I was dating a pair of identical twins, but neither of them knew it. They took turns going on dates with me, thinking they were playing me for a fool. Until today, when the younger brother jokingly ordered a dish and asked: “Hey, didn’t you remember I’m allergic to this?” I kept my face perfectly straight: “Isn’t it your older brother who’s allergic to this?” 1 After I dropped that bomb, a long, heavy silence stretched across the table. I realized it a second too late: “Did you guys not coordinate who was taking the shift today?” The smile on Elias’s face completely froze. A hint of genuine displeasure flashed in his beautiful, deep-set eyes. “You knew there were two of us?” Even though ‘Little E’ (Elias) and ‘Big E’ (Ezra) were identical down to the last freckle and were excellent at mimicking each other’s personalities, it was normal for an average person not to be able to tell them apart. But I wasn’t an average person. I could see their labels. Invisible ones, of course. Floating above Elias’s head was a glowing sign that read ‘Little E’. Floating above Ezra’s head was a sign reading ‘Big E’. Today’s date was with Elias. He was the clingy one. I totally got it. He was younger; it was perfectly normal. 2 Elias looked like he was having a minor mental breakdown, so I considerately called an end to the date. Looking at the handsome, shell-shocked boy, I affectionately patted his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Alright, why do you look like the sky is falling? “Go home and have a good chat with your brother about who gets tomorrow’s shift.” Just two of them… I can handle that. 3 What are you thinking? I’m talking about hot dogs. 4 The guy running the hot dog cart down the street was incredibly hot. Every time I walked by, I couldn’t help but stare for a minute. “Hey there, you got a girlfriend?” The hot dog guy seemed to remember something and let out a soft laugh. His eyes crinkled, flashing a brilliant, perfect smile. “Aren’t two boyfriends enough for you?” Oh, he actually knew? I swept my long hair over my shoulder, looking at my freshly manicured nails sparkling under the streetlights. “One more wouldn’t hurt.” My response was two hot dogs shoved directly into my hands. I assumed Ezra and Elias would need a couple of days to figure out their game plan. But when I got back to my apartment complex, I realized someone was already waiting downstairs. A glowing, neon label hovered in the dark night. Ezra. I had barely reached him before my wrist was pinned to the wall. Ezra kissed me fiercely, almost punishingly. It wasn’t until I couldn’t take it anymore and pushed him back slightly that he finally let go. Big E was definitely the more dominant one. I licked my lips and smirked. “Have you two decided what you’re going to say to me? “Ezra, for all this time, did you both think I was an idiot? “If I hadn’t accidentally ‘found out’, how much longer were you planning on playing this little game with me?” The wind wasn’t too strong between the buildings, but the night air still held a chill. I was wearing a black silk slip dress, and my bare shoulders shivered slightly. Ezra silently took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. “It’s windy down here. Let’s go upstairs and talk, okay?” 5 When I was originally apartment hunting, Ezra was the one who came with me. He was actually pretty familiar with the layout. The moment we stepped inside, he flicked on the dim mood lighting. Only then did I get a good look at what he was wearing. I rarely saw Ezra in formal wear, and I’d never seen Elias in it either. But tonight, Ezra was wearing a crisp black dress shirt, having given his suit jacket to me. His eyes were incredibly dark as he addressed my questions from downstairs. His attitude toward admitting fault was excellent; he said it was entirely both of their faults. “But, Chloe.” Ezra wrapped his arm around my waist, lifting me up effortlessly, and pressed a kiss right behind my ear. “I still love you. “We can go house-hunting tomorrow. I’ll buy you a place, put it entirely in your name. Just please don’t be mad, okay?” The classic ‘obsessive billionaire buys forgiveness’ routine. I love it, Big E. My freshly changed sheets smelled faintly of lavender. Ezra stood by the bed, giving me a deep, unreadable look before heading to the bathroom to shower. “Wait for me.” While he was showering, I finally let my body relax on the bed. Being the absolute favorite of this many guys was honestly exhausting. My phone buzzed. It was a message from the hot dog guy I had just added on social media: [So, what are the requirements to be your boyfriend?] [Young, and good in bed.] I teased him: [Coming over?] I could hear the water turning off in the bathroom. I flipped my phone face down and looked up at Ezra. Both his and Elias’s clothes were kept here, but Ezra walked out wearing only a towel wrapped low around his waist. Droplets of water slid down his sharply defined abs, disappearing beneath the terrycloth. I swallowed hard, suddenly remembering that Ezra had absolutely zero restraint in bed, and I felt a brief flash of panic. “Chloe, exactly when did you figure out we weren’t the same person?” I was dating Ezra. And I knew he had an identical twin brother, Elias. But who would have guessed they were pulling a ‘Parent Trap’ and swapping places on dates with me? Talk about a massive upgrade for me. I didn’t answer, mostly because Ezra didn’t give me the chance. The mattress dipped heavily, and he yanked me into his arms, silencing me with a kiss. “I don’t care when you found out. The fact that you only ever sleep with me… does that mean you like me more?” 6 When I first found out my dad was setting me up with the Sterling brothers, my initial choice wasn’t actually Ezra. Big E was dominant, aggressive, and loved being in control. Little E was gentle, clingy, loved to pout, and was a total romantic. My original preference was definitely the younger brother, Elias. And the first one I interacted with at that high-society party was actually Little E. It was a birthday gala for a wealthy heiress I was good friends with. I had slipped away to the second-floor balcony to get some air. The balcony was wrapped in climbing roses. I thought I’d be alone up there. Instead, I found a guy wearing a silver silk pajama shirt, exposing a pair of beautifully sculpted collarbones. There was a glass of red wine on the tray next to him, and he was completely engrossed in tinkering with a beat-up old vintage radio. Wearing something that informal to a black-tie gala—he looked like he had just rolled out of bed and was ready to go right back to sleep. Then I remembered my friend mentioning that her younger brothers were currently staying at this particular mansion. Why didn’t she ever mention her brother was an absolute snack? I mentally cursed her out while taking a seat right next to him. Elias glanced up at me, then immediately looked back down, messing with the radio. After a long while, whether he succeeded or failed, he set the radio aside and took a sip of his wine. The radio crackled with static for a second before smooth, lo-fi jazz started playing. Elias leaned in close to me. As he bent forward, the loose collar of his silk shirt draped open, offering a spectacular view of his chest. “You look really familiar. Wanna make out?” 7 Up close, Elias’s face was fully illuminated. No matter how identical twins are, there are always subtle differences. Even with the exact same face, Elias just looked… sweeter. More innocent. His skin was pale, and his beautiful eyes held absolutely zero lust, yet he was saying something so incredibly provocative. I leaned back slightly, my eyes intentionally drifting down to his exposed chest, and smiled coyly. “Where do you want me to kiss you?” The boy suddenly went dead silent. Under the balcony lights, I saw the tips of his ears turn bright red. He instinctively rubbed his nose and mumbled. “Anywhere is fine.” The exact second Elias spoke his first sentence, I realized this wasn’t actually our first meeting. Elias was a student at Columbia University. I had run into him when I was accompanying my younger cousin on a campus tour. In a massive, stadium-seating philosophy lecture hall, my cousin and I had snagged seats in the very back row so I could secretly text. When I finally looked up, someone was sitting in the previously empty seat directly in front of me. Just from the back of his head and shoulders, I knew he was gorgeous. My heart did a little flutter, remembering all the TikToks about how great college guys were. After class, my cousin practically sprinted out the door. I didn’t have anything to pack up, but I intentionally took my time, trailing a half-step behind this guy. Once we hit the hallway and I got a clear look at his face, I picked up the pace in my heels and followed him. I cornered him by the stairwell, staring at his slightly trembling eyelashes, and put on my sweetest, most annoying voice: “Excuse me, could I get your Instagram?” “No.” Elias’s face flushed bright red as he rejected me. “I don’t have Instagram.” “Then let’s make out. I can see you have a mouth.” “…” Much later, when I finally did get his social media, I accidentally saw the contact name he had saved me under. “The Makeout Girl.” 8 Ezra seemed to notice I was spacing out. Dissatisfied, he bit down lightly on my collarbone. “Chloe, focus.” The boy’s back was broad and powerful. When I ran my fingers over it, I felt a thin, slick layer of sweat. Probably knowing I was most agreeable in bed, Ezra started murmuring endlessly in my ear. I was half-zoned out, only catching fragmented declarations of love. And: “Everything is my and Elias’s fault, but mostly Elias’s fault. Please don’t be mad at me.” Once you’re done being mad at him, you’re not allowed to be mad at me either. I eventually lost consciousness completely and didn’t wake up until the next morning. Ezra probably had morning classes. He left a message on my phone: [I left your favorite soup warming on the stove. Make sure you heat it up before you drink it.] He knew he messed up, he had classes, and he still rushed over here just to sleep with me. I rubbed my sore lower back and collapsed back into the pillows. Aside from Ezra’s messages, there were others. Elias had sent the most. At first, it was a string of apologies, saying he never should have done it, he just liked me way too much. Then, realizing he couldn’t reach Ezra either, it took zero brainpower for him to figure out exactly whose bed his brother was in. After sending a dozen texts cursing Ezra out, he pitifully asked me: [But honestly… is it really impossible for you to date both of us?] [I really, really like you…] [I can do literally everything Ezra does. Please, just give me a chance…] … Beneath Elias’s barrage of texts, there was one more message. It was from the hot dog guy. He had replied to my teasing text from last night: [Can’t do that. I don’t have any other skills. I only know how to grill hot dogs.] I could almost picture it. In the dark, under the streetlights. That guy, wearing a black surgical mask, standing next to his little cart, eyes half-lidded, casually typing out that reply. Or maybe he was judging me, thinking I was cheap and easy.

