of relief. After a long pause, he finally muttered an “I’m sorry.” I didn’t accept his apology. I just calmly outlined the logistics of our separation. My tone was flat, my expression completely devoid of sorrow. My reaction clearly surprised him. After I told him he needed to move out as soon as possible, he suddenly interrupted me. “Mia, you don’t seem sad at all.” He frowned, his eyes locked onto my face, scrutinizing me with intense curiosity, as if he genuinely couldn’t understand. Men are truly pathetic creatures. Even when he no longer loves me, even when this breakup is exactly what he wanted… seeing me so calm and unaffected bruises his ego. In his mind, I should have been crying hysterically, begging him to stay. Only then would his annoyance be mixed with a satisfying dose of superiority. I looked at him, feeling absolutely nothing. I didn’t tell him I had already done all my grieving. I grieved when he ignored my messages but instantly commented on Chloe’s social media posts. I grieved when he deleted the playlist he made for me just so he could listen to the K-pop Chloe liked. I grieved when he stared at me while I was faking amnesia and told me we were just friends. And I grieved while he was lost in the thrilling, ambiguous tension of a new romance with Chloe, right under my nose. To me, he was like a benign tumor. It was there, it wasn’t immediately fatal, but I knew if I left it alone, it would eventually turn malignant and slowly drain the life out of me. There was nothing to fear. As long as it was still benign, I just needed to cut it out completely. The pain is temporary. I will heal. Before Arthur finished packing and left, I asked him one final, calm question. “Arthur, did you change your mind because Chloe is Richard Lee’s daughter, or simply because she is who she is?” He stopped in the entryway and looked back. He was just as tall and broad-shouldered as the day I met him in college, but his handsome face had lost its youthful innocence, replaced by a cold, calculating maturity. I always thought of him as that boy on the campus quad, his face red as he clumsily confessed his feelings to me. It wasn’t until this exact moment I realized that, somewhere along the line, he had morphed into a ruthless adult, meticulously weighing the pros and cons in a sea of corporate ambition. He paused for a long time before finally saying, “Mia, people always want to climb higher.” That single sentence made me laugh out loud. I respected him for being at least seventy percent honest. I looked at him and smiled, a genuine, sincere smile. “Arthur, then I wish you the best of luck. May you soar to the top and get everything you ever wanted.” His eyes lingered on my face. Deep in his gaze, there was a fleeting hint of melancholic regret. But that regret was microscopic compared to his burning ambition. Finally, he sighed and said, “Mia, don’t hate me.” I didn’t even bother replying. 5 The worst part about office romances is that even after you break up, you can’t just elegantly disappear from each other’s lives. No matter what happens, you still have to go to work. When my cab pulled up to the office building, I saw Arthur and Chloe. They weren’t alone; the rest of his team was there too. It was lunchtime. They were probably heading out to eat. Chloe was vibrant and animated, a bright, flirtatious smile on her face. She was walking backward, facing Arthur, gesturing wildly as she talked. Arthur had a soft smile on his lips, watching her with incredible tenderness. He kept an eye on the traffic and pedestrians behind her, gently pulling her arm to steer her away when she almost bumped into someone. It was a painfully familiar, yet entirely alien sight. After we broke up, he seemed genuinely happy. I stayed in the cab until they disappeared into the dim sum restaurant down the street. Only then did I look away. The cab driver looked at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes gleaming with gossip. “You got a crush on that tall, handsome guy?” I smiled and clarified, “That’s my ex-boyfriend.” The driver’s expression instantly shifted from gossip to agonizing awkwardness. He looked like he desperately wanted to comfort me but didn’t know how. I graciously let him off the hook. “It’s fine. It hasn’t affected me at all.” When I walked into the office, Emma saw me and her face lit up. “Mia! You’re back! You didn’t even let us come visit you in the hospital.” I smiled as I walked to my desk. “It was nothing major. Look, I’m perfectly fine. How’s the post-mortem on the Hong Kong project?” She followed me into my office, handed me a stack of printed reports, and then glanced nervously out into the bullpen. Seeing it was mostly empty, she leaned in and whispered, “Mia, before you look at the data, I need to tell you something.” I set the files down and looked at her. For some reason, she looked incredibly indignant. “Mia, you know Albert is transferring to manage the Nanjing branch next month, right? Everyone is saying the vacant Director position is basically a toss-up between you and Arthur.” “You two have been neck-and-neck in performance for years. I’m not trying to gossip, and honestly, if it came down to pure merit, whether you or Arthur got it, we’d all respect the decision.” “But… but…” She hesitated, biting her lip, looking like she was struggling to find the words. I smiled, my tone gentle. “It’s okay. It’s just us here. Tell me.” She took a breath and whispered, “A few days ago, I saw Arthur and that new intern, Chloe, hugging in the breakroom.” The rumor that Chloe was the CEO’s daughter was an open secret in the office. Emma was furious because she believed Arthur was playing dirty to win the promotion. I traced the edge of the report folder, suddenly fighting the urge to laugh. While I was sitting in a hospital bed, staring at my phone and wondering why Arthur had completely vanished, he was busy wrapping his arms around his new golden ticket. But it was entirely expected. I let out a self-deprecating laugh, and even had to comfort Emma. “It’s fine. HR decisions are made by upper management. We just need to focus on doing our jobs well. Whatever happens, happens.” Emma sighed heavily, and I lowered my head to review the data. When Arthur knocked on the glass door of my office, I was genuinely surprised. In my mind, even though our breakup was relatively peaceful and we hadn’t burned the bridge completely, that just meant I was a rational adult. It didn’t mean Arthur and I were suddenly going to be casual work buddies who could chat like nothing happened. Unless absolutely necessary, I assumed neither of us would want any private interaction ever again. Until I found out why he was there. He stood in front of my desk, tall and imposing. His eyes swept over me before he finally spoke. “Mia, I thought you would have resigned by now.” His tone sounded like a mix of friendly advice and a veiled warning. “Mia, we were together for seven years. Don’t accuse me of being ruthless. Albert leaves for Nanjing next month. One of us is going to take his place as Director.” “If I were you, I would start making other plans and finding an exit strategy.” I stared at him. I understood exactly what he was implying. He was absolutely certain he was going to get the promotion. He was telling me to quit. Because once he became Director, and his girlfriend was the CEO’s ‘daughter,’ he would inevitably force me out to avoid any awkward workplace gossip. This “warning” was his version of being “kind”—giving me a head start to find a new job. I could accept a man’s infidelity and his change of heart. After all, feelings are fragile and rarely survive being tested. But I never imagined he would completely abandon his basic humanity. I looked at him like he was a complete stranger. Under his gaze, I uttered my first curse word of the day: “Arthur, you are absolute garbage.” He took it in silence. 6 My first direct confrontation with Chloe happened a week after that conversation with Arthur. After breaking up with me, Arthur—who had insisted on keeping our relationship a secret for years because “office romances are bad”—went incredibly public with Chloe. I saw their disgustingly sweet posts on social media. Coworkers flooded the comments with congratulations. Only our mutual friends from college messaged me in shock, asking what happened. I didn’t reply to a single one. The day Chloe cornered me was a perfectly ordinary afternoon. The office was mostly empty; people were either out to lunch or napping at their desks. I was in the breakroom, grinding coffee beans. As the rich aroma filled the air, Chloe appeared behind me. I turned sideways to give her room to pass, but she didn’t move. She just stood there, looking me up and down with a highly suggestive smirk, and dropped the bomb: “I know you and Arthur used to date.” With her round, baby-doll face, she was shorter than me. I looked down at her calmly, raising an eyebrow in a silent, questioning expression. She looked up at me, her eyes slowly scanning my face. Disappointed that I didn’t give her the dramatic reaction she wanted, she paused before continuing: “I saw the playlist he named after you. And your matching statuses—’Sailing through the night, guided by the clear moonlight.’ Your secret relationship wasn’t as secret as you thought.” I remained silent, patiently waiting for her to finish. She said, “My… my dad really likes Arthur. You know how it is. Arthur is young, ambitious, mature, and driven. My dad says Arthur reminds him of himself when he was young.” “My dad wants to groom him for leadership. Arthur’s potential is limitless. And, conveniently, I really like him, and he likes me.” “Now we’re together. But Mia, your presence here is a bit of an eyesore. I strongly suggest you do the smart thing and resign.” That’s when I finally understood her game plan. First, a show of dominance, then a thinly veiled threat, and finally, a ‘helpful’ suggestion that I quit. I held my coffee cup, my expression perfectly calm, my tone even. I even let a small smile slip as I looked down at her. “Ms. Lee, any employee termination requires a formal HR process. I’m not sure if your little speech today is meant to fire me, or what.” “If you’re trying to fire me, company policy dictates that HR needs to schedule a formal meeting and provide me with valid grounds for termination.” Her face went pale, then flushed red. Perhaps she hadn’t expected me to be so unyielding. Before turning to leave, I watched her expression falter and added one final detail: “Oh, by the way. Any personnel changes regarding managers or higher require the direct, personal approval of the CEO. Which means, the only person in this entire company who can fire me… is the CEO. Ms. Lee, you are merely an intern in Arthur’s department. I think you’re overstepping your bounds.” I didn’t stick around to watch her face contort. I took my coffee and walked out. Not long after my little chat with Chloe, Albert’s official transfer notice to the Nanjing branch was announced. Before he left, the CEO hosted a farewell banquet. The entire management team was required to attend—all the department heads. We all knew that besides saying goodbye to Albert, this dinner would also serve to announce the critical leadership changes at headquarters. When the HR manager dropped the invitation on my desk, Emma was the only one who looked physically ill. I had personally mentored her. She leaned over my desk, first cheering me on, and then saying with absolute solemnity: “Mia, no matter what happens, our entire team has your back. If things go south here, we’ll all leave with you and go somewhere else.” I laughed, lightly tapping the invitation against her forehead. My voice was gentle. “What are you talking about? It’s just a dinner. Did you forget my life motto?” “When you hit water, build a bridge. When you hit a mountain, carve a path. What’s there to be afraid of?” Besides, the person who was going to lose this battle… definitely wasn’t going to be me.

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Right after high school graduation, I got engaged to my honorary “younger uncle.” But he only ever treated me like a kid. On our first night in our new home, my hands trembled as I reached up to untie his tie. He brushed my hands away with a lazy, mocking smile. “Do you honestly think I’m such an animal that I’d sleep with the niece I raised?” The very next day, he used a business trip as an excuse and flew overseas. Two years later, we ran into each other at a karaoke bar. At that exact moment, a senior from my university was publicly confessing his love to me. And my “uncle”? He was leaning against the wall, holding a drink, watching the whole show with absolute indifference. … Later that night, I sat nervously in the backseat of his Maybach, while he pinched my chin, studying me intently. “I raised you with my own two hands. Do you really think you could ever run away with anyone else?” 1 I only stepped out of the karaoke room to get some fresh air. I never expected to run into Liam Vance, the “younger uncle” I hadn’t seen in over two years, right there in the hallway. And I definitely didn’t expect to get cornered by a senior student confessing his feelings at the exact same time. I shook my head, completely flustered. “I’m sorry, Matt, I…” “Chloe, is it because I’m four years older than you?” He cut me off, clearly having prepared his speech in advance. “Actually, older guys know how to take care of you better. Like me, for example…” Liam was leaning lazily against the wall a few feet away, holding a drink. He looked completely detached, like he was watching a theater performance. Matt had probably been planning this confession for a long time. The moment he finished his sentence, the rest of the people from our private room poured out into the hallway, surrounding us. “Say yes! Say yes!!” “Come on, Chloe! Matt is so handsome, and he’s rich too!” “You definitely won’t regret it!” I waited for the cheering to die down before biting my lip and finishing my sentence. “I’m sorry. I already have a boyfriend.” A short distance away, Liam slowly lifted his eyes. Matt frowned, his patience visibly wearing thin. “You’ve been using that ‘I have a boyfriend’ excuse since freshman year! How come none of us have ever seen him?!” “Call him right now, and I’ll believe you!” “Yeah, Chloe. You always use that excuse to reject people. It’s so obviously fake.” I was getting a little annoyed now. I argued back, my voice muffled but firm: “We’re getting married this year. Why would I lie to you?” Honestly, I realized it shortly after seeing Liam in the hallway. I was about to turn 20. He flew back to the States this time specifically to marry me. And knowing him, shortly after we got the marriage certificate, he’d probably leave again. Being rejected so publicly made Matt furious and humiliated. “Getting married?!” “Are you playing me for a fool, Chloe?!” “Did I give you too much leeway?!” He pointed a finger directly at my face, his expression turning ugly as he prepared to curse me out. But before he could speak, a much larger, stronger hand grabbed his finger and ruthlessly bent it backward. A shrill, agonizing scream echoed down the entire hallway. 2 The one who acted was Liam’s bodyguard. He followed it up with a sharp kick to the back of Matt’s knees. Unable to support himself, the senior student dropped straight to his knees right in front of me. Hearing the commotion, the club manager rushed over. Acting as if we weren’t even there, he bowed slightly and scurried straight to Liam, his face pale with panic. “Mr. Vance, is there a problem?” “Did this kid do something to upset you?” Liam didn’t answer. He simply raised the hand holding his drink, and the manager immediately took the glass with both hands, bowing subserviently. Liam looked at me, raising one eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. “Aren’t you going to come over here?” The crowd that had been cheering just moments ago was now dead silent. They even voluntarily parted to create a clear path for me. I obediently walked over to Liam’s side, catching the faint, clean scent of alcohol on him. One of the girls from my group mustered her courage and asked me, her voice trembling slightly: “Is this… your boyfriend?” Liam had always treated me like a child. He definitely wouldn’t appreciate me making bold claims like that on my own. I shook my head to deny it, introducing him: “This is my younger uncle.” Liam’s face remained completely unreadable. He just casually rubbed his left ring finger—right over the engagement ring I had put on him two years ago. The manager, completely unable to read Liam’s mood, was sweating profusely. “Has your anger subsided, Mr. Vance…?” “If not, I can have my guys teach this kid a proper lesson!” Liam raised a hand to stop him. “No need.” He then ordered someone to go back into his private room and fetch his suit jacket. Holding it in one hand, he turned to me. “Do you want to keep playing, or are you coming home with me?” The curiosity burning in the eyes of everyone behind me was practically overflowing. There was no way I was staying here to be interrogated. I subconsciously moved a little closer to him, seeking safety. “Uncle Liam, I want to go home.” 3 The moment we got in the car, the driver immediately raised the privacy partition, making me feel incredibly awkward. The cabin was so quiet I could hear the steady hum of the tires on the highway. Beside me, Liam sat with his eyes closed, rubbing his temples. I curled my fingers nervously on my lap, gathering my courage before speaking softly: “Uncle Liam, do you have a headache?” “I… I can massage it for you.” It had been almost six months since we last saw each other. The dynamic between us had reverted to a stiff, polite boundary line. The man’s deep, magnetic voice held a hint of a chuckle, making it impossibly alluring. “Oh? And I should just let you work hard for me?” “The second I got off the plane, I was dragged to that welcome party. I didn’t even have time to tell you I was back.” It took me two seconds to realize he was explaining his presence at the club to me. “It’s okay.” I unbuckled my seatbelt, kneeled on the seat, and straightened up. I reached out and placed my hands on his temples, massaging them earnestly. Since his eyes were closed, I finally dared to openly trace the lines of his face with my gaze. He really was incredibly handsome. His features weren’t overly delicate, nor were they too sharp or aggressive. He was just simply more handsome than anyone I had ever met. A sudden, sharp honk shattered the silence. The driver slammed on the brakes. Inertia threw me violently forward and to the side. “Ah—” Just