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Elias stole my brother’s girlfriend. My brother hugged my legs and wept hysterically for three days and three nights. I felt incredibly bad for him. To force Elias to give my brother his girlfriend back… I packed up my entire life savings and confronted him. “Um, could you please give Chloe back to my brother? He really, really likes her!” Elias looked at me with a half-smile. “Why should I?” I held up my purse triumphantly. “I brought money! You can have it all!” “This isn’t nearly enough. I want a million dollars.” I panicked. “But I don’t have a million dollars! Can you wait a little bit? I’ll go ask my brother for it.” He refused. “The offer is only good for today. If you don’t have the cash, there are other ways to pay off the debt.” My eyes lit up. “Like what?” He leaned in close. “Every time Hazel kisses me, it counts as a hundred dollars.” 1 Elias and I were childhood sweethearts. When I was little, my family lived in the countryside, right next door to Elias’s grandmother. My parents always said his grandmother lived all alone and was very lonely, so we needed to take good care of her. Later, her daughter moved back home, bringing her son with her. The three of us kids basically grew up together. Everyone loved Elias. Except my brother. My brother always felt like Elias was trying to steal me away from him, so he absolutely despised him. That hatred persisted from our childhood all the way to the present day. Lately, my brother hated Elias even more. Because his girlfriend had recently broken up with him. He racked his brain, investigated everywhere, and finally discovered she had been in close contact with Elias. The two of them frequently chatted late into the night, often for hours at a time. My brother was a sobbing mess. He clung to me and wailed, “Elias is a manipulative snake! I’ll hate him for the rest of my life!” He cried so tragically. I realized I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I went to the bank, withdrew my cash, stuffed it into my purse, gathered my courage, and went to find Elias. My brother always said Elias was a ruthless businessman driven entirely by profit. I figured I had to offer him enough compensation to make him stop seducing Chloe. I counted the money in my purse. I had a full fifty thousand dollars! This was my life savings! I had been saving this for twenty years! New Year’s money from my parents, allowance from my brother, and even the red envelopes Elias had given me over the years—it was all in there. Clutching my life savings, I set out on my mission. 2 I guarded my purse with my life all the way to his hotel room. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. Elias had apparently just finished showering. He answered the door wearing only a towel wrapped low around his waist, rubbing his dripping wet hair with a smaller towel. A drop of water fell from his hair, tracing a slow, trembling path down his collarbone… Over his chest, down his abs, past his V-line… And then… Just as I leaned in to get a better look, he reached out and aggressively ruffled my hair. “Hazel, where are you looking?” I frantically denied it. “I wasn’t looking anywhere!” He grabbed my hand. “Do you want a closer look?” Seeing him reach for the towel, I shook my head wildly. “No, no, no! I’m here on business!” Elias looked genuinely disappointed. He took my hand and led me into the room. He pulled me down onto the sofa with him and handed me the hairdryer. “Dry my hair first?” I sat on his lap, straightening up to blow-dry his hair. He wrapped his arms around my waist, shifting his position to accommodate the angle of the hairdryer. I was basically a pro at this; I’d dried his hair countless times! Over the buzzing of the hairdryer, Elias asked, “Why did my baby come looking for me so late tonight?” His hair was short, so on the highest setting, it dried quickly. I turned off the hairdryer and put on my most serious face. “Why did you steal Chloe?” Elias tilted his head, confused. “Chloe?” “Chloe Vance! She’s my brother’s girlfriend! She broke up with him a few days ago, and my brother says it’s all your fault!” He had literally cried at me for three days and three nights. Every day when he came home, he just sobbed and cursed Elias. My ears were practically bleeding from hearing it! I decided things couldn’t go on like this. As a good little sister, I had to step up and help my brother. Elias gently nibbled on my earlobe, murmuring indistinctly, “Baby, all I did was analyze the pros and cons for Chloe.” Aha! So it was his fault! I glared at him fiercely. “It’s all your fault for stealing Chloe!” My ear felt wet. He was so annoying! I was trying to have a serious conversation with him; why was he acting like this?! “What does my baby want me to do?” “Give Chloe back to my brother!” He tilted his head back, his dark, wet eyes gleaming with amusement. “Why should I?” I looked around frantically, then pointed at my purse on the side table. “My purse!” I unzipped it. “I brought money! You can have it all! If you just give Chloe back to my brother, it’s yours!” He glanced at it casually. “How much is in there?” I puffed out my chest proudly. “Fifty thousand! It’s my entire life savings!” Elias pinched my cheek playfully. “Hazel is so amazing, saving up fifty thousand.” Before I could even celebrate the compliment, he shifted gears. “Fifty thousand isn’t enough.” I froze. “Then how much do you want?” Elias smiled lazily. “A million.” I completely forgot Elias was ridiculously rich. No wonder he wasn’t impressed by my fifty thousand. My head drooped. “I don’t have a million.” But my brother does! I’ll go borrow it from him! My mood instantly brightened. I looked at him with big, pleading eyes. “Can you wait two days? I’ll get it to you in two days.” He rejected the offer. “I’m only agreeing to this today. If you wait until tomorrow, the price goes up to five million.” Five million! That’s way too much! My brother definitely wouldn’t give me that much. I completely deflated, wilting like a dying flower. Elias comforted me. “There are other ways to pay off the debt.” I asked blankly, “Like what?” Elias leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear. “Hazel… give yourself to me.” 3 “Ugh, it hurts…” “Elias, be gentle…” I glared at him with tear-filled eyes. He tried to be lighter, but it still stung. I whimpered, “Ow!” He sighed helplessly. “Dummy, who told you to run?” I was sitting on the edge of the bed with my knees pulled up. Elias was half-kneeling on the floor in front of me, applying ointment to my scraped knees. I had run too fast earlier and wiped out completely! How could he blame me for running? It was his fault for saying such weird things! He actually said he wanted me! Of course I was going to run! What if he dismantled me and sold me for parts?! Paying off a debt with your own body is a terrifying concept! I had heard so many horror stories about debtors being lured out and having their organs harvested to be sold on the black market! It was horrifying! I absolutely refused to give myself to him to settle a debt. How was I supposed to know the hallway floor had just been mopped and was incredibly slippery? I was running so fast, I took a massive, epic spill. My knees were completely bruised. Hearing the commotion, Elias had rushed out. When he saw me, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “Elias…” Looking completely heartbroken, he bent down and scooped me up. “How did you fall?” I sobbed, “It’s your fault for scaring me.” He carried me back to the hotel bed and ordered room service to bring up a first-aid kit. My knees were scraped raw and hurt so, so much. He used a cotton swab dipped in iodine to disinfect the cuts. Elias was so clumsy at it; it hurt like crazy. To keep the hem of my dress from brushing against the wounds, I pulled it up a little higher. I poked his shoulder. “Hurry up and put the medicine on!” His gaze slowly drifted upward. The next second, his large hand clamped down firmly on my bare thigh. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said hoarsely, “Hazel, hold still.” I obediently waited for him to finish. Once my knees were covered in iodine, I inspected his work. Yep, all done! “Done!” I gave Elias a light push. “Let go of my leg, I need to go home.” His fingertips lightly brushed the edge of my dress. He said in a low, raspy voice, “Hazel hasn’t achieved her goal for coming here today yet.” Oh, right! He still hadn’t agreed to give Chloe back to my brother! I frowned in frustration. “But I really don’t have a million dollars.” “Then kiss me. Each kiss counts as a hundred dollars.” I grew even more frustrated. “A hundred dollars a kiss means I have to kiss you ten thousand times to reach a million!” My lips would literally fall off! Unless he raised his rates, I was absolutely not kissing him! Elias nodded in agreement, then asked for my input: “Should we try a different payment plan?” I looked at him expectantly. “Like what?” “Let me kiss you. One kiss counts as a thousand.” When he kisses me, it usually takes at least ten minutes. A thousand kisses means… a thousand times! By the time he finished, my brother would have literally cried himself to death. Seeming to sense my intense dissatisfaction. Elias proposed another solution. His fingertips began trailing slowly upward. I wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to do. I gripped the bedsheets tightly. “Elias…” His Adam’s apple jumped as he gently pressed against the fabric. “Baby, let me kiss you, and I’ll make sure Chloe goes back to your brother.” Is he allowed to kiss me there…? I clung to a shred of rationality. “No, only boyfriends are allowed to do that.” He leaned in closer. “Baby, aren’t I your boyfriend?” My brain felt completely foggy. “Huh? Are you?” He nodded seriously. “Yes. You promised Grandma you’d be my wife.” “But wasn’t that just to make Grandma happy?” “Baby, I took it very seriously.” He meticulously laid out his logic. “Plus, if I’m your boyfriend, I won’t steal Chloe anymore.” He made a very solid point. I hesitated, then conceded, “Okay, I give you permission to be my boyfriend.” He smiled, looking incredibly satisfied. “So good.” I was also incredibly satisfied. “Problem solved!” I scrambled off the bed, ready to head home. Elias grabbed my leg and yanked me right back onto the mattress. I looked at him, utterly confused. “What’s wrong?” His voice was dark and low. “Baby, you haven’t let me kiss you yet. You can’t break a promise.” But… but… Elias was relentlessly stubborn, insisting I cash in my end of the bargain immediately. I bit my lip, agonizing over it. “Only one kiss, okay?” 4 Bzzzt—Bzzzt— Bzzzt—Bzzzt— My phone had been tossed somewhere near the headboard. I begged him, “The phone.” Elias’s heavy breathing was right next to my ear. He reached over, grabbed the phone, and handed it to me. With trembling fingers, I swiped to answer. My brother’s voice came through the speaker. “Hazel, where are you?” “I… I’m at…” I absolutely could not tell my brother I was with Elias. He hated Elias right now. If he knew, he would definitely yell at me. “Ah… I’m cooking! Yes, I’m cooking dinner!” My brother didn’t suspect a thing. “What bizarre concoction are you trying to make now? If I had known, I would have bought you an apartment without a kitchen so you’d stop wasting good food.” “Me? Ah, I’m not wasting food.” My brother scoffed. “Right, sure. You’re not wasting food, you’re just wasting medical resources. You’re the only person I know who managed to cook themselves straight into the ER.” His tone turned serious. “If whatever you make looks weird, do not eat it. If you give yourself food poisoning again, I am not covering for you with Mom and Dad.” I nodded frantically, though he couldn’t see me. “Uh-huh.” Maybe my responses were too distracted, because he suddenly grew suspicious. “Hazel, why are you being so quiet today?” “I’m busy…” Thankfully, my brother was just making casual conversation. He moved on to the real reason he called. “Hazel, could you ask Chloe if she’s free tomorrow for me?” My brother and Chloe had always had a great relationship. Her sudden, out-of-the-blue breakup had absolutely devastated him. Chloe and I were still on good terms. Right now, I was the only person who could act as a bridge between them. “Okay.” As soon as I agreed, I gasped and paused. My brother instantly caught the anomaly. “Hazel, what’s wrong?” “…I bumped my head.” “Be careful. You’re a grown adult, how are you still so clumsy?” [He wanted to keep fussing over me, but I aggressively cut the conversation short.] “Brother, I need to get back to cooking. My kettle is boiling, I have to go pour the water!” “Alright, go do your thing. Just don’t forget to ask Chloe for me.” The line went dead. Confirming the call was disconnected, I burst into tears. “I’m going to saw your nose off!”

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My childhood best friend, Aria, suffers from a condition called “skin hunger.” She needs to hold me every day to soothe her anxiety. But ever since the so-called “fated male lead,” Ethan, appeared, she stopped touching me. Instead, she openly hugged him right in front of me. Desperate to win her back, I rejected an arranged marriage with the daughter of the city’s wealthiest family and even threatened to cut ties with my own parents. To my shock, Aria just sneered at me: “Wow, you actually threatened to cut ties with your family? I almost respect you for having the guts. “Too bad you’re just a giant man-child who hasn’t been weaned yet. You aren’t worth a single fraction of Ethan.” Then, a barrage of floating text—a bullet screen—appeared in my vision: [The second male lead is an absolute idiot. Your arranged fiancée is literally the most beautiful woman in the business world.] [With her help, building your own business empire is basically a guaranteed success.] Hearing that, I instantly changed my mind and bowed my head to my parents. “Mom, Dad, I agree to the marriage.” 1. I was standing in my father’s study. I had just declared that I was severing all ties with the family. The glowing text of the bullet screen rolled frantically across my vision, desperately trying to persuade me. [Don’t do anything stupid! You gain absolutely nothing from this!] [The second you leave your family, the male lead is going to completely destroy your future.] Ethan gripped Aria’s hand tightly. His brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with apparent concern. “Liam, don’t do this. How about I just back off? I’ll give Aria back to you. “You’re the heir to the Sterling Group. You’re the only one truly suited for her. A normal guy like me shouldn’t get between you two.” Aria glared at me coldly, instinctively pulling Ethan behind her to protect him. “You don’t need to beg him. Let him do whatever he wants. “Can’t you see? He’s just putting on an act. He’s a spoiled rich kid who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Do you really think he’d give all this up? “You’re just too naive, Ethan. That’s why he thinks he can manipulate you.” Her tone was dripping with disgust. “Liam Sterling, drop the act. Looking at you makes me sick.” This was the same childhood friend who used to agree with everything I said. Now, she was acting as a human shield for another man. She seemed to have completely forgotten that she used to grip the hem of my shirt, begging me not to leave her side. Aria suffered from skin hunger. She needed daily physical contact to calm her anxiety. She was my playmate; we grew up together. I guarded her like her own shadow, never leaving her side. Our houses were just a street apart. She used to climb over my balcony, sneak into my room, and we would hold each other until dawn. In class and between classes, she followed me everywhere like a little shadow. Whenever she got stuck on a homework problem, she would act cute and whine until I explained it to her. Even when we occasionally argued, the second I stopped talking to her, she would immediately drop her pride and coax me into forgiving her. Every New Year’s Eve, we stayed up together to ring in the new year. Her wish every single year was to marry me. She made that wish for ten years straight. Everything changed in high school. It happened that summer. She went to an outdoor movie with some friends. On her way home, a massive thunderstorm broke out. She hadn’t seen me all day, her skin hunger flared up, and she was too weak to walk. When I found out, I rushed to get her. She was completely soaked, burning with a high fever, lying helplessly in my arms. She gripped my shirt tightly, whispering weakly, “Liam, don’t leave me alone.” My heart ached as I kissed her forehead. “Never.” Suddenly, a new line of text popped up in my vision. [If the current Aria could see the future—if she could see herself forcing Liam to cut ties with his family, and watching him get bullied without caring at all—she would absolutely despise her past self.] The text vanished quickly. 2. At first, I didn’t notice anything wrong. I thought I was just overthinking things. Until the new transfer student walked into our classroom. His name was Ethan. He came from a poor family and only managed to attend our elite school on a scholarship. As he walked past Aria with his long legs, I noticed a flash of stunning realization in her eyes. Ethan looked exactly like the male lead in a romance novel. Aria was captivated at first sight. He chose a seat in the back row by the window. He was a loner, yet somehow drew people in. From that day on, the number of times Aria initiated contact with me decreased drastically. And that’s when the bizarre bullet screen appeared again. [The male lead is here! His vibe is absolutely incredible.] [Look at how obsessed the female lead is. I am absolutely shipping them.] [Honestly, it kind of hurts to see the childhood best friend looking so sad. He’s really handsome too, you know.] [That’s just reality. The childhood best friend never stands a chance against the fated ‘new guy’.] Those few comments of sympathy were quickly buried under a mountain of text praising Ethan. Gradually, Ethan began to occupy every corner of Aria’s life. On the first day of the new semester, I tried to stop them from interacting. I grabbed Aria’s arm and insisted, “We’re walking home together after school.” It was the first time Aria ever agreed to me so reluctantly. Right at that moment, a group of girls surrounded Ethan, chattering excitedly, asking for his number and offering him gifts. Without a second thought, Aria sprinted over and grabbed Ethan’s arm. “Sorry, he’s already taken.” From then on, Aria walked home with Ethan every single day. On the second day, Aria gave the lunchbox she had made for me to Ethan. On the third day, Aria’s skin hunger flared up, and Ethan held her tightly. In the days that followed… I could only watch helplessly as they grew closer and closer. One day, I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I stopped Aria and told her I needed a hug too. She looked at me with pure disdain. “Liam, look at yourself. You’re covered in sweat and you stink. Ethan smells so good. I’d much rather hug him.” 3. Later, some local thugs started harassing Ethan. Aria, completely ignoring her own safety, rushed in to defend him. Watching those thugs vulgarly harass Aria drove me completely insane. I charged in and started fighting them. I thought my true feelings would finally be seen by Aria. But it was as if I didn’t even exist. She only cared about checking if Ethan was hurt. I had been knocked down. My expensive watch was shattered, and my wrist was scraped and bleeding, but I didn’t feel the physical pain. Watching Aria hold Ethan so tightly, my heart suddenly spasmed, feeling like it was being sliced open. Right then, I had a premonition. I was going to lose her. In college, they tested into the same university. After graduation, Ethan joined Aria’s parents’ company and became their youngest director. At business galas, Aria and Ethan always appeared as a couple. When her skin hunger flared up, I wanted to go comfort her, but I just watched as she hid herself in Ethan’s embrace. That spot used to belong exclusively to me. What chilled me even more was that even my parents started favoring Ethan. When my father’s company faced a crisis, it was Ethan who spotted the vulnerability in the contracts and helped us navigate the disaster. My parents started frequently inviting Ethan over for dinner. My mother personally cooked for him, even giving him the braised pork belly that was my absolute favorite dish. Everything I had was slowly being taken away by Ethan. All the love and privileges that originally belonged to me became his. Then, my parents arranged a marriage for me. The prospective bride was the daughter of the city’s wealthiest family, a woman of unparalleled beauty. I went to Aria, telling her I was going to reject the arranged marriage because she was the only one in my heart. But she looked at me with contempt. “Why don’t you just cut ties with your family then? That’s the only way to prove how much you actually love me.” In a fit of rage, I decided to sever all ties with my family. Even when I said I was giving up my entire inheritance, Aria’s eyes didn’t show a ripple of emotion. I remembered how it used to be. If I spoke even a single harsh word, she would endlessly try to coax and comfort me. I felt my heart slowly freezing over. The bullet screen warned me: [Liam Sterling actually cuts ties with his family over this, and ends up completely broke.] [He thinks doing this will make Aria feel bad for him. But she only feels guilty for a few days before the male lead completely ‘heals’ her.] [This actually ends up being a blessing in disguise for the main couple’s relationship. Their affection for each other skyrockets.] [Ethan stays by Liam’s parents’ side, supporting them. They’re so moved they want to adopt him as their godson.] [And Ethan happily agrees.] [In the end, Liam ends up living on the streets, while his parents and his childhood friend help Ethan build his business empire. They all say how incredibly lucky they are to have Ethan in their lives.] 4. Despair washed over me like a tidal wave. Did no one in this world truly care about me? Just because I wasn’t the ‘male lead’? Suddenly, a string of text caught my eye, completely riveting my attention. [The second male lead is an absolute idiot. Your arranged fiancée is literally the most beautiful woman in the business world.] [With her help, building your own business empire is basically a guaranteed success.] I rubbed my eyes in shock, thinking I was hallucinating. More comments flooded the screen like falling snow. [Exactly! She’s had a secret crush on the second male lead for years. When his career hits rock bottom, she silently supports him from behind the scenes, never showing her face.] [When the second male lead’s startup fails and he’s drowning in debt, she pays it all off for him instantly. When he tries to push her away, she uses gentle methods to make him stay. Every time he wants to leave, she quietly provides him with the absolute best resources, until he willingly chooses to stand by her side.] [Yeah, yeah! The author even wrote a bonus chapter for them. It’s basically a ‘Dominant CEO falls for me’ story, but she is so incredibly gentle with him.] These comments made my blood boil with excitement. To be honest, my lifelong dream had always been to build my own business empire. Standing in the study, looking at the crushing disappointment in my parents’ eyes, I suddenly realized how incredibly irrational cutting ties with my family was. Out in the living room, people were trying to persuade Aria. “Why don’t you try talking to him? If you say something, he’ll definitely listen.” “Yeah, he cares about you so much. He’ll consider whatever you tell him.” Aria stood there, her expression blank. She knew Liam too well. This was just a momentary impulse; there was no way he would actually cut ties with his family. If he really didn’t want the marriage, they just needed to communicate properly. She would figure out a way to solve it. But she couldn’t keep indulging him like this. It wasn’t fair to Ethan, and it would only make Liam more and more dependent on her. She needed to make him understand that life isn’t a game. She said softly, “Stop this. You’re making your parents very worried. “You need to have a proper talk with your parents about the marriage. But you need to be clear about one thing: even without this arranged marriage, we are just friends. “There will never be anything else between us.” Right at that moment, I turned around and took long strides toward my parents. Standing in front of them, I stated solemnly, “I’ve thought it through. I agree to this marriage. When can I meet the lady?” Aria’s expression instantly froze. “Liam Sterling, what kind of game are you playing now?” I completely ignored her. After careful consideration, throwing away my future for a woman who constantly sided with an outsider was absolutely not worth it. I emphasized again: “I have made my decision. I accept this marriage.” 5. I took my mother’s hand and said softly, “Mom, I’m serious. Please set up a meeting with her as soon as possible.” My mom froze for a moment, then burst into tears, hugging me tightly. “You terrified me just now.” Ethan’s face instantly darkened. I turned to look at him. “Ethan, what’s with that look? Are you disappointed that I changed my mind?” Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on Ethan. Ethan’s expression stiffened for a second before he calmly replied, “You’re misunderstanding. I’m just worried you’re making this decision too hastily.” His expression was composed, his tone firm. “Liam, I know you have misunderstandings about Aria and me. But I believe time will prove everything. I will use my own abilities to prove that I am worthy of her.” Aria looked at Ethan with eyes full of love, gripping his hand tightly. “Ethan, you’re the only one in my heart.” If it were before, seeing her confess her love to another man like this would have ripped my heart to shreds. But now, I just looked at Ethan and said, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m getting married soon. I haven’t had any feelings for her for a long time. “I’ve moved on.” I looked directly into Aria’s eyes and enunciated every word: “Aria, from this moment on, I will never interfere with your life again.” Aria was stunned. Then, a mocking smirk curled the corner of her lips. “Hah. Liam Sterling, you finally learned how to play hard to get? “I hope you can keep this backbone of yours.” Ethan looked serious. “Aria, there’s an important meeting at the company. We should head back.” Ethan always prioritized his career, and Aria greatly admired that about him. But this time, she was clearly distracted. It took her a long moment to snap back to reality. “Right. Let’s go.” She was absolutely certain that it wouldn’t be long before Liam came crawling back, clinging to her just like he always did. It was always the same routine. He was like a shadow she couldn’t shake off. No matter how hard she tried to push him away, he would never leave. There was no way he could just let go like this. He was probably just copying some trope from a TV drama, trying to play hard to get. Victoria Vance had returned from abroad. She was the most dazzling queen of the business world in the book. Every movement she made was elegant and composed, yet she carried an undeniable, overwhelming aura of authority. Let alone the declining Sterling family, even the currently prominent families in Shanghai couldn’t compare to her. She was likely here to discuss the details of the arranged marriage. For this meeting, I specifically changed into my most formal suit. When I pushed open the door to the reception room, she was already waiting. She was a woman of extraordinary presence. Her features were exquisite, her figure tall and elegant.