as I thought I was going to crash into the door, a pair of strong hands caught me by the waist. I was pulled effortlessly onto Liam’s lap, sitting sideways across his legs. I instinctively threw my arms around his neck to steady myself. Our eyes met. His ink-black pupils clearly reflected my utter bewilderment. At this proximity, the smell of alcohol coming from his collar was much stronger. Snapping out of it, I tried to scramble off his lap. But Liam’s hands clamped down on my waist, trapping me completely. He stared directly into my eyes and suddenly asked: “Are you dating someone?” I looked at him in sheer confusion, having absolutely no idea where that question came from. “What…?” Liam calmly scrutinized my face. Suddenly, he raised a hand, pinched my chin, and tilted my face up. I unconsciously held my breath, too nervous to look at him. Liam was drunk. The intimidating aura he usually kept carefully restrained was now fully unleashed. “You’ve grown up. And your courage has grown with you.” “Uncle Liam…” I gripped the fabric of his shirt at the shoulder, calling his name with a slight tremble. The man’s murmurs grew quieter, yet they seemed to harbor some unspoken, obsessive possessiveness. “I raised you. Doesn’t that mean you belong to me?” He smirked slightly. “How could you ever dare to run away with someone else?” I wasn’t entirely sure what Liam meant by that, and I definitely didn’t dare to interpret it romantically. After all, over the last two years, we had probably spent less than three months actually in the same room together. And he had rejected me before. He certainly couldn’t be talking about ‘liking’ me. But right now, he was drunk. He was only going to hear what he wanted to hear, and he refused to let me go. I had to put my confusion aside for the moment. I clumsily lifted my arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. Fighting the intense heat rising in my ears, I whispered: “I am yours…” “I won’t run away.” As a reward, Liam gently kissed the top of my head. “Good girl.” 4 I had called our housekeeper in advance, asking her to prep the guest bedroom for Liam. But when we got home, he completely ignored it and followed me straight into the master bedroom. His intention was obvious. Honestly, this was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, in half a month—on my 20th birthday—Liam and I were getting our marriage certificate. When my hands reached for his tie, my heart was pounding so loud I half-suspected he could hear it. Facing the terrifying unknown, I couldn’t tell how much of what I was feeling was anticipation versus pure fear. Liam lowered his eyes, watching me silently. A few seconds later, just like two years ago, he gently brushed my hands away. “You’re still terrified.” I pressed my lips together tightly. “I’m sorry, Uncle Liam.” But it was different from two years ago. This time, it was more nervousness than actual fear. Liam wrapped his hand around my wrist and lifted it. He tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips against the fragile skin of my inner wrist. “You don’t need to apologize.” That night, I slept curled up in Liam’s arms. But my body remained subconsciously tense the entire time. In the dead of night, Liam gently stroked the back of my head. “Do you want to marry me?” I nodded slightly, giving the perfect, obedient answer. “I do.” As if to prove my point, I snuggled even closer into his embrace. I think… I might actually have a little bit of a crush on Liam. 5 Liam and I actually had an arranged marriage set up since we were kids. He was 9 years older than me and had never taken the ridiculous arrangement seriously. He told me to call him “Uncle Liam.” When I was little, during the years my dad was abroad expanding his business, Liam was the one who took care of me. But during my senior year of high school, my dad’s company faced bankruptcy. My dad went gray overnight. He finally sat me down, his voice heavy with desperation: “Chloe, will you marry Liam right after you graduate?” “We don’t have to get the legal certificate right away. We can just have the ceremony first.” “My company desperately needs funding from the Vance family…” I was incredibly resistant. I didn’t want a loveless marriage. Besides, at that time, I truly only saw Liam as an uncle figure. But then, my dad ended up in the hospital from severe overwork and exhaustion. Sitting by his hospital bed, I finally compromised. However, when my dad went to discuss it with Liam, he rejected it without a second thought. The next day, the moment I got home from school, my dad dropped to his knees in front of me. He cried hysterically: “I’m so sorry, Chloe.” “After you graduate… go to Uncle Lee. Please…” “Liam doesn’t want you, and I have absolutely no other options.” “Uncle Lee is the only one willing to help me.” That “Uncle Lee” was seven years older than my dad. He had a massive beer belly and was already balding. More importantly, he already had a wife. My dad was shaking violently as he cried. Blood was seeping through the bandages on his wrists. After Liam rejected him, the pressure from the debt collectors broke him, and he tried to slit his wrists. But he survived. So now, he was forcing me to essentially sell my life instead. 6 I ran through the pouring rain all the way to Liam’s house. When Liam opened the door and saw me standing there, my school uniform completely soaked through, he frowned deeply. He pulled me inside. “What happened?” Tears and rainwater mixed together, dripping onto his hardwood floor. I helplessly grabbed his sleeve and begged him: “Uncle Liam, please marry me… Please…” I didn’t want to die, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch my dad die either. My only option was to beg Liam for help. I knew I shouldn’t burden him like this. So the moment he agreed, I resolved myself to spend the rest of my life repaying the massive debt I owed him. The night of our engagement party, we went back to the new house he had bought. Liam had been toasted round after round by the guests, and his steps were slightly unsteady. I had been mentally preparing myself for this all day. But my hands still wouldn’t stop shaking when I reached up to untie his tie. Liam leaned back on the sofa and dodged my hands. Resting his head on his hand, he looked at me with an amused, mocking expression. “What are you trying to do?” I squeezed my sweaty palms together, closed my eyes, and leaned in to kiss him. Liam tilted his head back, dodging me again. He let out a short laugh, looking at me like I was a child throwing a ridiculous tantrum. “You don’t need to do this.” “Or do you honestly think I’m such an animal that I’d sleep with the niece I raised with my own hands?” He pushed off the armrest, stood up, and headed for the guest bedroom. I grabbed his hand, fighting back my panic, and looked up at him. “It’s fine… ” “After all, we’re going to be married eventually anyway.” Liam frowned and scoffed lightly. He reached out and flicked my forehead, a bit harder than usual. “Stop acting crazy, little girl.” “Just go to sleep.”

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After relentlessly chasing a poor, brilliant scholarship student, I finally got bored. I threw together a flimsy excuse and dumped him: “My family is loaded, and you’re broke. We’re from different worlds. It’s not going to work.” I blocked him immediately after sending the text, booked a flight, and spent three months traveling the world, having the time of my life. When I returned three months later, I discovered my “poor” scholar had miraculously transformed into the golden boy of the ultra-wealthy Sterling family. I was absolutely stunned. The entire socialite circle was dying of laughter, eagerly waiting to watch me crash and burn. —— At a high-society gala, the Sterling heir approached me, a champagne glass in hand and a freezing glare on his face. Terrified and weak in the knees, I backed up against a wall, grabbed his jacket, and screamed: “I’m pregnant! The baby is yours!” “You can’t hit me… and you can’t yell at me either!” “Waaah, I’m pregnant and you’re still giving me the silent treatment! You’re the worst!” 1 I yelled it at the top of my lungs. The moment the word “worst” left my mouth, the deafening chatter of the ballroom instantly died. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Arthur Sterling was so furious the veins in his forehead were practically throbbing. “We broke up three months ago. The last time we slept together was six months ago. At six months, you’d be showing. What exactly are you pregnant with? A ghost?” The room went from silent to absolutely dead. A muffled cough echoed from the head table. Old Mr. Sterling cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and awkwardly tried to smooth things over: “It’s nothing, just kids playing around.” “Mia, sweetie, come over to Grandpa.” Treating him like a literal lifesaver, I scrambled to my feet, ready to sprint toward the head table. But Arthur grabbed the back of my dress. He said, his voice dripping with menace: “Grandpa, this is between her and me. Stay out of it.” “I need to have a word with her. I’m taking her home. Everyone, enjoy the party.” With that, he scooped me up into his arms and marched toward the exit. In the ballroom, my dad, my brother, and even my lifelong nemesis—who usually couldn’t stand me—all shot me looks of deep pity mixed with intense amusement. 2 Actually, back at the airport, when my brother picked me up, he had given me a highly suggestive look and told me I was “incredibly brave.” When we arrived at the gala, my nemesis had practically sprinted over to me, her face glowing with excitement, to break the news. The “poor scholar” I had dumped three months ago because he was broke was actually the notoriously low-profile heir to the Sterling empire. “You are so dead,” my nemesis cackled gleefully. “He was just trying to keep a low profile, and you literally dumped him because you thought he was actually poor.” “He’s supposedly furious. He swore that the next time he saw you, he was going to slaughter you.” I shivered violently. My terror reached its absolute peak when Arthur unceremoniously dumped me into his car. I huddled against the car door, watching in horror as he started shrugging off his suit jacket and loosening his tie— “What are you doing?!” I tried to act tough. “It was just a breakup! Adults break up and get back together all the time! Why are you being so dramatic?” “A breakup?” He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Is that how you break up with someone?!” “You send a text, block me on everything, and immediately fly out of the country? If your dad and your brother hadn’t sworn on their lives you’d come back, I would have thought you skipped town forever.” He stopped taking his clothes off. He slid into the car, yanked me across the seat, and locked me in his arms. His voice was dangerously low: “Explain.” “Explain what?” “Why did you randomly break up with me?” 3 Why else? Because I didn’t like him anymore. From our freshman year of college until graduation, I chased him relentlessly for three years. It wasn’t until our senior year that he finally took pity on me and agreed to date me. Dating him turned out to be an absolute nightmare. I’m pretty, my family is loaded, and my parents spoiled me rotten. I’ve always lived exactly how I wanted. But he insisted on forcing me to live by his rules. Eating snacks in bed? Absolutely not. Skipping breakfast? Not allowed. Staying up all night gaming? Definitely forbidden. His endless, suffocating rules gave me constant headaches. When I got mad and tried to fight with him, he’d just hit me with the silent treatment. I would cry hysterically, and he would just sit there quietly reading his documents. When I finally cried myself hoarse, he would look up and ask: “Are you done throwing your tantrum?” “If you’re done, go eat. I have to go to work this afternoon.” It felt like punching a brick wall. It was the absolute worst feeling in the world. However much I liked him while I was chasing him, that’s exactly how much I despised his condescending, “dad-like” discipline now. I had truly had enough! —— My dad always said that a spoiled, high-maintenance rich girl like me needed to find a soft, submissive man who would coddle me for the rest of my life. I never believed him before. But now, I realized my dad was absolutely right. I was spoiled, high-maintenance, dramatic, and prone to throwing massive temper tantrums. Since Arthur couldn’t coddle me, I needed to find a boyfriend who could. —— But I never, in my wildest dreams, could have imagined that Arthur was the mysterious heir to the Sterling empire. 4 If I had known Arthur was the golden boy of the Sterling family, I never would have dumped him. Even though I have no interest in the family business, I know perfectly well that marrying into the Sterling family comes with massive benefits. But he didn’t tell me. He lied to me for four years. Thinking about that made me angry all over again. I scrambled off Arthur’s lap, frowned at him, and demanded: “Didn’t you lie to me for four years? What right do you have to be mad at me for breaking up with you?” He seemed to realize he was in the wrong too. After a moment of silence, he said: “Fine, then we’re even. Let’s just pretend none of this happened.” He reached out to pull me back, his voice softening: “Mia, let’s go home. I made your favorite lotus seed soup…” Smack! I swatted his hand away. “Get one thing straight. I’m not throwing a tantrum. I genuinely want to break up with you.” “You lying to me was your mistake. Me forgiving you doesn’t mean I still want to be with you.” I took a deep breath, ignoring his increasingly terrifying expression, and finally blurted it out: “Arthur, I don’t like you anymore.” “Let’s just end this peacefully and walk away with our dignity intact, okay?” 5 The underground parking garage was dimly lit. Arthur stared at me coldly, his brow furrowing in deep annoyance. He warned: “Mia, you’re taking this too far.” “Apologize to me right now, and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Otherwise, you aren’t getting out of bed tomorrow.” I shook my head without a second of hesitation: “I’m serious about breaking up. I’m not being dramatic, and I’m not throwing a fit.” “Arthur, I don’t like you anymore. I really don’t like you. I don’t like you at all. I hate looking at you. Do you understand?” I repeated “don’t like” several times. Arthur’s face grew darker and darker. He suddenly threw his arm around me, hauled me fully against his chest, leaned down, grabbed my jaw, and kissed me forcefully. “Arthur—” “Do you remember what I told you when we first started dating?” His voice was incredibly low. My brain was foggy from the kiss, but I dug through my memories and finally found the quote he was talking about: “My family is historically devoted. When we choose someone, it’s forever.” “Mia, if you choose to be with me, it’s for the rest of your life. Are you absolutely sure about this?” Back then, I had confidently answered, “Of course.” …But weren’t those just cheesy, romantic things couples say to each other?! If he wanted to hear them, I could promise him the moon and the stars! But how could anyone apply that to real life?! “I never say things I don’t mean.” Arthur gently nudged his nose against my cheek: “To me, dating and marriage are the exact same thing. Both mean I have committed to one person.” “In my world, divorce does not exist, and breaking up is not an option. The only reason I will ever separate from my partner is death.” “Mia, do you really want to test me again?” 6 Tyrant! I glared at him furiously and reached out to pinch his arm. He just let me pinch him, using his other hand to stroke my hair. Suddenly, he said: “Your dad has been trying to secure a partnership with the Sterling Group recently. Did you know that?” I shook my head. He continued: “Your family doesn’t have a competitive edge against the other bidders. Getting that project won’t be easy.” “I can help you, but you have to be good.” “You are never allowed to mention breaking up again. If there is a next time, I won’t be this forgiving. Understand?” “…You!” I stared at him in disbelief. “You’re actually using my family’s company to blackmail me?!” “Are you even human, Arthur?! You’re a heartless, cold-blooded, psychopathic monster—” “If you don’t know how to use big words properly, don’t use them. No one is forcing you to pretend you’re smart.” Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Mia, I just want you to be good.” “When you aren’t good, I can’t focus on work.” “I said I want to break—” “Alright, if you keep pushing this, I’m genuinely going to get angry.” He reached down, took my hand, and gently stroked my fingertips. His voice dropped to a chilling whisper: “Mia, you really don’t want to see what happens when I get angry.” I snapped my mouth shut instantly. 7 When Arthur got angry, it was terrifying. Literally terrifying. The last time he got angry, I had stayed up all night gaming while running a high fever, which developed into pneumonia. Arthur took care of me in the hospital with a face like thunder. The day I was finally healthy, he dragged me to the track and forced me to run a 5K. He ran the entire thing with me. By the end, I collapsed on the track, sobbing hysterically and screaming that he was a psychopath. He stood over me and asked, “Are you ever going to stay up all night gaming again?” “Who gave you the right to control me?! You’re out of your fucking mind! Waaaah, my legs hurt so bad…” “Excellent. You’re swearing now.” Arthur nodded. “Another 5K. When you finish, you can go home and sleep.” Seeing him dust off his track pants and reach down to haul me back up to run, my vision went completely black. I threw my arms around his legs and started wailing. “Hubby, I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! No staying up late, no gaming!” “I’m sorry! Waaah, my legs actually hurt so much…” He sighed. He leaned down and patted my sweaty head: “See? If you had just been this good in the first place, we wouldn’t have had a problem.” That day, he carried me home, bathed me, and carried me to bed. I was as limp as a dead fish the entire time, and I couldn’t get out of bed for days. … Ever since that day, I never dared to stay up late gaming again. Even when we weren’t sleeping in the same bed, if I heard a notification sound from my game in the middle of the night, my legs would instinctively start trembling. When my dad and my brother found out, they both thought Arthur was incredible. They invited him over for dinner and actively encouraged him to discipline me and break me of all my bad habits.