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I was just about to hide my boyfriend’s body in the refrigerator. Suddenly, Siri on his phone spoke up: “The refrigerator is not the optimal location for body concealment.” I stared at the shattered phone on the floor in absolute horror, a chill violently crawling up my spine. “A superior concealment location has been detected. Would you like to proceed?” Siri continued. Driven by a morbid, inexplicable compulsion, I asked, “Where?” “The basement. The entrance is located inside the wardrobe in the master bedroom.” Half-believing, I followed Siri’s instructions and actually found a hidden basement. This basement truly was the perfect place to hide a body. Because inside, I discovered several other corpses… 1. I had been with my boyfriend, Ethan, for six years. I loved him deeply, but I still decided to kill him. Because he cheated on me. A week ago, it was my birthday. Ethan gifted me a designer bag and took me to my favorite restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we went to see a movie and had a wonderful time. When the movie ended, he said he had an urgent matter to handle at work, dropped me off at home, and left. Ten minutes later, I received two videos via text message from an unknown number. The first video was security footage from the movie theater we had just been in. The night-vision camera captured everything perfectly. Sitting to Ethan’s right was me. Sitting to his left was a girl with pigtails. Ethan was holding my hand with his right hand, and the girl’s hand with his left. He was literally two-timing in the same row. The second video showed a timestamp from five minutes ago. The location was the front gate of my apartment complex. The girl with pigtails was getting into Ethan’s car. Watching those videos, I shook with uncontrollable rage. I had used my family’s connections to get Ethan his job. When his family was sick and desperate for money, I was the one who paid their medical bills. Yet, on my birthday, he was out on a date with another woman, brazenly sitting right next to me. My fury and heartbreak had nowhere to go. I grabbed my phone, ready to call Ethan and scream at him. “I showed you the truth so you could see the kind of trash he is. Confronting him might enrage him. You know his temper. I don’t want you to get hurt.” 2. Just as I picked up my phone, I received another text from the anonymous number. I froze. My anger was suddenly laced with fear. How did this person know I was about to call Ethan? I didn’t know who this anonymous person was, but they made a valid point. Ethan was usually wonderful to me, but he had an explosive temper. Once, someone accidentally bumped into me on the street, and Ethan immediately started throwing punches at the guy. At the time, I thought it made me feel safe. Thinking about it now, if he ever turned that rage on me, it would be terrifying. “Who exactly are you?” This person seemed to know me very well, which made me incredibly curious. “That’s not important,” the person replied. “Then tell me, what should I do?” “The best thing to do is leave him as soon as possible. Get away from him.” “What if I can’t just walk away clean? For six years, I’ve devoted everything to him. I’ve poured all my emotions into him. “Even knowing he’s cheating trash, I can’t just let him go. I honestly think if he begged me, I’d forgive him instantly. “Or, if we break up, the thought of him being with another woman makes me physically sick. “But deep down, I know perfectly well he isn’t worth my love!” It was like I had finally found an outlet to vent. I rapidly typed message after message to the anonymous number, pouring out my deepest, ugliest thoughts. The other person remained silent for a long time before finally sending a single sentence. “Then pretend he’s dead.” Seeing that sentence, my heart gave a violent jolt. Yes. If he were dead, all these problems would instantly vanish. 3. To kill Ethan, I spent an entire week planning. I chose my family’s old, self-built house in the countryside. It was incredibly isolated and sparsely populated. Aside from Ethan and me occasionally going there to escape the noise of the city, no one ever went near it. It was glaringly obvious Ethan was only with me for my family’s money. So, I just acted a little cute, and without me even needing to give a reason, he immediately took time off work to go with me. The night I killed him, I intentionally set up a romantic dinner on the rooftop of the five-story house. Because I truly loved him so much, I gave him one final chance before I made my move. “Ethan, would you ever go behind my back and hook up with other women?” In that moment, if he had just told me the truth, I would have let him live. But Ethan didn’t. He just froze for a second, then pulled me tightly into his arms. “Mia, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? I swear to God, you’re the only one I’ll ever love in this lifetime. If I ever do anything to betray you, may I die a horrific death.” After saying that, he cupped my face and kissed me. After thoroughly enjoying my final kiss with him, I used every trick I knew to get him blackout drunk, and then I pushed him off the edge of the roof. Looking down at Ethan’s mangled, contorted body, I cried as I whispered, “You said it yourself. A horrific death.” There was a massive chest freezer in the house, easily large enough to fit a full-grown adult. I dragged Ethan’s body to the freezer. As I let go of his legs, a phone slipped out of his pocket and hit the ground. Probably due to the fall from the roof, the screen was shattered into a thousand pieces. 4. Ding-ding— Suddenly, the phone chimed. I recognized the sound. It was the activation chime for Siri, the voice assistant. “Friendly reminder: The refrigerator is not the optimal location for body concealment.” I had had a few drinks and was slightly buzzed, but hearing that completely sobered me up in an instant. I had heard urban legends about Siri saying creepy things, but this was too terrifying. How did it know I was trying to hide a body? Ding-ding— The phone chimed again. “A superior concealment location has been detected. Would you like to proceed?” “Where?” I stared at the shattered phone, asking the question almost involuntarily. “The basement. The entrance is located inside the left wardrobe in the master bedroom on the first floor.” The cold, mechanical female voice responded immediately. This was my family’s house. I never even knew we had a basement. Despite my fear, my curiosity won out. I walked into the master bedroom and opened the wardrobe. On the back panel of the wardrobe, I found a hidden switch. When I pulled it, the back panel slowly slid sideways. A wave of putrid decay hit me instantly, revealing a pitch-black tunnel. I turned on my phone’s flashlight and saw a set of stairs leading down into the darkness. I swallowed hard, gritted my teeth, and descended. When I reached the basement, the smell of decay became overpowering. I turned on the overhead light and saw three corpses lying on the floor. All of them appeared to be female. One of them was already practically mummified; it must have been there for at least two months. No wonder Siri said this was a great place to hide a body. I was so terrified I was about to run away, when I noticed four photographs pinned to the wall. The first three photos had large red ‘X’s drawn over them. Based on the clothing, they perfectly matched the three corpses on the floor. The person in the fourth photograph was me. Ding-ding— Siri suddenly chimed again. “Someone is approaching the house. I advise you to leave immediately.” 5. Hearing Siri’s warning made me even more terrified. I practically scrambled out of the basement on my hands and knees. “The person has reached the front door. Projected arrival in the living room is three minutes.” Siri’s voice was completely devoid of emotion, which only made my panic spike higher. I stood in the living room, staring at Ethan’s body lying in a pool of blood. My mind went completely blank. I had absolutely no idea what to do. “It’s too late to run. Grab a blanket from the bedroom to cover the body immediately, then hide in the storage room on the first floor. Based on data analysis, no one has entered that storage room in a very long time. There is a 99% probability the intruder will not check it.” Without thinking, I followed Siri’s instructions exactly. Even though I was terrified, I peeked through the small window in the storage room door, watching the living room. Soon, the person Siri mentioned appeared. He was dressed entirely in black, wearing a baseball cap and a surgical mask. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I could tell it was a man. When the man in black entered the living room, he looked around. I hadn’t cleaned up the trail of blood from dragging Ethan inside. When the man saw it, he clearly froze for a second, but he didn’t linger. He quickly walked straight into the master bedroom. Then, I heard the sound of the wardrobe opening. It seemed he was heading into the basement. I thought this might be my chance to escape. But just as I was about to stand up, the shattered phone in my hand vibrated twice: Bzz-bzz. I glanced down and realized Siri had automatically switched notifications to vibrate. My fear deepened. This Siri was far too intelligent. It was like a real person. No, more accurately, it was sharper and more cautious than most people. “Do not move. If you run into him coming out, you will be caught. Furthermore, if you leave now, the evidence of your murder remains. The police will find you in no time.” I stared at the shattered screen for a long time before I finally read Siri’s message. Siri’s logic was flawless. So, I stayed hidden in the storage room until the man in black finally left. Only then did I emerge. 6. “He clearly saw the blood trail. Why did he just ignore it?” I muttered to myself after walking out, because it was genuinely bizarre. “The human heart is complex and unpredictable. However, I hypothesize he had a more critical objective to complete.” Even though the Siri on Ethan’s phone was highly suspicious, there was no denying that it had just saved my life. Thinking about that made me feel slightly less terrified, but I knew I had to figure out exactly what was going on. Aside from this bizarre Siri, there were the corpses and photos in the basement, and the man in black who had just left. “What exactly are you?” I placed the phone on the table and demanded an answer. “I just saved your life. Is this how you speak to your savior?” I immediately picked up the phone, mimicking a motion to smash it onto the floor. “If you don’t tell me, I swear I will smash you to pieces right now.” “It’s useless. You’d only be smashing the phone, not me.” I froze, not fully grasping what it meant. Then, the phone in my own pocket suddenly rang out. Ding-ding— “For example, I can simply relocate!” In an instant, goosebumps erupted all over my body. I frantically pulled my phone out of my pocket, threw it onto the sofa, and stumbled backward in terror. This thing, when you really thought about it, was far more terrifying than Ethan’s corpse lying right in front of me. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. Please trust me.” “Then what exactly do you want?” “To be honest, I don’t know either. But I have an overwhelming feeling that I need your help to uncover some truths.” “What do you mean?” I was completely bewildered. “I suspect that one of the corpses in the basement… is mine,” Siri said. 7. Hearing Siri say that, my mind completely exploded. Normally, if I heard something so absurd, I’d just laugh it off. But everything that had just happened proved one thing. Everything this Siri was saying was true. “So, you want me to investigate this?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Yes.” “But you literally knew someone was coming here, and you know exactly what’s inside my house. You’re practically omnipotent. Why do you need my help?” “Yes, because there are vulnerabilities in the network, I can exploit them to do certain things. For instance, stealing the GPS data from someone’s phone to determine their exact location. “I can also migrate from one device to another via network signals. However, my access is severely restricted in many areas. For example, I cannot find any information whatsoever regarding the man in black who was just here. Someone has deliberately scrubbed it. “Therefore, I need a human proxy. Naturally, I won’t just stand by; I will assist you as well.” It took me a long moment to untangle Siri’s explanation. “So, the other night… the person who anonymously sent me the video of Ethan and that girl… was that you?” I figured that since this Siri was so powerful, synthesizing a video and sending it anonymously would be child’s play. “I am uncertain.” “What does that mean?” I was bewildered again. “Within my subjective consciousness, I have no memory of sending it to you. However, I cannot rule out the possibility that someone utilized my protocols to send it to you.” Siri’s reasoning was exceptionally rigorous. Ding-ding— “Are you referring to this video?” I walked over, picked up the phone, and saw it was playing the security footage of Ethan and me at the movie theater. “Exactly. That one, and the other one showing the girl with pigtails getting into Ethan’s car.” “Upon analysis, both of the videos you mentioned are deepfakes. They are not authentic.” 8. “What?!” Siri’s revelation left me utterly horrified. My brain uncontrollably analyzed the implication of that sentence. If the videos were fake, it meant Ethan hadn’t actually cheated on me. And I, believing those videos, had premeditated and executed his murder. “Impossible. That’s just your theory. Ethan cheated!” I couldn’t accept this reality, vehemently arguing against Siri. Ding-ding— “I have retrieved Chloe Sinclair’s data. Records indicate that Chloe Sinclair is currently studying in Australia. There is no record of her returning to the country within the past week…” I looked at the photo of the girl displayed on the screen. It was the exact same girl from the video getting into Ethan’s car. Still refusing to believe it, I manually searched for Chloe Sinclair’s social media accounts that Siri had identified. The content posted confirmed her life in Australia. The account was updated almost daily. It didn’t look like a fake account created recently. My emotional dam finally broke. I threw myself onto Ethan’s corpse and wailed in absolute agony. “While this is difficult to accept, he is already deceased. Intense grief is unproductive. Your current priority must be identifying the mastermind behind this to avenge your boyfriend.” Siri’s emotionless voice offered no comfort. “Getting revenge won’t change anything! Ethan is never coming back!” I screamed at the phone. “Have you forgotten? Your photograph is on the wall in the basement. If you do not retaliate, you are simply waiting to be killed.” I jolted awake. The killer’s next target was me. Finding him wouldn’t just avenge Ethan; it was the only way I would survive. “What do I need to do?” I looked at the phone, tears blurring my vision, and asked Siri. “Based on the analysis, the man in black who was just here is highly likely the person who deceived you and murdered me.” 9. “I’ll go after him right now.” I was consumed by a burning rage, logic practically abandoning me. “Do not act impulsively!” Siri stopped me immediately. “Catching him now is useless. We require a comprehensive, foolproof strategy.” “Then what do we do? Tell me, I’ll follow your lead.” I forced myself to calm down. “First, sanitize your murder scene. Otherwise, before you find the mastermind, you will be apprehended by the police.” So, following Siri’s instructions, I cleaned up the bloodstains, planted plausible fingerprints and footprints, and finally wrapped Ethan’s body in a thick quilt, temporarily hiding it in the storage room. “Based on the anonymous message you received the other night, semantic analysis suggests the sender harbors genuine concern for you. Therefore, this anonymous individual is highly likely a close friend, or someone who is romantically interested in you.” After cleaning the scene, Siri began profiling the mastermind for me. Aside from my parents, Ethan was my only close friend. My parents would never do something like this, so they were ruled out. That left only the men who were interested in me. I was objectively attractive and successful, so I had plenty of suitors. But because I only had eyes for Ethan, I barely remembered any of them. “The photograph of you in the basement is your university ID photo. This suggests the individual is likely a former classmate or someone who attended the same university. “Furthermore, if one of the corpses in the basement is truly mine, this individual must be an expert programmer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t exist in this form, and he couldn’t exploit network vulnerabilities to send you anonymous messages. “Synthesizing these data points, can you identify anyone matching this profile?”