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My boyfriend had severe depression. His medication and sessions with a top specialist cost over ten thousand dollars a month. To pay for his treatment, I worked myself to the bone, taking on endless freelance illustration gigs and running food deliveries day and night. My friends constantly warned me I was going to work myself to death. Until one day, I managed to snag a high-paying delivery order to an exclusive, ultra-wealthy gated community. I respectfully handed over the $18,000 premium sushi platter to the customer. But when I looked up, standing right inside the doorway was my boyfriend—who was supposed to be at his therapy session. He stared back at me, looking absolutely shell-shocked. 01 “Aren’t you supposed to be at the clinic, Liam?” I looked at the breathtakingly luxurious mansion, my left hand gripping the sushi takeout bag so tightly it physically hurt. Even though it was pushing 100 degrees outside, I started shivering as if I’d been plunged into an ice bath. I had only ever seen places like this in movies. “I’m sorry, Rose, let me explain. Dr. Lewis had an emergency this afternoon…” “I’m just hanging out at a friend’s house.” Caught entirely off guard, Liam lost his composure and reached out to grab my sleeve. It was his go-to move whenever he apologized. It always worked before. But not today. I slapped his hand away coldly. The custom-tailored dress shirt he was wearing had a designer label I didn’t even recognize. But looking at it now, it was incredibly ironic. It suited his rich-boy aura far better than the cheap basics he usually wore. I lowered my eyes, pulled out my phone, and opened the booking app for the Green City Clinic. Seeing that Dr. Lewis’s schedule still had open slots for the afternoon, I didn’t even have the energy to call out his lie. Taking a deep breath, I organized my chaotic thoughts and forced my voice to remain perfectly calm: “Liam, is this fun for you?” “Acting like a poor, depressed, struggling kid around me, pretending you couldn’t even afford a cup of bubble tea… when in reality, you’re a billionaire heir whose lunch costs $18,000!” My lips trembled. I stared resentfully at the man in front of me, completely unaware of when the tears had filled my eyes. “You really… played me for an absolute fool…” “$18,000! I would have to deliver 6,000 orders to make that much! That’s two months of work…” The most pathetic part was that the only app still open in the background of my phone… Was our text thread from half an hour ago. I had texted Liam, telling him I was going to splurge on dinner tonight and make his favorite lotus root soup. Because the customer in this wealthy neighborhood was incredibly generous and left a $100 tip. I just never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that the tip came directly from Liam himself. 02 Late at night, Liam used to hold me tight and whisper that in this entire world, my love was the only thing he never doubted. That even his parents’ love for him wasn’t as pure as mine. Those whispered promises used to make me so incredibly happy. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to find genuine love in a society where it was so rare. But looking back on it now, nobody else could possibly be this stupid. Risking heatstroke out in the blazing sun just for a five-dollar extreme weather bonus, just so I could scrape together enough for his medical bills a little sooner. “I haven’t slept for more than five hours a night in so long. I dreamt of the day you would finally get better.” “You knew all of this better than anyone, didn’t you?” My accusing voice slowly broke into a sob. Liam’s previously calm expression finally cracked. His eyes reddened slightly, and he nodded. We lived in a cramped, rundown, one-bedroom apartment, a thirty-minute walk just to get to the subway station. He watched me exhaust myself. He watched me stretch every single dollar until it broke. He watched me struggle, desperately working to pay for his fake poverty-simulation game, just to ‘cure’ this imaginary depression he had fabricated. He watched the entire thing unfold like some detached creator observing a rat in a maze. “I’ll transfer a large sum of money to your account. Consider it compensation.” “I… I truly wronged you.” Liam lowered his head, his eyes filled with guilt and a hint of helplessness. He realized he couldn’t lie his way out of this, so he simply gave up trying. With stiff fingers, I pulled the crumpled receipt from my pocket. It was half a meter long, listing nothing but the most premium, expensive cuts of meat. I crumpled it into a ball and threw it at him with every ounce of strength I had left. Liam didn’t dodge. His expression was a mix of sorrow and deep regret. The cold air conditioning from inside the house provided a stark contrast to the blazing heat outside. Over the loud hum of the cicadas, I heard footsteps approaching from inside. Followed immediately by a whining, sweet female voice: “Liam, is the food not here yet? I’m literally starving to death!” 03 The tense standoff between Liam and me broke. His expression shifted drastically. We both turned our heads just in time to see a young woman in a lacy silk nightgown walking toward the door. Liam panicked and tried to block her path. “Why did you come out? I’m coming back in right now. Be a good girl, go back inside.” But the girl seemed determined to see what was going on. She stepped around Liam, a polite smile on her face. But as she looked at me, her almond-shaped eyes flashed with a hint of recognition and pure disdain. “And this is…” Silence. Seeing that neither of us was going to answer, she smirked. Then, naturally, she linked her arm through Liam’s and deliberately pulled her sheer, blush-pink nightgown down slightly at the shoulder. The red marks on her neck and the curves beneath the thin fabric were fully exposed. She leaned her entire body against him, looking incredibly soft and pliant. The man’s anxious gaze was fixed entirely on me. I turned my head away in absolute despair and closed my eyes. My hair was soaked in sweat, sticking uncomfortably to my face. My temples throbbed with a sharp, rhythmic pain. Even someone as dense as me knew exactly what had just happened here. Originally, I thought I was just the unlucky pawn in a rich kid’s “poverty” roleplay. Now I realized I was also the spicy side dish in his high-society romance. What absolute, terrible luck. I didn’t want to stay a second longer. I turned around to pack up my delivery bag and leave. But the girl suddenly called out to me: “Wait a second. Are you Liam’s little slum-girlfriend from off-campus?” “I didn’t recognize you in that delivery uniform. Are you Rose Evans from the Humanities department?” 04 I froze and turned back to look at her. It took me half a minute, but I finally recognized her. She was a year above me. Chloe Vance. The gorgeous, incredibly wealthy, and universally adored campus princess. But we had history. She used her family’s influence to pull some strings and give my need-based financial aid scholarship to someone else. Because of that, I never sucked up to her like everyone else did. Seeing my dark, unnatural expression, Chloe tightened her grip on Liam’s arm. She feigned excitement, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness: “Liam, I can’t believe it! Last year, I casually mentioned to you that there was this annoying, fake-righteous junior I couldn’t stand.” “You just asked a few questions, and you actually went and destroyed Rose Evans for me! I have to admire your methods. So brilliant…” Chloe looked up, shooting me a vicious glare as she continued: “So brilliant that you played our college’s brilliant prodigy, Rose Evans, like an absolute dog.” My hands, hanging limply at my sides, slowly clenched into fists. The cold air from the mansion washed over me, but it brought absolutely no relief. To these people, the future, feelings, money, and hard work of ordinary people were just annoying weeds on the side of the road. They didn’t just ignore them; they had to stomp on them and spit on them too. Chloe leaned up and kissed Liam on the cheek, like she was rewarding him for making such a fool out of me. Her eyes taunted me. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her expression turned strangely manic. She asked: “Junior Rose, did Liam tell you he had depression?” I frowned, not denying it. The woman in front of me immediately doubled over with laughter. But the words that came out of her mouth froze my blood. “That’s because I told Liam that your younger brother committed suicide because of depression.” “I told him that if he claimed he had depression, your brainless ass would fall for it instantly.” “And look! I was right.” 05 The moment those words hung in the air, the world seemed to stop. Only the sound of the cicadas remained. My brain completely short-circuited. I bit my lower lip so hard it bled, ripped off my delivery helmet, and swung it at Liam like a maniac. If I swallowed this insult, I might as well give up on life completely. My chest heaving violently, I screamed at him: “Depression, huh?! Playing poor, huh?! You love poking people right in their deepest wounds, don’t you?!” “You deserve it! You deserve the fact that your parents don’t love you, you piece of trash! You deserve it when your dad beat your mom right in front of you! Why didn’t he just beat you to death too?!” “I’ll fucking beat you to death right now for him!” During the year Liam and I were together—whether it was all an act or if there were moments of genuine emotion—we had shared our deepest vulnerabilities with each other. So I knew exactly what he could never let go of: the coldness and neglect from his parents. He had never experienced the love of a family. And right now, that became the weapon I used to verbally annihilate him. Before either of them could react, I repeatedly smashed the helmet into Liam’s face as hard as I could. Fueled by pure rage, I gasped for air. My chronic lack of sleep made my head spin dizzily. The exact second Chloe brought up my little brother, Leo, the rationality I had barely held together all afternoon completely shattered. He was my absolute untouchable boundary. Until Chloe finally managed to drag me away, Liam didn’t fight back once. He covered his mouth, his hands covered in blood. “Are you okay, Liam?! I’m calling the police right now!” “This crazy bitch has a death wish, hitting you like that?! I’m going to have my dad…” Chloe’s furious voice was laced with a panicked sob. But Liam grabbed her hand and shook his head: “No. Don’t.” “It’s all… my fault. I owe her.” He smoothed down his hair, which I had messed up, and walked over to me. He pulled a gold card from his pocket and held it out to me: “The PIN is your birthday. I know what I did is unforgivable, but… just take it. I’m sorry.” I let out a cold laugh. The look I gave him contained nothing but absolute ice and pure hatred. “Die soon.” I violently snatched the gold card from his fingers, dropped that final curse, and turned to walk away. 06 There was $770,000 on the card. I asked my delivery manager to settle my final paycheck, and then I quit. The 250-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment was so small you could see the whole thing at a glance. The reason I had moved out of the dorms and in with Liam was because he claimed his physical symptoms from his depression were getting worse, and he needed me with him every day. Originally, I had my guard up when Liam so boldly barged into my life. But seeing that he suffered from the exact same illness as my brother… it made my heart soften. And it clouded my judgment. For a long time, it was hard to tell if my feelings for him were driven more by love, or by the overwhelming, desperate need to compensate for the guilt I felt over my brother. I just wanted, obsessively and frantically, to help cure his depression. As if doing that would somehow lighten the crushing weight of my own nightmares. Honestly, after a year, we hadn’t accumulated that much stuff. But everything we had bought as a couple was too painful to look at, so I threw it all directly into the trash. Listening to the rattle of the old AC unit, I stared at the ceiling, slowly drifting away from the endless exhaustion of my daily grind, and fell into a deep sleep. In my dream, I couldn’t even count how many times I had seen Leo in that bathtub. He lay there, completely drained of color, in a pool of crimson water. His entire body was as pale as a porcelain doll. Cold. Lifeless. Pill bottles were scattered near his limp fingertips. His long eyelashes were gently closed, looking exactly the same as all those nights he used to wait up for me to finish studying, nodding off. Only this time, they would never open again. He would never rub his sleepy eyes and ask me when I was going to bed. On his phone, he had deleted his chat history with everyone. He only left me one final message: “I’m sorry, Sis.” And a transfer of $3,569.81. It was every single penny he had to his name. Spring was in full bloom that year. Leo, who was as brilliant and perfect as the sun, left during the most beautiful season. And I was trapped in that spring forever. 07 The rustling of plastic bags behind the door woke me up. A man in a black dress shirt was crouching by the trash can, sneaking around, digging through it. “Who’s there?” The man froze, then slowly turned around. It was Liam. He was wearing a mask, and there were a few bandages on his face. I rubbed my throbbing forehead. I forgot he still had a key to the apartment. The couples rings, the matching mugs, the watches, the souvenirs—everything I had thrown in the trash that afternoon had been pulled out and neatly lined up on the floor. “Why are you taking that stuff?” Hearing me, Liam lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable. “I just came back one last time to pack some things to take with me.” “It’s all worthless junk. The young Master Sterling actually wants it?” I sat up in bed, looking around the room to see if there was anything important left. Since things had come to this, I planned to move back into the dorms next week and terminate the lease here. Liam held the cheap silver couples ring in his hand, his thumb gently rubbing it. His voice was desolate and low: “Rose, I know you don’t believe me, but my feelings for you were real. You were the only person I truly trusted…” “No one has ever loved me with that kind of pure, absolute devotion. I don’t want to lose you.” I waved my hand dismissively, lowering my head to let out a harsh scoff. The scene from this afternoon replayed in my mind like a cruel joke. “Real feelings? Was making me deliver food to you right after you finished sleeping with her your way of showing love? Should I be thanking you for that?” “I can explain what happened with Chloe! Nothing ever happened between us. I only agreed to be with her because I wasn’t thinking straight.” “And I’ve wanted to break it off with her for a long time. I realized that the person I truly love is actually…” “There’s no point in discussing this anymore.” I cut him off coldly, my eyes empty. Water dripped steadily into a bucket in the bathroom. The knee-high faucet had been leaking for ages. To save money on the water bill, I always kept a plastic bucket underneath it. The money I saved was just pennies. His claims of “true love” were so absurd they were laughable. The moment the lie was exposed, regardless of whether his feelings were real or not, an uncrossable chasm had opened between us. “Honestly, Liam, when you used my dead brother to get close to me, did you ever consider that karma might come back to bite you?” “What do you mean?” I didn’t answer. I just frowned, opened the door, and gestured for him to leave. Seeing my absolute, resolute expression, he looked deeply hurt. He grabbed the items lined up on the floor, shoved them carelessly into his bag, and stood up. “Stop pretending to have depression.” “Because for every piece of trash like you in the world, the stigma around depression gets worse, and the people who actually need help have a harder time getting it.” And there will just be more people ending up like Leo. After a long pause, the man in front of me slowly nodded. Then, Liam pulled a bag of pork ribs and lotus root from behind the door. He had seen the message I sent about our special dinner. “Could you make lotus root soup for me one last time?” “No. Your personal chef can make it a hundred times better.” “I only like the way you make it.” “Rose, why can’t you just trust me one more time? Give me one more chance?” His voice was choking with tears. I never imagined that Liam, having returned to his untouchable status as a billionaire heir, would ever wear such a desperate, pleading expression. At this point, none of this fit the parameters of his little poverty roleplay game anymore. But regardless of whether his words were true or false, I remained completely, utterly unmoved. He understood I was rejecting him. He reached out as if to grab my hand, but ultimately let his arm drop. Before walking out the door, Liam looked back at me, his eyes red. “Do you still love me?” “No.” “Could you ever love me again?” “No.”

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At our college reunion, my ex-boyfriend wrapped his arm around his new fiancée and proudly announced their engagement. I snapped a picture and sent it to his mother with the caption: “They look perfect together. Congratulations on getting exactly what you wanted.” Just as I was about to hit send, a hand clamped down on my wrist like a vice. “Oh? Still keeping in touch with my mother?” he sneered, his eyes dark and menacing. “What, the money wasn’t enough?” The room went dead silent. A terrifying, heavy silence. I looked up at him, my face completely pale. The music had stopped. I had no idea when. And I was suddenly the center of everyone’s attention. 1 Everyone in our circle knew I had abandoned Julian Sterling for money. During the year he loved me the most, I took a $2 million check from his mother, Evelyn, and ruthlessly walked out of his life. Furious at his mother’s interference, Julian went on a hunger strike, starving himself until he was barely recognizable. His fraternity brothers couldn’t stand watching him slowly die. Swallowing their intense disgust for me, they came to me, one by one, begging me to go see him. I refused every single one of them. Eventually, when he was clinging to life by a thread, his mother called me in “desperation,” begging me to act as a “mediator.” When I finally showed up in his hospital room, he locked his arms around me and refused to let go. He was nothing but skin and bones, but his grip was so tight it felt like he was trying to crush my ribs. “Mia, you came. You still love me, don’t you? I knew it—” The sheer, overwhelming joy in his voice was impossible to hide. I coldly pushed him away. I played an audio recording for him, and then showed him a text message. The audio was a recording of me negotiating with his mother, demanding $300,000 just to come see him. The text message was the bank notification confirming the $300,000 deposit. His eyes went wide, staring at me blankly. When his brain finally processed what he was seeing, he violently shoved me away. He pushed so hard he threw himself off the hospital bed, collapsing onto the floor and coughing until he was gasping for air. “Mia Harrison, get the fuck out of my sight!” He lay pathetically on the floor, gritting his teeth, spitting out every single word with venomous hatred. I gave him exactly what he wanted. I walked out clean and fast, never once looking back. I don’t know who leaked the story, but it spread like wildfire. From that day on, I became the ultimate punchline in the city’s high society. Those ‘in the know’ constantly whispered about how my love for money was only matched by my absolute ruthlessness. Others claimed I never loved Julian to begin with; that I was only ever with him for his trust fund. No one cared about the actual truth. Once Julian recovered, he immediately entered into a strategic business alliance, getting engaged to Chloe Sinclair, the cherished daughter of the CEO of Daray Group. I received no fewer than ten invitations to their engagement party. They were all sent by his frat brothers. Honoring my “agreement” with his mother, I had completely vanished from his life. But I knew exactly what he had been up to over the years. I knew he and Chloe had gone to study in the US together, practically living together. I knew he finished a grueling joint JD/MBA program at Harvard and the Kennedy School in just two years. I knew that the moment he returned to his family’s company, he successfully negotiated several impossible contracts, forcing the old-guard executives who doubted him to submit completely. I knew that even though he and Chloe hadn’t officially tied the knot, they already called each other’s parents “Mom and Dad.” It wasn’t because I was stalking him. It was because his frat brothers were constantly tripping over themselves to give me unsolicited updates. They say a good ex should be like a dead ex—silent and invisible. But they loved dragging my ‘corpse’ out to beat it. It was as if proving how incredibly successful Julian had become simultaneously proved how monumentally stupid I was. Tonight was our college reunion. It was the first time I’d seen Julian since we broke up three years ago. Tomorrow, my life was going to completely change. From now on, he would remain in the clouds, enjoying his immense wealth and power. And I would return to the dirt, enduring the harsh reality of a normal life. Before coming here, I called his mother and laid out my terms. “You can go. But remember what you are not allowed to say, and what you are not allowed to do.” That was her exact quote. I agreed. I was technically here as the plus-one of an old classmate, Lucas Vance. But my real goal was to corner an old friend who specialized in nephrology and verify some medical records. There were certain things I desperately needed to understand before I could finally let the past go. I anticipated Julian’s humiliation and cold stares. I anticipated the bullying and mockery from our former classmates. But the one thing I didn’t anticipate was Julian turning this reunion into a pre-wedding celebration. As the center of attention, he and Chloe effortlessly navigated the room, playing drinking games and showing off their perfect relationship. The atmosphere was electric. No one was stupid enough to bring up the past. I managed to pull the doctor aside and finally got the answers I needed. Because Lucas was currently trapped in a conversation across the room, I had to wait for him. I never imagined that in the ten seconds it took me to snap a photo and type a text, Julian would materialize out of thin air right in front of me. Dragging me into the blinding spotlight for everyone to see. 2 “So what if it was enough? So what if it wasn’t?” I shot Julian a provocative, challenging glare. “Is CEO Sterling offering to pay the difference?” “Mia Harrison. Three years later, and you’re still exactly the same cheap trash you always were!” He glared down at me, his beautiful, dark eyes radiating a freezing, lethal chill. His words hit me like a physical blow, a sharp blade twisting violently in my gut. I studied him through the hazy, flickering club lights. He used to be my anchor, a brilliant, solid light in a chaotic world. Now, dressed in a flawless bespoke suit, he was just as striking as ever, but his eyes were like a bottomless abyss. When he looked at me, there wasn’t a single trace of the deep, tender affection he used to have. I yanked my wrist hard, forcing him to step slightly closer to maintain his grip. “Getting physical with another woman right in front of your fiancée… tell me, who’s the cheap one here?” I fired back with the same sharp banter we used to use. Except, back then, we were whispering flirtatious secrets. Now, we were just stabbing each other. Julian seemed to snap out of a trance. He violently shoved my hand away, grabbed a wet wipe from the table, and began scrubbing his hand obsessively. The insult was glaringly obvious. I had zero desire to stay any longer. I made eye contact with Lucas, stood up, and prepared to walk out. But Julian stepped into my path, completely blocking me. “Chloe, come here. There’s someone you need to meet.” He dropped the hostility and waved Chloe over. “Julian, is there something special about this girl?” Chloe took quick, delicate steps over to him, intimately wrapping her arms around his and leaning against him softly. She looked exactly as her reputation suggested—sweet, adorable, a girl who had clearly been pampered and protected her entire life. “She’s very special.” Julian spoke to Chloe, but his eyes were locked dead onto me. “She’s the ex-girlfriend who dumped me for two million dollars. Mia Harrison.” He didn’t yell, but his voice was loud enough for the entire room to hear. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. A massive, suffocating wave of humiliation crashed over me. I kept my face perfectly neutral, silently hiding my trembling hands behind my back. Because tonight, I could hurt, and I could laugh, but I absolutely could not show a single crack of vulnerability. “Is two million a lot? This jewelry set Julian bought me cost ten million.” Chloe’s perfectly manicured fingers lightly brushed the blindingly brilliant diamond necklace resting against her collarbone. Matching diamond earrings sparkled from her delicate earlobes. “Ten million?! Eight figures?!” “She’s basically wearing a mansion around her neck!” A chorus of shocked gasps echoed through the crowd. Followed closely by a rising tide of mockery and sneers. Mocking me for throwing away a gorgeous, billionaire boyfriend for a measly two million dollars. CRACK— Somewhere in the crowd, someone crushed a beer can. The sharp noise startled me, and I turned my head. Lucas was casually turning a crushed, mangled beer can in his hands, a dark, unreadable half-smile playing on his lips. I gave him a subtle shake of my head, signaling him to stay out of it. But Julian suddenly let out a low, dark chuckle. He pulled a massive stack of hundred-dollar bills from his jacket pocket and casually tossed them into the air above the booth. “Mia, I have more money than God.” “But you… aren’t… worth… a dime.” The bills fluttered down like green rain, landing on my face, my shoulders. And scattering across the floor at my feet. “You have such a wonderful boyfriend, sweetie. Make sure you hold onto him tight.” I forced a brilliant, unbothered smile through the barrage of judging eyes. “Obviously.” Chloe looked up at Julian adoringly. Her eyes met his, which were filled with absolute, overwhelming affection. “Wow, they are so perfect for each other!” “It’s a crime if they don’t kiss right now!” Someone started the chant, and the calls for a “Kiss!” grew louder and louder. Julian suddenly wrapped his arm around Chloe’s waist, pulled her down onto the sofa, leaned over, and kissed her deeply. The energy in the room instantly exploded. They were passionately making out under the strobe lights, right in front of me. The crowd was screaming and cheering, but all I could hear was a deafening, agonizing silence. 3 I threw up in the bathroom until I thought my organs were going to come out. When I finally walked out, the first thing I saw was a tall, imposing silhouette standing in the dim hallway. The strobe lights from a nearby open door flashed across his face, revealing a storm of suppressed rage. It was Julian. My body reacted before my brain did. I turned on my heel and started power-walking in the opposite direction. I was fast, but Julian was faster. The second my foot hit the floor, he grabbed me roughly by the shoulder. “Running away the second you see me? Feeling guilty?” He gripped my shoulder with terrifying strength; it actually hurt. I tried to twist out of his grasp, but it was useless. “Guilty of what?” I laughed, my voice raw and hoarse. “I just don’t think we have anything to catch up on.” “Mia, you’ve been parading yourself in front of me all night, and now you want to play coy? A bit late for that, don’t you think?” His voice was terrifyingly cold. “What do you mean, ‘parading’ in front of you? Just because we broke up, I’m suddenly banned from attending my own college reunion?” I straightened my spine, turned around, and forcefully slapped his hand away. “If that’s the case, why were you hiding in the bathroom throwing up?” He reached out and grabbed my chin. “Are you carrying some other guy’s bastard, or did my presence just make you sick?” The memory of him kissing Chloe flashed in my mind, and my stomach violently lurched again. Desperate not to break character, I gritted my teeth and fought the nausea down. “You barely ate anything, but you threw up quite a bit,” he observed slowly, noting my silence. His words stung, making my eyes burn. “Julian, we haven’t meant anything to each other for years. What exactly do you want from me?!” I shoved him hard, but he just grabbed both my wrists and pinned them against the wall above my head. “That’s exactly what I want to ask you.” He leaned in close. “Since you disappeared so perfectly, why the hell did you show up tonight?” The absolute disgust and hatred in his eyes were completely undisguised. The blood in my veins turned to ice. I let out a sharp, sudden laugh. “What answer are you looking for? That I can’t get over you and want you back? Or that I deeply regret it and I’m here to beg for your forgiveness?” He didn’t say a word. He was probably actually waiting for a reason. “The real reason is—” “She came as my plus-one.” Before I could finish, a familiar, mocking voice interrupted me. A few feet away, Lucas was leaning casually against the corner of the wall, his hands buried deep in his pockets. I had no idea how long he had been standing there. “Bro code, Julian. You’re crossing a major line right now.” He added the comment with total, infuriating calm. “What… what does that mean?” Julian’s voice suddenly faltered. “It means Mia is my girlfriend now.” “I am a year older than you, after all. What, you’re allowed to have a fiancée, but I’m not allowed to have a girlfriend?” Lucas casually began rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. The message was clear: if Julian didn’t let me go right now, Lucas was going to make him. “Are you two… actually together?” Julian’s gaze snapped back to me. Even in the dim light, his stare felt heavy and piercing. “Do you need us to make out right now to prove it?” I asked, lowering my eyes and sneering. “Do whatever you want…” Julian released my wrists, turned, and walked away. Lucas let out a low whistle, a sly, victorious smirk spreading across his face. My entire defensive facade completely collapsed. I slumped against the wall, drained of all energy, and closed my eyes. “I told you not to come. Now look at you. You brought this entirely on yourself.” Lucas grumbled, his tone laced with exasperation. I opened my eyes and looked at him. “There are some things you just have to do yourself.” When he found out I needed to speak to our doctor classmate, he offered to ask on my behalf, but I refused. Because I needed to hear the truth with my own ears. “But you can’t fake your feelings. You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to anyone else.” Lucas walked over, planted one hand on the wall next to my head, and looked down at me. “Mia, I waited for you for seven years, and you didn’t even look at me twice.” “Just now, he was publicly humiliating you, and when I wanted to punch him, you wouldn’t even let me.” “Is he really that incredible? You’ve been broken up for three years, and you’re still hung up on him?” He was saying all these mocking, sarcastic things, but his voice was overflowing with undeniable heartbreak. I reached out, wrapped my arms around his waist, and buried my face in his chest. His entire body went completely rigid. “Lucas, sometimes protecting someone has absolutely nothing to do with love. And in real life, you don’t get ‘do-overs’.” “When he was begging to see me years ago, I refused. So obviously, me showing up today was going to piss him off.” “I accepted his insults because I was the one who needed something tonight.” I patiently explained it to him. “Did you get the answers you were looking for?” Lucas sighed. I nodded slightly. “Then let’s go.” He gently ruffled my hair. “I’ll go pull the car around. Meet me at the entrance.” “Okay.” I quietly let go of him. Just outside our field of vision, a shadow silently slipped away… 4 The drive back to my apartment was completely silent. Lucas didn’t speak, and I had absolutely zero desire to start a conversation. “Don’t forget your promise. I’m driving you tomorrow.” Just as I was about to open the door, he suddenly hit the central locking system. I wanted to argue, but the intense, stubborn look in his eyes made me change my mind. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget.” I offered him a reassuring smile and gave him an “OK” sign. He finally unlocked the doors. As Lucas’s car sped away into the night, I stood on the sidewalk, lost in thought. He and Julian used to be best friends. They grew up together; they were thick as thieves. Before Julian and I started dating, Lucas had publicly handed me a love letter. Even after I rejected him, he confidently declared that he “wouldn’t give up until the very end.” When Julian and I got together, Lucas started dating too. He went through girlfriends constantly, but none of them ever lasted. I always thought his interest in me was just a passing phase. But slowly, he began to distance himself from Julian and me, eventually becoming completely estranged from his former best friend. I genuinely believed I would never interact with him again for the rest of my life. But when my family fell apart, he was the one who spent countless agonizing days and nights sitting with me in the hospital. He even willingly acted as my smokescreen, successfully convincing Evelyn to drop her guard around me. Aside from my parents, I have two major regrets in my life. One is betraying Julian, and the other is being entirely unable to return Lucas’s love… The winter night wind began to pick up, biting into my exposed skin like icy needles. I pulled my scarf up over my nose and mouth and turned toward my apartment building. A short distance away, a car’s hazard lights flashed twice. Illuminated by the streetlamp, I recognized the man in the driver’s seat. It was Benjamin, Evelyn’s most trusted driver and enforcer. I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. They really don’t let anything go. I walked briskly over to the car, pulled open the passenger door, and slid in. “Can I help you?” “Ms. Harrison, please pack your things immediately. We are leaving tonight.” His voice was as deep and unyielding as always. “Wasn’t my train ticket booked for 6:00 AM tomorrow?” I turned to look at him. “Can Mrs. Sterling really not wait one more night?” He didn’t answer. Instead, he placed a phone on the center console. It was an active call, on speakerphone. “Does Ms. Harrison have a problem with that?” Chloe’s voice drifted from the speaker. She sounded arrogant and domineering, a complete 180 from the elegant, perfectly behaved girl she played during the day. “I wouldn’t dare.” I frowned and let out a soft laugh. “I’m just curious if this is Mrs. Sterling’s order, or Ms. Sinclair’s?” “Is there a difference?” She scoffed. “Regardless of whose order it is, Ms. Harrison, you just need to understand one thing: Julian’s mother won’t have peace of mind until you’re gone.” She paused. “And neither will I.” Remembering the shadow I saw disappearing at the KTV, I laughed out loud. We had just crossed paths, and she was already setting up defenses against me. And me? What right did I even have to be considered a threat? “I’ll leave right now.” I was too exhausted to argue. I got out and headed upstairs. My bags were already mostly packed. I just needed to grab a few daily essentials. Once I was done, I zipped up my suitcase and took one last look around. My parents bought this apartment. We lived here for over twenty years. Every corner was filled with memories of our family. But now, everything was different. Even the deed to the apartment was no longer in our name. I placed the keys on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, locked the door, and carried my suitcase downstairs. As the car merged onto the highway, I pulled out my phone to send a quick goodbye message to the new owners. My eyes caught the unsent photo and text from earlier in the evening. The impulse to antagonize Evelyn had completely evaporated. I put my phone away and stared out the window, silently saying goodbye to the dazzling city lights. The city lights illuminated the pitch-black sky, illuminating the towering skyscrapers and blinding neon signs. This city held millions of lonely souls. It held millions of stories of joy, anger, sorrow, and tragedy. But there was no longer a place in it for me… 5 The further we drove, the more remote the surroundings became. It wasn’t until I saw the familiar, imposing gates of an estate that I realized Benjamin had driven me straight to the Sterling mansion. “Madam wanted to say a proper goodbye to you, Ms. Harrison.” Benjamin parked the car and politely opened my door. “Is that really necessary?” I didn’t move an inch. I could count on one hand the number of times I had been here, and every single visit was unforgettable. I had zero desire to step foot inside again. “I’m just following orders.” He looked at me intently. “I hope Ms. Harrison won’t make this difficult for me.” I sat in the car, locked in a standoff with him. The freezing winter wind quickly stripped away the residual heat in the cabin, leaving me shivering. “The Young Master hasn’t lived here in a very long time,” he added quietly after a long silence. Only then did I finally step out of the car. Walking straight into the grand estate, I found Evelyn sitting in the opulent receiving room, watching the financial news. She was nearly fifty, but her skin was still flawless and pale. Under the brilliant light of the crystal chandelier, she practically glowed. “Here is your ID. Benjamin will escort you to your train.” Once I sat down across from her, she muted the TV and slid a National ID card across the table. The photo on the card was of a girl who looked vaguely similar to me. “Mrs. Sterling, you’ve certainly gone to great lengths to erase my existence.” I smiled. “And my actual ID? When do I get that back?” “After Julian and Chloe are officially married.” She slid a brand-new smartphone across the table toward me. “Until then, I expect Ms. Harrison to remember her place.” I instantly understood what she was doing: she was confiscating my phone. My throat suddenly felt tight. Holding my passport and ID hostage wasn’t enough; now she wanted to sever all my personal connections? “And if I refuse?” I pressed my hand against the pocket of my coat, gripping the phone inside. Julian had given me this phone five years ago. It was a matching couple’s set. After using it for so long, it was glitchy and slow. But because it held so many memories, I could never bring myself to replace it. I panicked if I even scratched the screen… “I will not tolerate anyone hovering around my chosen daughter-in-law’s future husband.” She pushed the new phone closer to me. “Ms. Harrison, do not force my hand.” That single sentence made the power dynamic and her absolute resolve crystal clear. Knowing I had no other choice, I painfully pulled my phone out of my pocket and placed it on the table. “Benjamin, take care of it,” she ordered. Benjamin picked up the phone, popped out the SIM tray, snapped the SIM card in half, and then, with his bare hands, violently bent the phone until the screen shattered and the chassis snapped. I watched, helpless, as the phone was reduced to a mangled piece of garbage. “Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Harrison.” Evelyn nodded, satisfied. “If you’re thanking me for being docile and obedient these past three years, I accept.” My gaze drifted over the destroyed phone. “If you’re thanking me for my inability to fight back tonight, save your breath.” “Life is long. You’re still young, Ms. Harrison. You need to learn how to look forward.” She lifted her chin and ordered Benjamin, “It’s late. Take Ms. Harrison to the station.” “Yes, Ma’am,” Benjamin replied. I stood up in silence, keeping my head down as I walked toward the door. Benjamin hurried past me and shoved the new phone into my hand. I took it mechanically. “Mia Harrison—” Just as Benjamin reached for the door handle, Evelyn spoke again. I turned around like a lifeless marionette. “Live a good life. No one wants to compete with a ghost.” She stood with her arms crossed, projecting absolute, untouchable authority. I let out a harsh, silent laugh. For years, she had treated me like a highly dangerous thief, guarding against me at every turn. And even right before exiling me, she destroyed my phone to guarantee I could never contact Julian again. But Julian was an incredibly proud man. After I had humiliated and hurt him so many times, there was absolutely zero chance he would ever come back to me. The bitter irony was that after doing so many horrific, unforgivable things, she still had the audacity to fake concern and wish me a long life… “Understood.” I replied coldly, brushing past Benjamin to pull the door open. The moment the door swung open, I froze in my tracks. Julian was standing right there in the hallway. He stood perfectly straight, his breathing even. But his dark eyes were burning with a terrifying, contained inferno. 6 “Julian, what are you doing here?” Evelyn couldn’t hide the absolute shock in her voice. “I missed home, so I came back. Isn’t that what you always tell me to do, Mother?” “But now that I’m here, you seem incredibly surprised—” The corner of his mouth twitched upward. It looked like a smile, but the emotion behind it was ice-cold. “Is it that I’m no longer welcome in this house? Or is my mother busy orchestrating another one of her shady, back-alley deals?” Every sentence included the word “Mother,” but every single word was coated in venom. I listened, my brow furrowing deeply. Even when the old Julian’s relationship with his mother was incredibly strained, he still called her “Mom.” Now he couldn’t even be bothered to use the casual term, yet he happily called Chloe’s parents “Mom and Dad.” What the hell else had happened over these last few years…? “Madam—!” Benjamin suddenly pushed past me, rushing frantically into the room. My train of thought abruptly derailed, and I spun around in confusion. Evelyn was collapsed rigidly on the mahogany sofa, hyperventilating. Her normally composed, elegant face was an alarming shade of purple. A sudden spike of panic hit me. Because with Benjamin gone, the space around me felt instantly, terrifyingly suffocating. I could even smell the faint, lingering scent of alcohol radiating from Julian. For me, this proximity was incredibly dangerous. If I were anywhere else, I would have just embraced the chaos and fought back. But here, in the Sterling mansion, right in front of Evelyn, I couldn’t just laugh it off or scream at him. It would only make me look like a cheap, pathetic clown. I casually took two steps to the side, trying to put distance between myself and Julian. But he closed the gap instantly, wrapping his arm possessively around my waist and physically dragging me back toward his mother. His arm felt like a literal band of iron. I tried to anchor myself to the floor, but I couldn’t match his strength. I was forced to let him drag me forward. “It’s so late, and my wonderful mother is still hosting guests. You must be exhausted.” Julian forcefully shoved me down onto the sofa next to her. “What kind of business deal were you two finalizing just now? Let me in on it.” “Benjamin, escort Ms. Harrison out.” Evelyn managed to catch her breath, but her entire aura was radiating a dark, lethal fury. I immediately stood up to comply. But Julian forced me right back down. “I am the majority shareholder of the Sterling Corporation now. Mother, don’t you think you’re being a bit disrespectful to me?” He casually adjusted his expensive watch. He looked relaxed, but every word was a heavily veiled threat. With Evelyn glaring at me like a predator, and Julian aggressively backing me into a corner… I clutched the cold, unfamiliar phone in my hand, caught completely in the middle. After three years, I had absolutely zero interest in getting involved in their toxic family drama. I wanted to walk away, but my only ID was a fake. Without Benjamin’s help, even if I knew where the train station was, I’d never pass the facial recognition security gates. As the three of us remained locked in a tense standoff, Evelyn spoke again. “Didn’t you want to know what happened three years ago? Let her leave, and I’ll tell you.” “God only knows what kind of bullshit lies you’ll invent. Compared to you, I’d much rather hear it directly from her.” Julian’s tone was incredibly flat. Evelyn scoffed. “You can demand to hear it from her, but that depends on whether she actually wants to tell you.” Suddenly, all eyes in the room were locked onto me. “I have no bizarre fetish for reminiscing with my ex-boyfriend.” The corners of my mouth curled into a faint smile. “I’m terrified my boyfriend, Lucas, might get jealous.” Julian violently kicked the heavy mahogany coffee table, sending it crashing to the floor. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white. The veins in his neck were bulging, making him look like a storm cloud crackling with destructive lightning. I knew he must be absolutely furious. But I felt zero sense of accomplishment. As his former lover, I knew exactly where to slide the knife to inflict maximum pain. When we were together, I never, ever imagined a day where I would use my intimate knowledge of him as a weapon to destroy him. But over the last three years, I had taken every opportunity to brutally, relentlessly shatter his heart… “Let’s go.” I stood up and signaled to Benjamin. He looked nervously at Evelyn. Evelyn gave a slow, heavy nod. As we walked toward the door, Benjamin kept looking back over his shoulder, clearly terrified of leaving Evelyn alone with Julian. “If we don’t leave right now, you might regret it.” I gave him a subtle warning. Benjamin jolted, and his pace instantly quickened. This time, Julian didn’t try to stop us.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391681”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My boyfriend’s “bro” snipped the strap of my swimsuit and gave a smug smile. “It’s just a game. You won’t get mad, right, Chloe?” My boyfriend slung his arm around her and said dismissively: “Mad? Her? I just have to crook my finger and she’ll come crawling right back to me.” He was right. Ever since my succubus nature awakened, I was always… so uncomfortable. Amidst the roaring laughter of the crowd, I bent forward, clutching my chest, and suddenly saw a series of floating text—a bullet screen: [Here we go again with the cliché plot. The female lead gets emotionally and physically abused by the scumbag and his mistress, gets her heart broken, and finally leaves. Then the scumbag has an epiphany, grovels to win her back, and they live happily ever after?] [I swear, when will these hack authors stop writing this garbage? Give me my money back!] [Exactly! Is the female lead blind? Can’t she just look at the ‘Ascetic’ guy sitting right next to her? Why do you think he always wears prayer beads and acts like an untouchable saint? It’s because he has a serious addiction he’s desperately suppressing! He has an entire basement full of toys. He’s cold on the outside but completely unhinged! THAT’S what we premium members want to see!] I froze. Quietly, I sidged over to the most aloof, untouchable ascetic in the circle. Sensing his intense, overwhelming life force, I blushed, bit my lip, and asked in a tiny voice: “Hi. Can I kiss you?” 01 A dead silence fell over the entire room. “Chloe, what kind of joke is this? Get over here right now!” My boyfriend, Liam, instantly lost his composure, scolding me furiously. At the same time, he offered an apologetic smile to Julian. “She’s just throwing a tantrum. Please don’t lower yourself to her level, Mr. Sterling.” Julian wasn’t wearing a swimsuit. His white dress shirt was buttoned all the way up to his collar. He wore a string of prayer beads around his wrist, his expression was perfectly serene, and a faint scent of sandalwood lingered around him. He was someone they could never reach in their daily lives, and certainly someone they couldn’t afford to offend. He lifted his eyes slightly, shooting me a brief, almost imperceptible glance. His eyes were like clear, translucent glass. My heart started pounding wildly. Could those floating comments be lying to me? This was a matter of life and death for my livelihood. Not long ago, my true nature as a succubus had awakened. I heard that a succubus’s first heat cycle was exceptionally agonizing. I had to find prey to relieve the overwhelming desire. As the heat cycle drew closer, I was finding it harder and harder to control myself. The dark, pulsing heat rising within me made me feel constantly feverish and terribly uncomfortable… I tagged along with Liam to this party precisely because I intended to use him to get through my heat cycle. He was decent-looking, had a good height—I figured he wouldn’t be too disappointing in other areas, right? But before I could even test the goods, his “bro,” Sarah, intercepted him. They were just playing Truth or Dare. Sarah was sitting on Liam’s lap, feeding him a blueberry mouth-to-mouth. They kissed until a string of saliva connected them, making everyone scream with excitement. Amidst the cheering, Sarah wrapped her arms around Liam’s neck and winked at me smugly. “Liam was just helping me out. We’re bros, we’ve always messed around like this. You don’t mind, right, Chloe?” I bit my lip, my eyelashes fluttering. I put on a perfect display of someone deeply hurt and broken, yet trying to endure it with hidden devotion. This is one of the classic techniques we succubi use to lure our prey. The highest-tier hunters always appear as prey themselves. Once a succubus awakens, they subconsciously radiate an intoxicating, seductive charm. My pitiful, vulnerable appearance instantly drew the heated gazes of the men around us. Sarah gritted her teeth in hatred. Under the guise of a game, she had snipped the strap of my swimsuit. My pure white swimsuit was accented with pink bows, giving off an innocent, girlish vibe. It perfectly highlighted my figure, making me look simultaneously pure and incredibly alluring. With the bikini top slipping, exposing a large expanse of pale skin and a deep cleavage… I was dangerously close to a complete wardrobe malfunction. I let out a small gasp, wrapping my arms tightly around the thin fabric over my chest, looking like I was about to burst into tears. Like a fragile, helpless little bunny, which only made the malicious, predatory stares around me even hotter. In the next round of the game, unsurprisingly, I lost. My Dare: [French kiss a member of the opposite sex for ten minutes.] Amidst a chorus of malicious, mocking laughter, Liam, still holding Sarah in his lap, casually hooked a finger at me, looking slightly annoyed. “I really don’t know what to do with you. Come here, Chloe.” The crowd cheered him on: “Liam’s got his girl completely trained! Such a beautiful girlfriend, and she’s so obedient.” “Liam’s living the dream, a girl in each arm!” I felt a wave of disgust. That mouth was literally just kissed by Sarah. And now he expects me to kiss it? Nobody likes eating someone else’s leftovers. Just as I was debating what to do, I saw those floating comments. Without a second thought, I sat down right next to the legendary, untouchable ascetic, Julian. He felt cool to the touch, yet he radiated an incredibly rich, intoxicating life force. He smelled so good… I swallowed hard. My entire body felt like it had been set on fire. I was so thirsty. So hot… I absolutely refused to touch Liam’s leftovers now. The man next to me was completely covered, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and trousers. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs… yet he sat as stiffly and virtuously as a monk. It made you want to… rip open his pristine white shirt, bite down on his elegant neck, pin his vein-lined hands to the bed, and utterly destroy all of his aloof, untouchable dignity! Drag him down from his high-and-mighty pedestal and devour him entirely… It was incredibly thrilling! My eyes lit up. To get a taste of this absolute delicacy, I pulled out all the stops. I tightened my arms around my chest, making my curves look even more pronounced. My soft body accidentally-on-purpose brushed against his arm, then I quickly and shyly pulled away. Looking up at him from the absolute perfect angle, I blinked my watery, doe eyes. With blushing cheeks, I bit my lip and asked in a tiny voice: “Hi. Can I kiss you?” He slowly lowered his eyes, remaining silent. Not one to give up easily, I prepared to try again. But Liam suddenly rushed over, grabbing my arm, trying to yank me away from Julian. “I apologize, Mr. Sterling. She doesn’t know any better. She ruined your mood.” I mentally cursed him for ruining my mood. I let out a fake, frightened squeak. As I yanked my arm free, I conveniently delivered a resounding slap across Liam’s face. Taking advantage of the momentum, I threw myself directly into Julian’s arms. During the struggle, the thin fabric of my swimsuit drifted gracefully to the floor. My soft curves pressed tightly against Julian’s chest. As I tackled him onto the sofa, I made sure to give his chest a good squeeze. So firm. So much muscle… Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He let out a suppressed, muffled groan. That sound made my entire body melt. I collapsed completely against him. I was starving for it. I was so hungry, and he was so incredibly tempting… 02 If the protagonist of this steamy, scandalous scene were anyone else, the screams from the crowd would have capsized the boat. But this was Julian. Everyone was dead silent. No one dared to even breathe. Only the bullet screen was going absolutely insane: [Holy shit?! What is the female lead doing??? Is she trying to use the aloof ascetic to make the male lead jealous? Getting back at him for flirting with his ‘bro’ right in front of her?] [Since when do abused female leads have these kinds of moves? She’s supposed to be an innocent little bunny! Her swimsuit got cut, she must feel helpless, so she went to the ascetic second male lead because she thinks he’s cold and celibate and won’t do anything to her!] [Agreed with above. The male lead’s scummy friends were looking at her like they wanted to eat her. The ascetic second male lead is the only decent guy here. He’s much safer.] [Safer? Hahahaha, this is literally walking right into the wolf’s den! If she actually manages to break his seal, I don’t even want to imagine what happens next… hehehe…] [The ascetic second male lead is totally faking it! He’s been suppressing it for ages! He acts all cold and detached on the outside, but if we didn’t already know he only came to this party for the female lead, he might have actually fooled us!] [LMAO, I wonder who it is that chants sutras, meditates, and plays with prayer beads all day, but gets pushed into complete villainy by the intense tension between the male and female leads later on? The guy literally has a solid gold birdcage and ankle chains prepped in secret~] [Why doesn’t the female lead just consider the second male lead, boohoo… Even though his face is cold, he’s hot everywhere else! Even though his words are hard, he’s harder everywhere else!] [The commenter above needs to put some pants on. This is a comment section, not a no man’s land.] I stared blankly at the comments, swallowing hard. I peeked down at the man I was pinning to the sofa. A jaw-droppingly gorgeous face that could command any room, pale skin, clear, shallow eyes. He exuded an otherworldly, untouched aura of purity. He actually liked someone? And that someone was… me? Bullet screen, you better not be lying to me. Our eyes met. Julian snapped back to reality as if he’d been electrocuted, instinctively trying to push me away. I braced myself, let out a soft whimper, and clung to him tightly. I pressed myself firmly against his chest, trembling slightly. With a tearful, pleading voice, I begged: “Please… Mr. Sterling, don’t… don’t look at me…” Julian’s hands froze instantly. A hazy mist clouded his clear eyes. A brilliant flush of red rapidly bloomed across his pale cheeks, spreading all the way to the tips of his ears, completely exploding. Oh my. I keenly sensed a very specific change pressing against me. I purposefully, accidentally rubbed against it. Julian’s breath hitched. Even his abs locked tight. The size seems very impressive. I couldn’t be more satisfied! But on the outside, I widened my doe eyes in feigned terror, biting my lip in distress: “M-Mr. Sterling… how could you…” Julian’s eyes darkened. He reached out, grabbed a towel from nearby, and draped it over my shoulders. Even after he propped himself up, I was still sitting securely in his lap. Mm, excellent core strength. His lower body strength… is also fantastic. Clearly, the bullet screen thought so too: [He just effortlessly lifted her up with him! That core strength, those hips! If he held her up while standing… I can’t even imagine how amazing that would feel!] [Stop, he’s probably already dying of pleasure! The female lead is so soft, so pale, so curvy, and they’re pressed skin-to-skin! He’s definitely regretting wearing a shirt today!] [A hundred years from now, Julian’s epitaph will read: “My greatest regret in life was wearing a white dress shirt to a swimsuit party.”] Despite being incredibly tense and having burning red ears, the look Julian gave me was still freezing cold. Like he was looking at some filthy creature that had tainted him. If it weren’t for those comments and the very enthusiastic response from ‘Little Julian’… I really wouldn’t have dared to get this close to him. Heh. What a faker. I didn’t move away. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his neck. I tilted my head up, pressed my lips against his cherry-blossom pink ones, and gave him a soft kiss. The man’s heartbeat, pressed flush against me, instantly became deafeningly loud. Under the towel, the hand gripping my waist tightened abruptly. With a force that felt like he was trying to meld me into his own body… 03 “Chloe! What the hell are you doing?! Let go of Mr. Sterling right now!” Liam finally let out a shrill, hysterical scream. He wanted to pull me away, but he was too intimidated by Julian’s status. He just paced around anxiously. I pulled away with agonizing reluctance, explaining innocently: “But… the rules of the game say I have to kiss for ten minutes. And it has to be a French kiss…” The room was dead silent. No one dared to speak. They wanted to play this vulgar game to embarrass and humiliate me. But who would dare pull that kind of stunt on Julian Sterling? I blinked my watery doe eyes, my cheeks flushed, and politely asked in a whisper: “Mr. Sterling, can I kiss you?” I let out the tip of my bright red tongue. “A kiss… right here.” Julian’s eyes went dark. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his jaw clenched almost imperceptibly. Sitting in his lap, I intentionally rubbed against him, acting spoiled. His breathing grew heavy, and his hands locked onto my waist in a death grip. He forced a single sound from his throat: “Mm.” Having received permission, I carefully kissed him. Julian’s reaction was inexperienced and passive. The muffled groan he couldn’t suppress was deep, raspy, and incredibly magnetic. So seductive… Unable to contain my excitement, I audaciously pried his lips open. While tangling my tongue with his, I greedily feasted on his abundant life force. It felt so good. I wanted so much more… An unspeakable heat wave surged from the top of my head, spreading downward. Ugh… I can barely hide my ears and tail anymore… I nuzzled against Julian’s lips, offering a soft, seductive temptation: “Mr. Sterling… I really want to eat you whole…” As if layers of chains had suddenly snapped, the wild beast imprisoned for so long finally saw the light of day. Julian’s gaze sharpened, and he suddenly, ferociously kissed me back… [Wait a minute, this characterization seems off for the female lead, right? What happened to the innocent little bunny? Why is she clinging to the ascetic second male lead and refusing to let go?] [I thought it was weird earlier! Since when does the abused female lead take the initiative with another man? Aren’t they usually supposed to preserve their purity for the scumbag male lead?] [Pfft! Preserve her purity for a cheating scumbag? What, does she need to build a chastity monument for him? Wearing mourning clothes would be more appropriate!] [The female lead is impure, so disgusting! I’m gonna throw up! The male lead is right there and she’s cheating with the second male lead! That’s so shameless!] [LMAO, this game was exactly what the scumbag and his friends wanted to play, wasn’t it? Is anyone in this room actually ‘pure’? Why are you only picking on the female lead? Just admit you hate women!] [Seconded! Honestly, the most ‘pure’ people in this room are probably the ascetic second male lead and the female lead! This plot development is amazing! More, more, don’t stop!] Ten minutes was barely enough for an appetizer. The deep, tangled kiss finally ended. Julian’s clear eyes were completely glazed over, his lips stained a deep red, his face full of an unsatisfied, heavy lust. The aloof ascetic had been entirely dragged down from his pedestal. Thankfully, I was the only one who could see it. I was incredibly excited. I couldn’t help but pat his flushed cheek: “Mr. Sterling, the ten minutes are up~” 04 Julian retreated to his room early, and no one dared to stop him. Liam was boiling with rage, but he didn’t dare explode. He could only stand there while his ‘bros’ exchanged knowing glances, silently mocking him for being cuckolded right in front of them. He glared at me viciously, wanting to lash out. I ignored him, wrapped the towel around myself, and went back to my room to change. While I was rummaging through my things, Sarah walked in unannounced. “Chloe, I really underestimated you. Liam actually said you were innocent. Looks like you know exactly what you’re doing!” Her contemptuous tone was dripping with hostility. “I, Sarah, despise fake, pretentious green tea bitches like you the most! Acting all weak and pitiful, being so incredibly fake—isn’t it all just to seduce men?” Now that I’d had a taste of the absolute best, I had completely lost interest in Liam. I didn’t even have the energy to pretend anymore. “Mhm, you’re absolutely right. You’re so amazing, Sarah. Being a ‘tomboy’ means you get to French kiss your ‘bro’. Unlike me, who actually has to pretend to be weak and pitiful.” Sarah choked, completely caught off guard. Her face turned an ugly shade of red. “What do you mean by that?!” I ignored her. “Chloe, you better explain yourself!” She charged forward and snatched my bag. “Believe it or not, I’ll throw your bag into the ocean so you have absolutely nothing to wear!” I blinked innocently. “Wow, you’re so fierce and manly! You’re practically radiating masculine energy! I’m so scared~” Unable to swallow her anger, Sarah actually threw my bag straight out the window into the ocean. She smugly dropped a threat: “Chloe, crossing me won’t do you any good! Not a single girl on this boat will lend you clothes. Let’s see what you do now!” I shrugged carelessly. “You’re so mean, Sarah! What am I supposed to do now? I guess I’ll just have to go ask the boys to lend me some clothes~ I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help me out, right?” Sarah never expected me to answer with such blatant shamelessness. She cursed loudly: “Chloe! You… you despicable, shameless fox demon!” What a coincidence. My true succubus form was literally a red fox. I let out a burst of laughter. I patted Sarah on the shoulder and said earnestly: “Sarah, you’re the only one who treats a piece of garbage like Liam as a prize. ‘Bros’? Don’t make me laugh. You know exactly what your intentions are.” “Why fight over a two-legged man? Since you like him so much, you can have that trash.” “As for me, I’m off to enjoy a real delicacy~!” 05 I messed up my hair on purpose and rubbed a few red marks onto my neck and shoulders. Wrapped tightly in the towel, I knocked on Julian’s door. Julian had already reverted to his meticulously neat, aloof persona. It was as if nothing had happened earlier. I hunched my shoulders and whispered pitifully: “Mr. Sterling… can I come in?” Julian frowned: “Miss Vance, this is inappropriate.” Dead man, still putting on an act. I wonder who it was just a few minutes ago, standing at attention the second I hugged him, gripping my waist like a vice the second I kissed him. My eyes instantly turned red, and I sobbed: “I’m sorry, I know I’m causing trouble for you, but I… I really don’t know who else to turn to…” “They threw my bag into the ocean… and those guys are, are…” “I’m too scared to go to them, so I came to find you…” Crystal-clear tears rolled down my eyelashes. I bit my lip and clutched the towel tightly to cover my chest. Messy hair, ambiguous red marks, humiliating tears, a broken me. Perfect! Not far away, the party had resumed its rowdiness. I heard voices approaching, joking loudly: “Liam’s little girlfriend is really something else. I wonder if he’s blind, still messing around with Sarah. ‘Bros,’ yeah right!” “What girlfriend? He already said he was just playing around. But that body, and her swimsuit was cut… I’m literally aching right now. If Liam is just going to leave a stunner like that alone, he should let me have a turn!” “I wonder where that cut swimsuit went. I wanted to use it later…” I threw myself into Julian’s arms in terror, shivering and pleading pitifully: “Mr. Sterling, please help me, I’m begging you, please…” Julian caught me, half-resisting, half-accepting. Well, the first time is awkward, the second time is easy. The veins on his arms bulged, as if he were trying desperately to restrain something. “Miss Vance, I am a man too.” I looked up at him innocently: “Huh?” “You can’t just casually walk into a man’s room.” The dimly lit room stretched endlessly behind him, like an abyss waiting to devour someone. I traced small circles on his chest with my finger, speaking in an exaggeratedly sweet, baby voice: “Is that so? Why is that?” Julian abruptly grabbed my wandering hand. His fingers were long and strong. The teasing voices in the hallway were getting closer. Julian’s hoarse voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. “Chloe, if you dare to come in, don’t you dare regret it!” The towel draped over me was roughly yanked away, and I was dragged into the room. 06 The bullet screen had been exploding non-stop since earlier: [!!! Can someone please tell me what kind of plot development this is??? Did we suddenly change channels from a PG rating to an R rating? This is way too exciting!] [Ahhhh, the female lead is definitely doing this on purpose, right? Who said she was an innocent little bunny? Her entire character concept just shattered! How is the male lead supposed to abuse her physically and mentally, and then go through a groveling redemption arc for a happy ending now?] [Why the hell would we want a happy ending with the scumbag? I think the ascetic second male lead absolutely destroys the male lead! The way the female lead is seducing him is perfect! Don’t stop!] [So her innocent, pure act was all fake? The way she verbally destroyed the second female lead was so sarcastic and amazing! I want her to teach a masterclass, hahaha! This is so much better than that garbage abuse plot!] [This pairing—the aloof ascetic with a secret addiction X the pure-but-seductive succubus—is AMAZING!] [So the next part is exactly what I think it is, right?! Hurry, hurry! My premium member’s pants just magically flew away!] [Yes, sisters, yes!] The lights in the room were off. I was thrown onto the bed. Julian’s white dress shirt was tossed over my head, blocking my vision. The elegant scent of sandalwood lingering on the collar was intoxicating. I pulled the shirt away, excitedly preparing for my feast. Then I heard him say: “Put this on first. I’ll buy you new clothes once we dock.” The bullet screen was just as incredulous as I was: [??? Second male lead, are you serious??? Are you actually trying to achieve enlightenment or something???] [I thought the long-suffering, innocent female leads in these angst novels had the most endurance. But you! My ascetic second male lead! You are the true Ninja Turtle!] [Ascetic bro, you really are a true monk. Maybe you should take a look at the massive tent in your pants before you speak?] [Ascetic second male lead, stop acting! Stop acting! I’m literally begging you! I’m holding it in so hard I’m about to explode!] [I am Buddha. Ascetic second male lead, I hereby grant you permission to return to secular life. O ascetic with the hidden power of addiction, reveal your true strength before the female lead. I, the Buddha who made a pact with you, command you: SEAL RELEASE!] I accidentally let out a laugh at the comments. Julian’s expression instantly turned deadly serious. His clear eyes were exceptionally cold and emotionless: “Is this funny to you?” I hugged his shirt and asked tentatively: “Mr. Sterling, are you angry?” Julian pressed his lips together and didn’t speak. Using the dim light, I shamelessly admired his body. Cold, pale skin, elegant collarbones, and on his full pecs… Mm, a sweet shade of pink. Solid abs, a tight waist, and an alluring V-line trailing down into… I stared blankly. I didn’t want to be human anymore. I pitched my voice up again, dragging out the syllables in a teasing question: “So, is baby angrier up here, or angrier down there?” 