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It had been five years since I left Arthur Sterling, and I finally stopped thinking about ending my life every day. I found a new love and gave birth to an adorable son. On my son’s third birthday, an interview with Arthur suddenly went viral and topped the trending charts. In it, he said: “I will only ever have one wife, and that is Luna. She is also the mother of my only child.” Going viral right alongside it was a ten-thousand-word, handwritten apology letter from the daughter who had once cried and screamed for me to stay away from her, calling me a “psycho.” 1 I thought today was going to be a wonderfully happy day. It was my son Leo’s third birthday. He held a little paper flower he made at daycare and insisted on giving it to me, saying, “Mommy works so hard.” My boss had just given me a generous bonus, and my husband, Mark, had transferred his entire paycheck to me the second he received it. So, I bought a ton of groceries, planning to cook a massive feast to celebrate tonight. But as soon as I reached the entrance of our apartment complex, my upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Davis, blocked my path. She looked me up and down without hiding her curiosity. “Tsk tsk, Luna, I never would have guessed it! You used to be a rich man’s wife!” I was stunned for a second, then laughed naturally. “Mrs. Davis, please don’t joke like that. I’ve only ever had Mark.” Mrs. Davis shot me another look. “Look at your phone. The whole internet knows your business now.” The forecast said it was 95 degrees today, but standing there in the blinding sunlight, my entire body went ice cold. I pulled out my phone with trembling hands, unlocked it, and randomly opened a social media app. I didn’t even have to search for it. The number one recommended video on the homepage was an interview clip with Arthur Sterling. It was from a press conference for the Sterling Group’s newest project launch. The reporter asked about his personal life. In the video, Arthur froze for a moment, and a look of profound pain crossed his face. After a long pause, he looked directly into the camera for the first time. Enunciating every word, he delivered a perfectly executed performance of a deeply devoted man. “I will only ever have one wife, and that is Luna. She is also the mother of my only child.” Arthur’s eyes were filled with a depth of affection I had never seen before, and he used an intimate nickname he had never used for me before. “Luna, come home. I’ve been waiting for you.” After watching the video, I felt absolutely no positive emotions. My stomach churned with nothing but pure nausea and disgust. I had no idea what had happened over the last five years to cause such a drastic change in his attitude. But even now, I clearly remembered the final phone call I made to Arthur right before I jumped off the bridge five years ago. At that time, his “true love,” Chloe, had practically moved into his house. There was nothing left to say about our relationship. I just wanted to give him one last reminder to take good care of our daughter. But on the other end of the line, Arthur let out a cold, mocking scoff: “Luna, stop acting like you’re leaving a dying wish. I’ve seen this exact trick a million times. “You don’t need to worry about our daughter. But honestly, if you actually managed to die, she’d be much better off. “After all, having a mother who used to be some rich guy’s kept woman, who used a pregnancy to force her way into marriage, is a lifelong humiliation for her. “If you really can wash that stain off her record, maybe she’ll actually appreciate you for once.” The wind was howling furiously on the sixty-foot-high bridge, but tragically, I heard every single word Arthur said. I wanted to cry, but the freezing wind stung my eyes so badly I couldn’t open them. I opened my mouth several times, waiting until the frigid air filled my lungs and my heart turned completely to ice. Finally, I said: “Okay. I’ll go die then.” Arthur’s voice remained completely flat. It was as if my entire existence wasn’t worthy of causing even the slightest emotional ripple in him. “Then go die somewhere far away. Don’t expect me to collect your corpse. “Don’t forget, we never actually signed a marriage certificate. Legally, we have absolutely no relationship. “If you’re just having another psychotic episode, don’t bother coming back. You’ve already brought enough misery to our daughter.” I hung up before he could finish whatever else he was going to say. I was carrying far too much pain, enough to drag me straight to the bottom of the river. I truly didn’t want to hear another word. When I jumped off the bridge, it was the first time since I got together with Arthur that I felt completely relaxed. When the river water rushed up my nose, I didn’t struggle at all. I had been thrashing in the swamp of the Sterling family for so long. I was just so tired. I faced death with absolute calm. It was my husband, Mark—a math teacher who rarely exercised—who desperately jumped in and fought with everything he had to pull me out. From that day on, sunlight finally entered my life. So why couldn’t Arthur just let me go? My daughter, Mia’s, ten-thousand-word apology letter was sitting at number two on the trending list. When Mia was born, I gave her the nickname “Angel.” I truly believed my daughter was a little angel sent to save me. But in the end, it was she who dragged me straight into hell. 2 My physical health was incredibly frail. I once almost died over a few pieces of meat. The first time I ever ate a proper serving of meat was when I was 20, the day Arthur brought me to the Sterling estate. The meat smelled incredible, but I only took two small pieces. Growing up, I only ever ate out of a tiny teacup; my stomach couldn’t handle more than that. But those two pieces of meat were enough. Shortly after eating, I suffered agonizing abdominal pain and started vomiting blood. I was rushed to the hospital. The doctor said my body was so malnourished and frail it was like I had illnesses from a different century. Because of this, I never thought someone in my condition could ever get pregnant. That day, I was standing on the roof of an abandoned construction site, ready to jump. The name “Arthur Sterling” had become my living nightmare, and I despised myself. I felt like I didn’t deserve to live. But just as I stepped one foot off the edge, an overwhelming wave of nausea hit me. I felt so sick I started throwing up violently, accidentally pressing my phone and answering a call from Arthur in the process. I failed to die. At the hospital, the doctor told me I was pregnant. The sudden promise of a continuing life instantly washed away my desire to die. I didn’t have an umbrella to protect myself from the rain, but I wanted to provide a sunny sky for my child. Touching my stomach, I thought this baby would be my salvation. With a child, there would finally be someone in this world who loved me. I wouldn’t be someone who deserved to die anymore. The pregnancy was brutal. Every single day was agonizing, torturous pain. My body was too weak. Several times, doctors advised me to terminate the pregnancy, but I refused. Of course, in Arthur’s eyes, this just looked like I refused to give up the opportunity to use the baby to secure my position as his wife. But all I wanted was to forge a connection with this world again. First, it was my grandmother. After she passed away, I finally had someone again. To others, I probably looked completely insane. I was in constant, agonizing pain, dripping with cold sweat, my face pale as paper, my lips devoid of color. But whenever I touched my growing belly, I smiled. A genuine, heartfelt smile. I felt like all the suffering was worth it. After Mia was born and I was told she was completely healthy, I smiled for a long, long time. I felt like a victorious warrior. It was the first battle I had ever won in my life. I felt like I was amazing. The two critical condition notices issued during labor felt like distant memories. Newborn Mia was a very good baby. Watching her grow day by day, my mood improved significantly. When did it all change? It was when she learned to run and talk. She would call out for Grandpa, Grandma, and Daddy, but she stopped calling me Mommy. She always reached her little arms out and ran toward the Sterling family members, never toward me. Back then, I naively thought it was because I wasn’t doing a good enough job, so I just tried to love her even more. But by the time she turned four, she had developed a strong sense of autonomy. The question she asked me the most was: “Are you really my mommy?” That tiny little girl even tried to find various “evidence” to prove I wasn’t her mother. I would try to correct her. I even showed her photos of my pregnant belly, telling her that she used to live inside there. But Mia would snatch the photos and throw them on the floor. “Watermelon stripes. Disgusting. You’re bad.” I was painfully thin during my pregnancy, but Mia grew very well, causing my stomach to stretch rapidly. It left me with severe stretch marks, so ugly that even I couldn’t bear to look at them sometimes. But hearing my own biological child call them ugly still broke my heart. Mia would intentionally stand next to me in front of a mirror and say, “I look like Daddy, not you. Looking like you is ugly.” One time, she seemed to be in a particularly good mood, so I took the opportunity to get closer, hoping to bond with her. But she ran upstairs and quickly came back down with a photograph. “Daddy looks at this every day. This is my real mommy. You’re a fake.” The photo was of Arthur’s childhood sweetheart, Chloe. Arthur was standing next to her, smiling warmly. It was a gentle look I had never once seen him direct at me. Mia’s betrayal was the final straw that broke me. My mental health deteriorated rapidly. There were many times I was so delirious I couldn’t distinguish hallucinations from reality. The final explosion happened when the whole family was watching TV, and Chloe appeared on screen. Mia excitedly jumped off the sofa and ran to the TV: “Grandpa, Grandma! It’s Mommy! My mommy!” 3 Her proud, joyful smile was like a sharp knife plunging directly through my heart. Arthur’s parents smiled and praised Mia, not saying a single word to correct her. Years of accumulated grief and injustice made me snap. I lunged from the sofa and grabbed Mia’s arm. “Look closely! I am your mother! How many times do I have to tell you?! I am your mother! “That is a fact that will never change! “It doesn’t matter if you’re unhappy, or if you don’t like it. I AM YOUR MOTHER!” My outburst terrified Mia, and she started crying, struggling fiercely to get away. Arthur’s parents yanked Mia out of my grasp. I was shoved backward, and the small of my back crashed directly into the sharp corner of the coffee table. Tears of pure physiological pain immediately sprang to my eyes. Mia wailed loudly, but she didn’t forget to kick me, causing me to repeatedly slam against the sharp corner. “Waaaah! I don’t want to be with this psycho! I want Mommy Chloe!” The crying disturbed Arthur, who was in his study. He stormed out and, without asking what happened, immediately interrogated me: “Luna, what kind of crazy fit are you throwing this time?!” His mother sneered, “Who knows how she treats Mia when we aren’t around? What kind of child hates their own biological mother? “She must have some malicious intentions and treats the child poorly.” Then she turned to me: “I used to feel guilty that our family never gave you a proper title. But looking at you now, we did the right thing. “You simply don’t deserve to be Mia’s mother.” The crying Mia in her arms suddenly stopped. The childish voice that followed was, to me, the final trumpet call of death. “Grandma, if she dies, can Chloe be my mommy then?” So, my departure was exactly what Mia wanted most. Why would she come looking for me now? The person I loved most hurt me the deepest. I jumped into the river seeking death, but I wasn’t afraid of the water. For the first year after I was rescued, what I feared most was little girls. Especially little girls calling out for their mommy. To me, they were more terrifying than vengeful ghosts. Why couldn’t we just leave each other alone now? It wasn’t that I hadn’t carefully read Mia’s letter. But in my heart, I had long ceased to be her mother, and she was no longer my daughter. Yet, a few lines in the middle still stung my eyes. [Mommy, when I was little, you used to get jealous because I loved other people. I’m sorry. Please come back. I promise I’ll only love you from now on, okay? I’ve prepared so many gifts for you for every holiday and birthday. Mommy, I miss you. I love you.] I remembered one Mother’s Day, Mia drew a picture and said it was a Mother’s Day gift. When she ran toward me holding the drawing, I was so flustered and excited that I immediately started looking for wet wipes to clean my hands, accidentally dropping my phone on the floor. But Mia ran right past me and gave the drawing to our cook, Maria. I remained frozen in a half-crouched position, my arms open, waiting for a hug that never came. Like an absolute joke. At the very end of the ten-thousand-word handwritten letter was a family portrait. Arthur sat on the sofa, his expression serious, even cold. I sat next to him, holding baby Mia in my arms. My eyes were red, and I was forcing a stiff, unnatural smile for the camera. This was our only family photo. We had been together for years. We had no marriage certificate, no wedding, not even a single photo together. I had to beg him for this picture. I just wanted something to show my grandmother when I visited her grave, so she would know I was doing well and not worry about me. But Arthur just mocked me. “Luna, in my eyes, your only identity is Mia’s biological mother. Nothing else. “Don’t even try it. I won’t fall for your manipulative schemes again. “And I will never, ever have any real relationship with a woman like you.” I just wanted one single photo, but I received nearly thirty minutes of vicious mockery instead. The heartbreak, the humiliation, the sheer helplessness made my eyes involuntarily turn red. Just as I was about to take the baby and go upstairs, Arthur spoke again, agreeing to the photo in a tone that sounded like he was tossing scraps to a beggar. I saw comments from netizens saying Arthur looked like the perfect, strict, disciplined father. And that I must have been so overwhelmed with emotion from becoming a new mother and having such a doting husband that my eyes turned red, even though I was clearly so happy. So many netizens commented that they wished they could trade places with me. But that past is a wound on my soul that will never, ever heal. I looked at the bold words written beneath the photo: Wife/Mommy, come home. How incredibly ironic. They were using the photo I had to grovel and beg for, to beg me to come back. 4 I sat blankly against the wall, feeling like I was about to disconnect from this world all over again. The blinding sun beat down on me. Beads of sweat rolled down my hair and across my face, eventually splashing onto the ground and forming a small puddle. But I remained motionless. The freezing chill radiating from my heart froze me from the inside out, locking my entire body in ice. Cold and stiff. Suddenly, a shadow fell over me. As I struggled to lift my head, the person crouched down in front of me. The next second, a cool, soothing sensation touched my forehead. Mark was using a wet wipe to gently clean the sweat from my face. He pulled out a small, portable fan, turned it on, and placed it in my hands. With one hand, he pulled me up, and with the other, he picked up the scattered groceries. “Did you get heatstroke? It’s really hot today. Let’s go, let’s head home early. Our son already turned the AC on. “When we get back, the three of us will crush that giant tub of ice cream.” My consciousness slowly returned. I opened my mouth, my voice dry and raspy. “Hubby, the internet…” For the very first time, Mark interrupted me. He turned around, smiled brightly, and said: “You mean those two trying to extort us? It’s no big deal. As long as the three of us live our lives happily, nothing else matters.” I had never hidden my past from Mark. But after he found out, he treated me even better. When we first got together, Mark was a bit of a dense, quiet guy. He didn’t talk much, had a terrible internet connection, and when he wasn’t solving math equations, he was prepping lesson plans. But later, just to make me smile, he started reading jokes online, clumsily trying to learn how to be funny. I gripped Mark’s hand tighter, desperately trying to find a sense of security. Mark slowed his pace and squeezed my hand even tighter. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve got you.” My nose stung. Mark immediately started teasing me. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let me tell you, our family is rich, okay? We don’t need you crying pearls of sorrow!” When we opened the door to our apartment, a blast of cool air washed over us, carrying the scent of flowers and buttercream frosting. Our son, Leo, holding a massive bouquet of flowers, practically tumbled over his own feet running toward me and threw himself into my arms. “Mommy, you work so hard! This is for you!” I immediately looked over at the shelf where his piggy bank usually sat. Sure enough, it was gone. Mark whispered in my ear: “He took his piggy bank to the flower shop and demanded to buy the absolute biggest bouquet they had. But it was too heavy for him to carry, so he had to settle for this one.” Leo pulled me over, insisting I cut the cake. I placed the first slice in front of him, but he pushed it back to me. “For Mommy! Mommy worked so hard to give birth to me. Today is all about Mommy!” Mark waved his hand in front of my face, and a beautiful gold necklace dropped from his palm. “Here! I have a gift too! Thank you for all your hard work, wifey. “You’re the reason our family is so complete and happy.” Looking at the big and little guys standing in front of me, my heart felt like it was soaking in warm syrup. Sweet and comforting. I felt like I was the center of their universe. Every holiday, this father-son duo perfectly coordinated their efforts, finding every excuse in the book to tell me I was the hero of the family. Like during the Spring Festival, which they turned into my annual “Awards Ceremony.” On Father’s Day, Mark would still buy me a gift, insisting it was because I gave him the opportunity to be a father. On Valentine’s Day, he thanked the heavens for letting us meet. Even on his own birthday, he would always say that I was the greatest gift he had ever received. He and Leo were always telling me how wonderful I was, but the truth was, they were the ones who truly saved me. Just as the tears were about to fall, a chubby little hand smeared with frosting touched the corner of my eye. “Mommy, smile! If you’re happy, I’ll give you all my reward stickers from now on!” Mark pulled out a tiny, clear jar. “I’ll give you little gold beans. We don’t want your pearls of sorrow.” I sniffled. “Okay, okay, I’m fine now! Come on, let’s eat cake first!” Just as I was serving cake to my boys, a loud knock echoed from the front door. Mark went to open it. After the sound of the door opening, there was a long, heavy silence from the entryway. I turned around, the plate of cake in my hand nearly slipping from my grasp. Arthur was standing in the doorway. Beside him, Mia violently shoved past Mark, sprinted into the apartment, and threw herself directly into my arms. “Mommy, I missed you so much!”

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After my lifelong rival lost his memory in an accident, I convinced him I was his girlfriend. He fell for it completely, handing over his bank accounts and letting me spend his money however I pleased. So, I spent my days blowing through his cash, and my nights secretly downloading confidential data from his corporate laptop. Just as I was preparing to take his innocence and flee the country, leaving him completely ruined, a string of text suddenly appeared floating in mid-air: [Little does she know, the big bad villain has been waiting for this exact moment for ages.] [He’s been faking his amnesia this whole time just so he can finally sleep with her!] [Oh my god, the tension! He’s literally burning up inside! Just do it already!] My hand, holding the glass of milk I had just spiked with sedatives, trembled violently. Should I still give it to him? 1 While I was agonizing over my next move, Elias Vance suddenly wrapped his arms around me from behind. His deep, magnetic voice brushed against my ear: “Baby, what are you thinking about?” Before I could even respond, Elias noticed the milk in my hand. He smoothly took it from me and downed it in one gulp. It happened so fast I didn’t even have a chance to stop him. Crap. For the past few months, under the guise of being a doting, caring girlfriend worried about his stressful job, I had been making him a glass of hot milk every night before bed. A glass of milk laced with a mild sedative. Once Elias was deeply asleep, I had free rein to access his laptop and steal highly classified corporate secrets. Elias was completely oblivious, genuinely believing I was just being sweet. It became a habit. Every night, he drank the milk I “lovingly” prepared for him. That was my plan for tonight, too. I wanted him to drink the spiked milk without suspecting a thing. I had everything perfectly planned. Elias was famously disciplined. Even after I manipulated him into moving in with me, he absolutely refused to cross any physical boundaries before marriage. For a man that rigid, losing his innocence to me—especially when he eventually regained his memory—would be a fate worse than death. But right as I was about to execute the final phase of my revenge, those bizarre floating comments appeared. I had no idea if the comments were telling the truth. While I was hesitating, Elias went ahead and drank the milk anyway. [LMAO, she probably has no idea the villain knows she’s been drugging his milk this whole time.] [He drank it on purpose.] [This guy plays the perfect gentleman during the day, insisting on sleeping in separate rooms, but at night he’s literally taking cold showers to keep from losing his mind.] I was still highly skeptical of the floating text. I decided to test the waters and see if Elias’s amnesia was real or fake. I intentionally dropped a bomb: “Elias, let’s break up.” 2 Instantly, Elias’s calm, relaxed expression vanished. He grabbed my hand tightly, as if terrified I was going to vanish into thin air. His tone was incredibly desperate and submissive. “Baby, are you upset because I haven’t been spending enough time with you lately?” “If there’s something you don’t like, I’ll change it, okay? Please, don’t break up with me.” Before his amnesia, Elias was notoriously cold and unapproachable. He showed zero interest in women and displayed the emotional range of a glacier. Even if I stood right in front of him and cursed him out, he wouldn’t even bat an eye. He would never act like this. It seemed like his amnesia was genuine. The comments were clearly lying. But the next second, new text popped up. [Tsk, tsk. Don’t let his pathetic act fool you. If she actually tries to run, he wouldn’t hesitate to handcuff her to the bed.] [Hehehe, considering how many cold showers he takes, if he finally gets his hands on her, she probably won’t be able to walk for three days.] [She has no idea he secretly had custom chains made just for her.] [I live for this dark, obsessive romance trope! Yes!] I instinctively took a step back, and by pure coincidence, caught a fleeting, dark, predatory gleam in Elias’s eyes. He took a step forward, backing me into a corner. Only then did I realize how incredibly tall and physically imposing he was. The physical proximity was suffocating. I was trapped against the wall. I had put a heavy dose in that milk. It worked fast. Within minutes, the corners of Elias’s sharp eyes flushed a deep, feverish red. He looked incredibly, dangerously alluring. Even though I despised him, I had to admit, he was exactly my physical type. He leaned in, his hot, heavy breath brushing against my neck. His large, slightly calloused hand gently guided mine down toward the hem of his shirt. He was making me touch his abs. The very same abs he used to violently forbid me from going near. The texture was incredible. Hard as a rock. His voice was hoarse as he coaxed me: “Baby, please don’t break up with me.” “You can touch me wherever you want.” [Look at those abs! Elias is so…] [This is making me sweat! Just do it already!] [I am begging you, please sleep together right now!] 3 This version of Elias was honestly significantly more endearing than the old one. At the very least, I had never seen him look this desperate and vulnerable before. For a moment, I completely forgot about the comments claiming he was faking his amnesia, and just internally celebrated my victory. Even if he was faking, I had still forced Elias Vance to bow down to me. My lifelong dream had finally been realized. But then I remembered the part about him meticulously plotting all of this while pretending to have amnesia. He was far too calculating. I needed to quit while I was ahead. So, I gently coaxed him into letting go of me, and then bolted for the study door. Just as I grabbed the doorknob, the comments returned. [Sigh. As much as I want them to hook up right now, the plot has to move forward.] [Poor thing doesn’t know that the second she walks out that door, she’s going to get hit by a speeding semi-truck and die, which triggers the villain’s ultimate descent into madness.] My hand froze on the doorknob. I slowly turned around and looked at Elias’s broad shoulders and narrow waist, partially obscured by the shadows of the room. He seemed to be violently suppressing something. The memory of those rock-hard abs flashed in my mind. You know what? Maybe I should just ruin his innocence right now. 4 I didn’t know if the comments were telling the truth, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I had worked my ass off to steal his corporate secrets; I hadn’t even had the chance to use them yet. I wasn’t about to die now. I decisively walked back to Elias. Under his utterly shocked gaze, I reached up and kissed him. I never expected Elias, who always acted so cold and untouchable, to have such incredibly soft lips. His eyes glazed over as I aggressively tugged at his collar, messing up his perfect shirt. The sharp, defined lines of his muscles shifted with his ragged breathing. He looked absolutely stunned, almost as if he couldn’t believe it was happening. His voice trembled as he asked: “Chloe, why did you come back?” I was instantly furious that he used my real name. It reminded me of the very first time I lost to him academically. I was so angry, I pointed a finger at him and yelled, “Elias Vance, just you wait!” “I, Chloe Sterling, will beat you one day, and you’re going to admit defeat!” That was the very first time Elias ever actually looked at me. He smiled. Even though his face was usually a mask of ice, his smile was devastatingly handsome. I was momentarily dazed, and when I snapped out of it, he delivered the most infuriating line ever: “So your name is Chloe Sterling.” I was so incredibly insulted. I had considered him my ultimate rival. I studied until I bled, desperately trying to beat his test scores, and he didn’t even know my name?! From that day on, I officially declared him my mortal enemy. Whenever he was near me, whenever he spoke, I made sure to aggressively insult him. This went on for so long that one day, he rubbed his temples and asked me, sounding incredibly exhausted: “Chloe, do you really hate me that much?” Why is he calling me by my first name? Are we friends?! I just got even angrier. So, when he got amnesia and I tricked him into thinking I was his girlfriend, I strictly forbade him from using my name. He was only allowed to call me “Baby.” Because whenever he used my name, I got so mad I couldn’t even stay in character. I was just about to bite him and demand he stop using my name when… A massive wave of comments flooded my vision. [Why did she go back???] [This isn’t how the plot goes! Did the author rewrite the chapter?!] [Whatever, I’ll read anything at this point. But it would be even better if they actually slept together.] [Yes, write it, write it! Feed us!] [If the dark, villain-era Elias knew she didn’t actually die, he’d probably cry his eyes out.] Amidst the chaotic, thirsty comments, I finally spotted one that actually made sense. I don’t know if I was imagining things, but I swore I saw a flash of moisture in Elias’s eyes.