07 Julian had definitely never been teased like this before. He instantly turned bright red. The flush spread from his ears all the way down the back of his neck. He scolded me strictly: “Miss Vance, you are Liam’s girlfriend. Please have some self-respect!” If it weren’t for those comments, I probably would have genuinely been scared by his icy reprimand. I looked at him with sparkling eyes, entirely unbothered: “He just did that with another girl and let them bully me. He’s not my boyfriend anymore.” Julian’s face was like a sheet of ice. “Even so, I am not a man you can just fool around with, Miss Vance.” “If you’re just looking for a way to salvage your relationship or cure your loneliness through these methods, go find someone else.” He turned and walked into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water echoed. I bit my lip, grinding my teeth in frustration. I slowly put on his shirt. It enveloped me entirely in his sandalwood scent. It felt exactly like being held tightly in his arms. His scent was all over me… The heat wave I had suppressed for so long surged back with a vengeance. It spread like wildfire, completely out of control. The air itself felt hot, damp, and heavy. “Mm…” I let out an involuntary moan, hugging a pillow in unbearable heat. The elegant sandalwood scent seemed to seep directly into my body. Ugh… I really can’t take it anymore… Perhaps it was Julian’s stimulation. My heat cycle had officially begun. But he was still acting so freezing cold. What was I supposed to do? Did he really have no interest in me? Suddenly, the bullet screen exploded again: [HOLY SHIT! Male lead, what are you doing??? Using the sound of the shower to aggressively reward yourself is one thing, but why is the female lead’s bow swimsuit in there with you?!!! Even though the swimsuit is ruined, are you trying to completely destroy the bow right now???] [Good lord, I was wondering where the female lead’s swimsuit went. So you had it the whole time! You’ve got fast hands, kid! (in more ways than one)] [He was just acting like an untouchable saint who saw through the illusions of the mortal world, serious and rigid like a monk cultivating his spirit… but behind closed doors, you’re really playing hard, aren’t you, Ascetic Bro?!] [The female lead was so seductive just now! ‘Where are you angrier’ had me dying laughing. She’s too good at this! Hahaha] [But the ascetic bro is still acting all high and mighty. What if the female lead gives up? Female lead, please don’t give up on the second male lead, boohoo! I’m still waiting to see you guys go at it seven times in one night! The ascetic second male lead can definitely handle it, I promise!] I narrowed my eyes and licked my lips. Heh. Dog. He really knows how to act. Fine. I guess I’ll play with you one last time. 08 Julian came out of the shower. I had already put on his white dress shirt and buttoned it all the way to the top. His shirt was oversized. On me, it slipped down, exposing a large swath of my pale shoulder and neck. It was the absolute classic “boyfriend shirt” look. The white fabric was slightly sheer, and I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. As I breathed, the curves of my body were tantalizingly visible. Julian immediately looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. I got out of bed and walked toward the door. “Mr. Sterling, thank you for taking me in. I’m sorry for being a burden.” I reached for the doorknob, but Julian’s footsteps faltered. He quickly stepped behind me, his voice tight with hidden frustration: “Looking like that, where exactly do you think you’re going?” I offered a tragic, faint smile. “Mr. Sterling, you’re right. I am exactly the kind of lonely, desperate woman you said I was.” “Since you don’t like me at all, I’ll listen to you. I’ll go find someone else like a good girl. I won’t bother you ever again…” SLAM! Julian slammed his hand against the door, violently shutting the sliver I had managed to open. His breathing was incredibly close. His large, imposing frame completely engulfed me in his shadow. His voice was hoarse, every word seemingly ground out through clenched teeth: “Chloe, you are not leaving.” “You are not allowed to find anyone else.” I whimpered, acting terribly wronged: “Mr. Sterling, you can’t do this.” “You clearly don’t want me. Why are you trying to trap me so aggressively?” Julian went silent. But the chest pressed firmly against my back was heaving violently. I couldn’t stop a triumphant smirk from forming on my lips, but I said: “…I’m in so much pain. I know you don’t want me, but someone out there will…” “Mr. Sterling, please let me go…” “No!” Julian’s monk-like composure was crumbling rapidly. It was time to add the final, lethal dose of fuel to the fire. A fluffy, fiery-red fox tail suddenly slipped out from beneath the hem of the shirt, wrapping seductively around Julian’s leg. It was a vibrant, almost vulgar shade of red. But it made the man behind me stop breathing entirely. I panicked, desperately pulling at the hem of the shirt, trying frantically to hide the tail. But my arms and the tight fabric only served to further accentuate my chest. The thin material couldn’t hide anything at all… I cried and begged: “Mr. Sterling, don’t look at me, please…” “Please let me go. If you drag this out any longer, I really won’t be able to take it…” Julian’s ascetic resolve shattered into a million pieces. Veins popped on his powerful arms as he wrapped them around my waist, violently yanking me back flush against his chest. He buried his face in the crook of my neck. His voice was incredibly quiet and muffled: “Not. Letting. Go.” “You’re not allowed to leave. You’re not allowed to find anyone else!” “You can only come to me. It can only be me…” The untouchable flower on the high peak had finally crashed completely into the mud. I was so excited my ears popped out too. This was way too thrilling! The bullet screen was losing its collective mind: [Oh my god, what kind of supernatural fantasy is this?! The ascetic monk x the fox demon female lead! This is top-tier! If you knew who I shipped, you’d know how lucky I feel right now~] [? So the innocent little bunny female lead is actually a red fox succubus? No wonder! This pure-yet-seductive energy has completely hooked him! She’s got him entirely under her control!] [Hiss, pant… hurry up and get to the good part! My premium member tires are literally sparking!!!] I couldn’t wait any longer either. I was starving. I melted into Julian’s arms, taking control and hugging him back. Just as I was about to kiss him, I saw that the corners of his eyes were flushed red, his gaze shattered and vulnerable. “Mr. Sterling?” He looked at me with an expression of pure, tragic heartbreak. He looked like he was about to shatter into pieces. “Chloe, I am not a tool for you to use to make someone else jealous.” “And I am definitely not someone else’s replacement.” “You are not allowed to treat me like that.” [Oh my god! Why didn’t anyone tell me that once the ascetic monk breaks his vows, he evolves into an obsessive, devoted, fragile little wife?! Who’s going crazy? I’M GOING CRAZY!!!] [I’ve learned so much today. So when the untouchable saint is dragged off his pedestal, he turns into a pathetic, wet puppy terrified of being played with and abandoned? THIS is the exact flavor I wanted! So incredibly satisfying!] [The Female Lead: A fake, innocent little flower. But you, my second male lead! YOU are the true, innocent little flower!] [Help, why is the screen black?! Are you bullying me because I haven’t paid for a premium membership?! I’m going to buy one right now, boohoo! Second male lead, please don’t finish too fast!!!] [Meanwhile, a prestigious annual premium member casually walks by, proudly displaying their golden badge.]

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391679”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After the car crash, my adopted brother thought I had amnesia. He pointed at his best friend, Lucas Vance, and tried to mess with me: “This is your boyfriend.” In my past life, I immediately exposed his lie and continued to desperately cling to him. Eventually, I died a horrific death in a secret psychiatric facility where my adopted brother had locked me away. Three years after my death, a severely depressed Lucas Vance slit his wrists in front of my grave. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the car crash. This time, I walked straight up to Lucas and opened my arms: “Hubby, hug me.” Across the room, my adopted brother accidentally crushed the medicine bowl in his hand. The man standing in front of me, his eyes turning red, pulled me into his arms and answered in a hoarse voice: “Okay.” 1 The hospital room smelled strongly of disinfectant. My adopted brother, Arthur Miller, and his best friend, Lucas Vance, stood side-by-side in front of me. I shook my throbbing head, completely disoriented, feeling like the scene playing out before me couldn’t possibly be real. “Where am I? Who am I?” Arthur, assuming I had amnesia, eagerly pointed at Lucas, his eyes filled with mocking amusement. “You’re my sister, Mia Miller. And this is your boyfriend, Lucas Vance.” I looked at Lucas in shock. The man’s sharp, handsome features were cast downward, tinged with a deep loneliness. He intentionally avoided looking at me, but his gaze kept flickering back to me anyway. He looked like he was suppressing an agonizing amount of emotion. Just exactly like he did in my past life. 2 In my past life, I had been desperately, hopelessly in love with my adopted brother, Arthur, for years, clinging to him until he couldn’t stand it anymore. After the car accident, he mistakenly thought I had amnesia. Desperate to shake me off, he lied and told me Lucas was my boyfriend. Honestly, when I first woke up from the crash, I did have a brief moment of amnesia. But my memories returned very quickly. Faced with Arthur’s cruel joke, I didn’t think much of it. Instead, like a stubborn idiot, I immediately exposed his lie, desperate to prove my memory was intact. I tentatively grabbed the hem of Arthur’s shirt, tears welling in my eyes. “Brother, I don’t have amnesia. I’m not lying.” Arthur didn’t know what to do with me. He stiffly pulled me into his arms. Just like he had done every time I cried for the past five years. “I’m sorry, Mia. Brother made a mistake.” I was overjoyed, completely tossing that bizarre incident to the back of my mind. I went right back to clinging to Arthur like I always did. Since I was sixteen, I realized my feelings for my adopted brother were anything but platonic. Every time he got a new girlfriend, I would deliberately sabotage the relationship. The psychology books call it toxic possessiveness. I couldn’t deny it. And Arthur silently permitted my outrageous behavior. Many times, when I was dealing with those girlfriends, he was secretly pulling strings in the background to help me. He indulged my worst impulses, and he let me cling to him endlessly. Once, when I was blackout drunk, I threw my arms around him and demanded a kiss. He didn’t push me away. Instead, his body went completely rigid as he let me take whatever I wanted from him. Back then, I arrogantly assumed Arthur loved me back. But I ignored the most critical detail: he had never, ever verbally confessed his feelings for me. I held him and kissed him for a long time, until he suddenly jolted awake and shoved me away in absolute disgust, ordering me to get off him. Arthur wiped his swollen lips, a cruel, mocking smirk twisting his features. “Mia Miller, how could you possibly be in love with your own brother? You’re a sick freak.” I felt like I had been violently woken from a dream, like a bucket of freezing water had been dumped over my head. My entire body went stiff, paralyzed by agonizing shame. “I don’t. I don’t love you.” My voice grew quieter with every word. His sarcastic retort, however, was sharp and piercing. “You don’t love me, huh?” The raw disgust in his eyes carved out my heart piece by piece. I couldn’t answer. Deep down, in my most private thoughts, I did love Arthur. I was an orphan. My brother was the only person in the entire world who treated me well. How could I possibly not fall in love with him? Arthur, acting as if he had just uncovered my darkest, most depraved secret, looked at me with even deeper revulsion. “A sick freak like you belongs locked away in a psych ward to be ‘rehabilitated’.” 