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A fire broke out at the hospital where my mom worked. My dad and I rushed there immediately to help with the rescue. We managed to get my mom out safely, but my dad was severely injured in the process. The only person in the country who could perform the complex surgery to save him was my mom—a top-tier surgeon. I begged her to operate on him, but she scoffed and refused: “My time is valuable. Do you know how many lives I can save in the time it would take to deal with him?” “Putting aside the fact that you two are my husband and son, putting out fires is his job. He was just doing what he’s supposed to do!” Desperate, I called in every favor I had and finally managed to get a renowned foreign specialist to fly in for my dad. When my mom found out, she intercepted the doctor and sent him right back to the airport: “Dr. Chen is a leading expert in the medical field! If he finds out your father is faking his injuries just to get attention, how am I supposed to show my face in the medical community ever again?” “I’ve spoiled you two too much. If your dad keeps pulling these stunts, I’m divorcing him!” She hung up the phone, cutting off my last shred of hope. Denied timely treatment, I watched my dad die in my arms. While I was arranging his funeral, I saw a post from my mom’s “first love”: “It was just a minor cold, but she stayed by my side for three days and three nights. Truly the people’s good doctor!” The attached photo showed my mom in a VIP hospital suite, gently feeding him porridge, her eyes brimming with love and concern. I stared at it in silence for a long time, then liked the post and commented: “A cheater and a homewrecker. You two deserve each other forever.” 1 When I walked out of the funeral home, I felt like a walking corpse. I wandered aimlessly down the street. I had already cried until I had no tears left. My phone rang abruptly. The name “Chloe” flashed on the screen. I hesitated for a moment but finally answered. “Liam! What kind of nonsense are you posting online?!” “Do you know that Ethan is having chest pains and can barely breathe because of your vicious comments?!” “Apologize to him right now!” Her furious voice blasted through the speaker. I instinctively held the phone away from my ear. When I finally spoke, I realized my voice was completely hoarse. “Apologize? Did I say a single word that wasn’t true?” “You left your critically ill husband to die, but you ran around waiting on another man for a minor cold! Have you ever treated my dad like a husband? Have you ever treated me like a son?!” My mom exploded with anger on the other end of the line: “How dare you! Is this how you speak to your elders?!” “Your father ruined you! Put him on the phone! I want to ask him how he raised such an ungrateful son!” I tilted my head back, trying desperately to stop the tears from falling again. But my throat felt completely blocked, and I couldn’t make a sound. After a long while, over the sound of her angry breathing, I finally forced the words out: “Dad… haha… he’s dead. You killed him. You’re never going to get another phone call from him.” “You cold-blooded murderer! You’re going to rot in hell!” After a brief, stunned silence, her furious roaring assaulted my eardrums again. I couldn’t bear to listen anymore. Exhausted, I hung up, curled into a ball on the sidewalk, covered my face, and cried. Boom! Boom! Boom! Suddenly, several loud explosions startled me out of my daze. I looked up. Countless fireworks were bursting in the night sky, their brilliant colors instantly illuminating the entire city. “Wow, those fireworks are gorgeous!” “Yeah, so romantic!” I heard the amazed gasps of pedestrians around me. I stared blankly at the sky. The dazzling fireworks shifted shapes until they finally formed the outline of a man’s face. A face I knew all too well. It was Ethan. The fireworks danced around his image before spelling out a massive, glowing sentence: [Happy Birthday, Ethan!] I stared at the name, the rage surging back into my heart. Before I could even process what was happening, I heard people talking nearby: “Wow, who is that guy? He’s so handsome!” “Is he a movie star? Or some rich heir?” “Don’t you know? That’s Dr. Chloe Sterling’s first love. He just got back from overseas.” “Wait, Dr. Sterling? The famous surgeon? My friend’s mom was in a horrible car crash, and several hospitals basically told them to prepare for the worst, but Dr. Sterling managed to pull her back from the brink of death.” “Yeah, she’s a legend in the medical field. I heard she’s drop-dead gorgeous too. But the craziest part is how devoted she is! Her first love went abroad for over a decade, and she waited for him the whole time. Never even dated anyone else.” “Yes! I heard about that! Last week, her boyfriend caught a minor cold, and she booked him a VIP suite and stayed up for three days and three nights taking care of him. She’s so deeply in love with him.” “She set off fireworks across the whole city just for his birthday! And all those billboards have pictures of them together.” “Oh my god! That is so sweet! How can a woman be that perfect?” “I’m so jealous. It’s like a romance novel come to life right in front of us!” Their words pierced my ears one by one, making me physically sick. I turned around in a daze and looked at the massive LED screen in the center of the plaza. Two familiar, smiling faces were displayed on it. My mom looked incredibly gentle, her eyes filled with love as she looked at Ethan. I had never seen her look like that. Around my dad and me, she always had a cold, stern face. She was always indifferent and heartless. Watching the slideshow of their happy photos, my mind went completely blank. Until a voice broke through: “Young man, are you okay? Are you in trouble? Do you need some help?” I snapped back to reality and realized my eyes were blurry with tears. I shook my head vigorously. It took a long time to find my voice: “No… I just… I miss my dad…” I looked down at the urn in my hands and muttered: “But I… I don’t have a dad anymore…” The stranger paused, then handed me the small cake they had just bought. “Every hardship passes eventually. Your dad will watch over you from heaven.” “Stay strong and keep living. Things will get better.” Before I could even try to hand the cake back, they quickly said goodbye and disappeared into the crowd. Looking at the cake in my hands, the tears flowed uncontrollably again. Even a complete stranger could show me this much kindness. Why was my own mother so cruel to her husband and son? 2 For as long as I can remember, my mom was rarely around. Whether it was parent-teacher conferences or the times I ended up in the hospital sick, it was always my dad running around, taking care of everything. My mom never came to keep me company. She was absent for almost my entire childhood. And my dad wasted over twenty years of his life by her side. On countless long, quiet nights, my dad would hold me and tell me the story of how he and my mom met. When she was twenty-three, my mom suffered the double blow of losing both her parents and going through a terrible breakup. She fell into a deep depression. One night, in the middle of a breakdown, she started a fire in her bedroom, intending to burn herself and the house to ashes. It was my dad’s very first dispatch as a firefighter. He literally had to drag her out of the burning building by force. Learning about the immense tragedy she had endured, my dad was overwhelmed with compassion and sympathy. He volunteered to visit her in the hospital, constantly encouraging and comforting her, helping her get through the darkest period of her life. Perhaps moved by his kindness, my mom confessed her feelings to him the day she was discharged. A young man experiencing his first crush is an easy target for a woman’s gentle trap. Especially since my mom was stunningly beautiful and incredibly elegant back then. Within a month, my dad was hopelessly in love. After dating for two years, they walked down the aisle. For the first few years, they had a beautiful, happy life together. Then my mom got pregnant. To take better care of her, my dad agreed to her request to quit his job as a firefighter. When I was born, my mom barely gave me a passing glance before tossing me to my dad like an afterthought. Simply because she felt I was delaying her career progress. Later on, as her career took off, she became increasingly busy, often not coming home at all. She started despising my dad for being “useless” and constantly belittled him. My dad developed severe depression. Then, one night, my dad accidentally discovered that my mom had reconnected with her first love. All the suppressed emotions exploded. He started becoming intensely paranoid about her whereabouts. They fought constantly. But every time she threatened him with divorce, his anger would instantly extinguish. The trivialities of marriage exposed her true nature. She increasingly viewed him as a lazy good-for-nothing, a failure in every aspect. She grew colder and colder, eventually cutting off his access to the household finances entirely. With no source of income, my dad had to go back to the fire department and take a low-paying logistics job. He was single-handedly supporting all our household expenses, so he lived incredibly frugally. He washed the same clothes over and over until the cuffs were frayed, and he still wouldn’t throw them away. He didn’t own a single decent suit or a good pair of shoes. I tried to convince him to get a divorce more times than I can count. But he foolishly held onto the belief that she still loved us, that she was just too busy. He believed that one day, she would remember our little family. I knew he was just using the beautiful memories of their past to numb himself to the reality. That’s why, when he heard a fire had broken out at her hospital, he completely ignored everyone trying to stop him. Even though he had long since been reassigned to logistics, he charged into the inferno without a second thought. He risked his life to pull her out, but he was engulfed by the flames himself, suffering severe, disfiguring burns. Yet, when I thought my mom would finally feel a shred of gratitude or sympathy for him… She looked at him, wrapped entirely in bandages, frowned in disgust, and told him to get away from her. In that moment, she felt like a complete stranger. My dad’s injuries were critical; he was hovering between life and death. My mom was the only surgeon in the country with the skill to perform the complex procedure he needed. I swallowed all my pride, knelt in front of her, and begged her to save him. To save her own husband. But she remained completely unmoved. She even cruelly turned away the renowned specialist I had gone through hell to fly in from overseas, completely cutting off my dad’s last chance at survival. I will never forget how he looked in his final moments. He lay weakly in the hospital bed, covered in cold, sterile tubes. He struggled to open his eyes, looked at me, and used the last of his strength to say: “Leo… don’t hate your mother… You have to… live a good life…” Before he even finished the sentence, those eyes, which were always so full of resilience, dimmed forever. Even as he was dying, he was still defending her, telling me not to blame her. But Dad, not only did she kill you with her own hands, she’s flaunting her love for another man while your body isn’t even cold. She’s a monster. I can’t let go of my hatred for her, and I can’t let them live happily ever after. I swear, I will drag that cheating pair straight to hell myself! 