3 My thoughts snapped back to the present. I stared in shock at Arthur, who was smirking at me. He was looking back at me, the cruel amusement in his eyes completely undisguised. In that split second, goosebumps erupted all over my body, and I couldn’t suppress a violent shiver. I dug my nails so deeply into my palms that the sharp pain forced me to stay rational. I looked Arthur dead in the eye and answered, enunciating every single syllable: “I understand, Brother.” In this lifetime, I absolutely refused to let my life intertwine with his ever again. Everything between us ended the moment I died that horrific, agonizing death in my past life. The days in that psychiatric facility were a living hell. Arthur visited me once every two weeks. Unable to endure the daily beatings and electroshock therapy, I sobbed and begged him to let me out. I screamed with every ounce of strength I had left: “Brother, I was wrong! I’ll never love you again, I swear!” But every single time, Arthur would just stare down at me with cold, detached superiority, his voice devoid of a single drop of humanity. “Mia, it seems your illness is acting up again.” And with those words, the agonizing, unbearable torture would resume. I tried desperately to contact anyone I knew, begging them to save me. But Arthur had planned for everything. He had buried my existence so deep that absolutely no information ever leaked out. In just six short months, I was tortured to death. After I died, Arthur acted like a lunatic, clutching my corpse and refusing to let go. He said he regretted everything. He said he loved me. He sobbed endlessly, repeating his twisted logic and his deep-seated terror. Falling in love with his adopted sister would have made everyone look at him with disgust and suspicion. My soul stood right next to him, watching the entire spectacle with absolute, chilling apathy. I just wanted to vomit. Even now, just looking at Arthur made me physically nauseous. So, I immediately shifted my gaze to Lucas. I opened my arms to him, forcing down my tears, and said in my sweetest, most pathetic voice: “Hubby, hug me.” 4 CRASH! The sound of porcelain shattering in the hospital room was deafening. I slowly turned my head. Arthur’s palm was a bloody mess. The dark brown medicinal broth mixed with his blood, dripping onto the pristine floor. It was absolutely nauseating. He stood frozen, the cruel amusement entirely vanishing from his eyes. Replaced by an endless, burning fury. However, I had absolutely no interest in him right now. All of my attention was focused entirely on Lucas Vance. From the second the word “Hubby” left my lips, Lucas’s eyes had rapidly turned red. His body went rigid, and he looked up at me in pure shock. Confusion and overwhelming emotion battled in his eyes, eventually coalescing into a profound, violent tremor. His lips parted slightly, his voice thick and raspy. He took a few quick steps forward, pulled me tightly into his chest, and murmured low in my ear: “Okay.” Arthur clenched his bleeding fist, fresh blood bubbling up from the cuts. He coughed a few times, raised his injured left hand, and shoved it right in front of me. The metallic stench of blood made me gag. Lucas smoothly pulled me aside, unzipping his trench coat to wrap it securely around me. I peeked my head out from his chest, only for a warm hand to immediately cover my eyes. “Don’t look. It’s disgusting.” With that, Lucas positioned himself defensively in front of me, glaring furiously at Arthur. His disgust was palpable. “You know perfectly well she hates blood and pain, and you’re deliberately trying to make her sick?!” A strange, unfamiliar feeling bloomed in my chest. I pulled Lucas’s hand away and looked closely at his pale, handsome face. His features were immaculate, exactly as I remembered them. But looking closer, he seemed sharper, more aggressive than before. In my memories, Lucas had always been silent and reserved. This was the very first time I had ever seen him deliver such a ruthless, uncompromising reprimand. Arthur was clearly just as shocked. “None of your fucking business.” Arthur rolled his eyes and held his trembling, bloody hand out again. He looked like he was desperately waiting for my reaction. “Mia, I’m hurt.” If this were the past, I would have panicked, frantically searching for ointment, sobbing uncontrollably while I bandaged his hand. But now, I just shrank deeper into Lucas’s embrace, casting a look of pure disgust at his filthy, bloody hand. “Brother, there are doctors and nurses right outside. I don’t know how to treat a wound.” “You???” I cut him off, annoyed. “I’m tired. I want to go home.” Out of the corner of my eye, I caught someone’s lips curving upward. He looked like a smug little puppy wagging its tail. 5 Physically, I was fine. The doctor said I just needed bed rest at home. Lucas absolutely refused to let me walk. He insisted on carrying me out of the hospital. Arthur’s face was as dark as a thundercloud. In that moment, he finally snapped. He grabbed my arm in a death grip. “Mia, didn’t you say you wanted to go home?” I pried his vice-like fingers off me, one by one. His grip left bright red marks on my skin. “I did. I’m going to my boyfriend’s house. Is there a problem with that, Brother?” “Mia Miller, you are going to regret this.” Arthur let out a self-deprecating laugh, practically growling the words through gritted teeth. Regret? My only regret was not realizing my own heart sooner. My only regret was being an absolute idiot in my past life, letting Arthur play me like a fiddle. Lucas carried me to his car and carefully buckled me in. He started the engine, slammed on the gas, and we sped away. For the entire drive, his large hand completely enveloped mine, never letting go for a single second. When we arrived at his place, I felt gross and sticky from the hospital and desperately wanted a bath. Lucas thoughtfully ran the bathwater for me. He pulled a brand-new, unopened bottle of essential oil from the cabinet. He opened it. It was my favorite scent: jasmine. Then, Lucas opened his massive walk-in closet and pulled out a set of loungewear still with the tags on. It fit me absolutely perfectly. I was genuinely confused. Lucas scratched the back of his neck, his face flushing red all the way to the tips of his ears. “I saw it when I was shopping, thought it would look good on you, so I just bought it.” “You ‘just bought’ all of this?” I pointed at the massive section of women’s clothing taking up more than half his closet. They were all brand new. And they were all from my favorite designer brands. “Don’t misunderstand, I was just… I just…” I blinked at him, waiting for the excuse. Lucas sighed heavily, his expression basically screaming, ‘Fine, the gig is up.’ “Is it a crime to buy clothes for my own girlfriend?” Was this really the insecure, sensitive Lucas I remembered? The guy who used to blush furiously if I so much as spoke two sentences to him? In my past life, right up until I died in that psychiatric ward, he and I barely interacted. It wasn’t until after I was dead that I finally glimpsed the sheer, overwhelming depth of Lucas’s love for me.

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After Liam Vance and the heiress of the Evans family officially announced their engagement… I, a washed-up, D-list actress, dropped a massive bombshell to the press. “I have a child with him.” Thanks to that explosive headline, Liam Vance finally deigned to answer my phone call. “Hey. I’m dying. Are you going to take the kid or what?” 1 I could hear the utter disgust in Liam’s breathing over the phone. A few seconds later, he said coldly: “Fine. Once you’re dead, I’ll take her.” Just as I thought, he didn’t believe me. He hadn’t even bothered to look at the medical records I emailed him. After all, years ago, I used every trick and manipulation in the book to try and get his money. And even now, a leopard can’t change its spots. “Look, I might not drop dead immediately. Can you just come get her first?” “She’s really easy to take care of. She doesn’t cause any trouble. She’s so good and quiet…” Before I could finish, he had already hung up. I tried calling back, but the line was dead. He blocked me. That’s fine. I have my ways of delivering the kid to him. I turned my head. Six-year-old Mia was staring at me with big, wet eyes. She was holding up a plate with a fried egg on it, offering it to me like a precious treasure. “Mommy, Mia learned how to fry an egg in the little pan! Mia can take care of Mommy now.” “Mommy, please… please don’t give Mia away, okay?” She climbed onto the bed and used a little spoon to feed me the egg. Only then did I notice a small blister on her soft left cheek from popping oil. My conscience took a sharp hit. It was a sin, making a little child take care of me. Lately, I had been feeling lethargic, sleeping all day. I really hadn’t been taking good care of her. Her little pigtails were a mess, her clothes were old and worn, and she was always half-starved. Her little chin had gotten so sharp. I should definitely give her to Liam. After all, he was a billionaire heir in New York. Even his dogs ate better than Mia did right now. I tried to coax her: “Our family is very poor, and Mommy has a terminal illness. I could die any minute. How are you supposed to survive as a little kid? Go. Go to your Daddy and live a good life.” I pointed at a photo on my phone and said: “Look, this is your Daddy. And that’s your Daddy’s fiancée, which means she’s your new Mommy.” “From now on, the three of you will be a happy family. That chubby kid at school will never be able to make fun of you for not having a dad again.” Mia clutched the ears of her stuffed bunny, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t want a Daddy! And I don’t want a new Mommy! I just want my own Mommy!” This stubborn little kid took after me. But I was her mother, and I was even more stubborn. Finally, I managed to convince her. She blinked her big eyes, letting out a hiccupy sob. “Daddy has so much money. Let’s make him take Mommy to the hospital to get better, okay?” I pinched her little cheek. “Your Daddy hates me to death. If you say that, he’ll throw you out on the street too.” “You have to tell him that Mommy is a wicked, evil woman. That I hit you and scolded you every day, that I didn’t let you go to school, and that I didn’t even give you enough to eat. Tell him I deserve to die of this disease. That way, you and Daddy will be on the same team, and he’ll believe you.” 2 I specifically chose the day of the Vance Corporation’s anniversary gala to deliver the kid to him. That man looked handsome and dashing, standing on the stage in a perfectly tailored suit, practically glowing. I suddenly remembered what he had told his mother six years ago. “I just keep her on the side for fun. I’m never actually bringing her home, don’t worry…” Even though my feelings for him weren’t exactly pure either. But I hold grudges. Very soon, he wasn’t going to look so handsome anymore. The second he stepped off the stage, Mia launched herself at him like a little cannonball. “Daddy! Daddy!” Looking at the little face in front of him that shared a 90% resemblance to his own. Liam Vance almost lost his mind. He let out a furious, bitter laugh. “Unbelievable. Rose Miller actually had the nerve to secretly raise my child.” The venue erupted into chaos. We both made this child together. But just because he had money, the peanut gallery was only going to insult me, right? “Rose Miller’s leak was actually true! Wow, it’s rare for her to tell the truth.” “She specifically chose to drop this bombshell right before the Vance and Evans wedding. Vance Corp stock is going to tank tomorrow, isn’t it?” “Rose Miller is just blowing this out of proportion so she can extort a massive payout.” “Look at the kid’s sweater, it’s all pilled. She even has a burn mark on her face, and her bangs look like they were cut with safety scissors. Even if the kid is just a tool for her to extort money, she should at least treat her decently. With an unreliable mother like that, this kid is cursed.” Good. The worse they insulted me, the happier I was. At least it would show Mia that her mother really was a terrible woman. That way, when I sent her away, she wouldn’t try to come back and cling to me. People need to understand: raising a kid is actually incredibly annoying. Liam crouched down, trying his hardest to suppress his rage as he asked: “Where is Rose Miller? How much money does she want this time?” “Mommy doesn’t want money. Mommy is already dead.” 3 Liam froze for a second. “When did this happen?” Mia looked like she had suddenly remembered something. She shoved her stuffed bunny into Liam’s hands. “Daddy, hold this for me.” Then she pulled a powder-blue urn and a forged death certificate out of her backpack. “She died the day before yesterday.” The ashes were fresh. I had taught her to say all of this. Liam was silent for a moment, his expression completely unreadable. Mia looked at Liam tentatively. “Daddy, are you going to keep me?” “Daddy, I’m not a picky eater. Mommy said your Samoyed’s food is really yummy. I can just eat the same thing as the dog.” I wanted to laugh. You little idiot, I said his dog food was high quality, I didn’t say we should actually eat it. Liam gritted his teeth and forced out a sentence: “Your mother fed you dog food?! Is that how she raised you?!” Mia thought about it for a second, then nodded. I taught her that, too. Whenever her dad asked if her mom was bad, she had to say “yes.” Liam’s face visibly darkened. He turned to his assistant and ordered: “Take those ashes and scatter them.” “Who’s dead? She could survive anything. What a liar.” Finally, he picked Mia up and left under the escort of his assistant and bodyguards. The reporters’ cameras flashed frantically, taking a million pictures. A few of the paparazzi—the ones who smelled blood in the water and refused to let go—were specifically invited by me. No matter how hard Liam tried to suppress the trending topics later, the narrative was already out there. He had to accept this child. My goal was officially achieved. Oh, right. I had a delivery driver mail the kid to the venue. Everything described above was relayed to me by him, heavily supplemented by my own imagination. Because, obviously, I couldn’t be at the venue myself. The day before yesterday, I was rushed into the hospital by an ambulance for emergency resuscitation. 4 The gossiping from the next bed over woke me up. “Tell me quickly, what happened to the kid from the trending topic? Did the Vance family accept her?” “Of course they accepted her! They already did a paternity test. My cousin told me Liam Vance actually spoils her rotten. He even brings her to work with him.” “How does your cousin know?” “She’s Liam Vance’s assistant! She said the kid is so sweet and adorable. While Mr. Vance works, she just plays quietly by herself.” Hmph. At least Liam has a shred of conscience. “The poor kid. I heard she frequently wakes up crying in the middle of the night, saying she misses her mom. That’s why Mr. Vance keeps her close to comfort her.” “Is the Evans heiress, Chloe Evans, really willing to be a stepmom?” “Why wouldn’t she be? I heard she’s been in love with Liam Vance for years. Plus, for rich people, raising a kid is as easy as raising a cat. It doesn’t affect her at all. She frequently buys toys and brings them to the office to coax the kid. She treats her pretty well.” My mood instantly lightened significantly. The trending topics on my phone seemed to be true. #ChloeEvansHappilyBecomesBestStepmom The attached photo showed Liam and Chloe taking Mia to a high-end, kid-friendly restaurant. The look in her eyes as she put food on Mia’s plate was actually quite gentle. I’ve been surviving in the entertainment industry since I was a teenager; I wouldn’t misread that look. Mia was eating ice cream, smiling so wide you couldn’t even see her eyes. Alright then. The little brat was eating well, living well, and had people doting on her at the Vance estate. Over time, she was bound to forget me. In a great mood, I couldn’t help but order some takeout. The nurse doing rounds scolded me: “Get some rest! What kind of patient starts ordering takeout and buying makeup the second they start feeling a little better?” I smiled. “I’ve loved looking pretty since I was a kid. Even if I’m dying, I want to be a beautiful corpse.” Too bad I won’t be beautiful for much longer. Sigh. I guess it’s karma for all the times I scammed people for money when I was younger. I deserve to die young. I applied some lipstick, and my deathly pale face finally looked somewhat alive. Suddenly, a sentence caught me completely off guard. “Hey, my cousin said the kid was suddenly hospitalized! She’s right here in our hospital…” 5 I sprinted toward the pediatric ward. The words they had said echoed endlessly in my head. “Some people are saying the Evans heiress poisoned the kid.” “Holy shit, the evil stepmother trope coming to life?” When I burst into the pediatric ward, the door was slightly ajar. Chloe lowered her voice and said: “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know she was allergic to mangoes. I shouldn’t have given her mango juice.” Liam comforted her: “It’s okay, it was just an accident.” “If you’re going to blame anyone, blame Rose Miller for not paying attention when she raised her. She didn’t even know Mia was allergic to mangoes.” To comfort his fiancée, he pins the blame on me. Liam, you absolute dog. I stood in the corner of the hallway, waiting until they left before slipping into the room. Mia had just woken up. She opened her groggy eyes, and they suddenly lit up. She reached her arms out to me. “Mommy! Mommy, hug!” “Why did you eat mango on purpose?!” Mia was always obedient. She knew that eating mangoes made her feel terrible, and she never touched them. And I knew that someone with Chloe’s status and intelligence wouldn’t stoop to doing something so stupid. Therefore, the only possibility was that Mia ate it on purpose. She buried her face in my chest and whispered: “Mommy, I’m sorry. I missed you too much.” “I knew you were in the hospital.” “If I had an allergic reaction, Daddy would definitely bring me to the hospital.” There are thousands of hospitals in New York. The little idiot got lucky actually running into me. She broke into a wide grin. “Yay! I really did get to see Mommy.” I was so angry I could have died. “You have food and a home with the Vance family! Why are you thinking about me? Don’t ever do this again, and don’t even think about me! I’m very busy. I’m leaving.” Her tiny hands gripped me tightly, refusing to let go. With red eyes, she begged me: “Mommy, stay with Mia a little longer. Just a little longer, please?” She touched my nose. “Mommy, does your body still hurt? Is your nose going to bleed again?” In that instant, a wave of profound sadness crashed through my body. If I wasn’t dying… Why would I ever have given her up?

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