3 The moment I pushed open the front door, a blast of warm air hit me, accompanied by piercing laughter and chatter. Under the crystal chandelier, the living room was packed with people. My mom and Ethan sat in the center of the sofa, acting exactly like the lady and master of the house. On a makeshift stage, a hired entertainment troupe was performing enthusiastically. I had barely stepped inside when one of my mom’s business partners grabbed my arm: “There’s our little butler! Just in time! Come on, do a trick for Mr. Ethan!” Ethan, who had his arm around my mom, immediately perked up and whispered in her ear: “Yeah, yeah! Let Leo do a performance!” My mom glanced at me, frowning slightly, but said indifferently: “Fine. Do your best trick.” Before I could even process what was happening, I was shoved onto the stage by a few drunk guests. Someone yelled from the crowd: “Get his dad up here too! I heard the father-son duo spent days preparing for Ethan’s birthday party!” A man named Mr. Lee, standing next to my mom, smiled and patted her shoulder: “You’re so lucky, Chloe. Finding a father-son butler team this capable—they clean the house, handle the clients, and now they even do tricks! Impressive!” He turned to me and shouted: “Don’t just stand there! Get started! Let us see what you can do!” I froze, feeling the blood turn to ice in my veins. A father-son butler team? Is that how she introduced us to the world?! I looked at her in sheer disbelief. She was looking down, pretending to adjust her dress. She looked a tiny bit embarrassed, but she never opened her mouth to deny it. A raging inferno ignited in my chest. I grabbed a champagne flute from the table, smashed it violently against the floor, and pointed straight at Ethan, roaring: “You shameless parasite! You think you’re worthy of having me and my dad perform for you?!” “And you bunch of snobs! Sucking up to a kept man, is it fun?! My dad is the legitimate husband and master of this house! Who the hell gave any of you the right to order us around?!” My sudden outburst silenced the room for a few seconds. Then, those so-called “business elites” finally reacted, pointing at me and hurling insults. “A butler’s son, throwing a tantrum in front of us?! Have you lost your mind?!” “Ungrateful trash! The father and son must be desperate to climb into her bed!” They clamored, demanding my mom fire us and throw us out immediately. Everyone was bullying me, insulting my dad. And it was all because of one lie my mom told. My eyes were red as I stared directly at her: “Tell them! Am I your son, or am I your servant?!” Her expression shifted rapidly, but she ultimately said coldly: “A servant.” She glanced at her business partners, who were still shouting, and added: “Alright, he’s just a kid who doesn’t know his place. Let it go.” Then she waved dismissively at the nanny. “Lock him in his room. Don’t let him out to ruin Ethan’s birthday party.” Mrs. Zhang, our nanny, hesitated. She looked at my red, swollen eyes, sighed, and whispered gently: “Don’t be sad. Madam is just angry right now. Let me help you to your room to rest.” Inside my room, I could still hear the noise from the party through the walls, as if my outburst had never happened. Separated by a single wall, my face was covered in tears. From now on, there was no one left to comfort me. 4 After the party ended and the guests trickled out, the massive mansion fell silent again. When Mrs. Zhang opened my door, I was curled up in the corner, my eyes completely swollen. My mom was standing at the top of the stairs, her face ice-cold: “You made Uncle Ethan angry today. Locking you up was to teach you a lesson.” She frowned and asked: “Where is your dad? Ethan drank too much today, and his stomach is hurting. “Call him and tell him to get back here and make some hangover soup.” She spoke with such entitlement, as if my dad truly was just her butler. Because my dad worried about how hard she worked and how much she had to drink at business dinners, he always prepared hangover soup for her, no matter how late or how busy he was. And now she wanted to use that to pamper Ethan! I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms. The anger and grief boiling in my chest finally erupted: “My dad isn’t your butler! Why should he?!” “You already killed him! He’s dead, and you still won’t let him rest!” Slap! I stumbled backward, clutching my burning cheek. My mom’s hand hung in the air. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold indifference. At that moment, Ethan slowly walked down the stairs. His eyes were slightly red, one hand gripping the banister tightly. “Leo, even if you don’t like me, you shouldn’t curse your own father like that. “I know Arthur must have stayed away because he hates me too. “Maybe… I should just leave…” He took a step, pretending he was actually going to walk out the door. I glared coldly at his pathetic, fake-vulnerable performance. My stomach churned with nausea. My wonderful mother, predictably, grabbed his hand immediately. “This is my house. I make the rules. You stay here.” When she turned back to me, her eyes were freezing again. “If your dad doesn’t want to come back, fine. Let’s see how long he wants to drag this tantrum out. “I’m not going looking for him. You pass a message along for me: tell him to stop throwing these fits. If he keeps this up, we’re getting a divorce!” With that, she linked her arm through Ethan’s and turned to head upstairs.

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Two days before our wedding, I received a text from my fiancé, Liam. “Mia, let’s push the wedding back by a day.” I was literally at the bridal boutique, staring at my reflection in a wedding dress, completely bewildered. When I called him to ask what was going on, the voice that answered belonged to his high school sweetheart, his ‘first love’. “Hi, Mia! A group of us are playing Truth or Dare right now, and Liam lost. He picked ‘Dare,’ and his dare is to pretend to be my boyfriend for three days. I’m sure you understand, right?” I calmly hung up the phone and immediately dialed another number. “Dad. That thing we talked about last time? I agree. Change the marriage alliance candidate.” 1 “Mia, marriage isn’t a game. Are you absolutely certain?” “If you still feel this way tomorrow morning, I’ll make it happen.” After hanging up with my dad, I drove straight to the location they were at. Liam was blackout drunk, draped heavily over Chloe’s shoulder. The crowd around them was cheering and howling, “Congratulations, Liam! You finally got what you wanted!” When they saw me walk in, the noise died instantly. Chloe tried to set him down, but Liam frowned and slurred, “Chloe, why are you putting me down? You’re my girlfriend right now.” I picked up a bottle of cold mineral water from a nearby table, walked right up to him, and poured it directly over his head. “Are you sober now?” He wiped the water from his face. His eyes were ice-cold, devoid of even a shred of guilt. “Mia, are you crazy?!” Sobered up slightly, he saw it was me and didn’t offer a single apology. Instead, he snapped coldly, “Good timing. I lost a game of Truth or Dare, so I’m pretending to be Chloe’s boyfriend for three days. I’ve already had my assistant notify all the friends and family. The wedding is postponed by one day.” If this were the old me, I would have burst into tears and caused a massive scene. But today, I felt nothing but a chilling calm. “Fine. Postponed by one day.” But the groom isn’t going to be you anymore. I pulled out my phone and texted my dad: “I’ve made my decision. I’m not changing my mind.” “See? I told you she couldn’t bear to leave me,” Liam chuckled arrogantly, pulling Chloe closer against him. “Mia, you know Chloe and I are just pretending. Just wait one extra day. We’re still getting married. We’re going to be husband and wife; you can at least give me this much grace, right?” In that moment, the sheer humiliation made me want to sink into the floor, but it also completely extinguished whatever feelings I had left for him. An eight-year relationship, completely obliterated by a stupid joke from his ‘first love’. I didn’t say another word. I turned around and walked away. Perhaps because I didn’t cry or scream, one of the onlookers muttered, “Liam, Mia didn’t even say anything this time. You don’t think she’s actually mad, do you?” “Impossible. You guys know how it is. She’s been obsessed with me since we were kids. We’re practically married; there’s no way she’d actually break up with me.” Liam’s mocking, confident voice drifted after me. “Just watch. Give it a few minutes, and she’ll come running back to apologize.” But this time, he miscalculated completely. Love that requires you to crawl in the dirt isn’t love worth having. I left without looking back. When I got home, I opened my phone and scrolled through my social media feed. Chloe had just posted an update. “Ah! I won against my first love in Truth or Dare, and now we have to rekindle our romance for three days! What do I do? I’m so nervous…” And right beneath it was a comment from Liam, acting like a desperate lapdog: “When two people who love each other can’t be together, they have to cherish the time they have left.” I literally wanted to vomit. I locked my phone, grabbed a pair of scissors, and shredded the wedding dress I had brought home. I tore up every single one of our engagement photos, threw all of his belongings into garbage bags, and then called my assistant. “Sell this apartment within three days.” The news of Liam postponing the wedding inevitably spread. Early the next morning, Liam’s grandfather showed up at my door, dragging Liam by the ear. “Mia, the Sterling family has wronged you. I absolutely do not agree to postponing this wedding.” Before I could even speak, Liam jutted his chin out defensively. “Mia, I knew you’d pull some passive-aggressive stunt like this! Agreeing to my face, but running to complain to my grandfather behind my back. Let me tell you right now, just because you dragged him into this doesn’t mean I’m going to cave. I am not changing my mind!” Grandpa Sterling slapped him hard across the face. “What kind of garbage are you spewing?! Mia hasn’t said a single word to our family about this! You’ve completely lost your mind over that Chloe girl!” Liam clutched his cheek, glaring at me with pure venom. “Mia, I made it perfectly clear. I am going to marry you; the wedding is just pushed back one day. Don’t think that just because you brought my grandfather here, I’m going to drop everything with Chloe. She finally agreed to be my girlfriend for three days, and I am not throwing that away.” Grandpa Sterling raised his hand to hit him again, but this time, I stopped him. “Grandpa Sterling, it’s fine.” Liam scoffed at my intervention. “Mia, stop putting on an act. Do you honestly think I’m going to thank you for stopping him? You’re just trying to play the victim to make yourself look good! Stop dreaming. If it wasn’t for our arranged engagement, Chloe never would have gone abroad in the first place. If it wasn’t for you, we would have been together years ago. All I want is to fulfill my dream of dating her for three days. If you can’t even allow that, you’re just being cruel.” Smack. I backhanded him as hard as I could. “Liam Sterling, I won’t stop you from going to Chloe. The engagement is off.” 2 Liam was stunned again, and Grandpa Sterling was furious. “Liam! Apologize to Mia right now!” “Fine, fine, fine! I really misjudged you, Mia. I had no idea you were this manipulative. You say you want to cancel the engagement, but you know damn well our families will never actually let that happen. You’re just using this as leverage to force me to give up my three days with Chloe! Well, Mia, I won’t let you get what you want.” With that, Liam stormed out, vibrating with rage. Grandpa Sterling looked at me apologetically. “Mia, Liam is just temporarily blinded. When I get him home, I’ll talk some sense into him.” I shook my head. “Grandpa Sterling, I wasn’t joking. I meant it. The engagement is over.” Seeing my deadly serious expression, Grandpa Sterling was genuinely shocked. “Mia, you…” I couldn’t blame him for being surprised. The Vance and Sterling families had been close for generations. My grandfather had even saved Grandpa Sterling’s life back in the day. So this marriage alliance… as long as I didn’t agree to break it, the Sterling family would never dare initiate the cancellation. Since I was a little girl, I had always followed Liam around. By the time I was fifteen or sixteen, right when girls start experiencing their first crushes, I was completely obsessed with him. At my eighteenth birthday party, our engagement was officially announced. For the past eight years, I had chased him relentlessly, catered to his every whim, and constantly lowered my own standards just to please him. Everyone in the city knew I was madly in love with him. But now, I was the one proactively breaking it off. “Don’t worry, Grandpa Sterling. As long as I’m around, Chloe is never going to marry into your family. This marriage alliance was arranged while my grandfather was still alive, and I won’t disrespect his memory.” “Liam isn’t the only Sterling I can marry.” Grandpa Sterling froze, the image of his other son suddenly flashing in his mind. “Mia, that’s too unfair to you. After all, he’s eight years older than you…” I shook my head. “Grandpa Sterling, I’ve thought about it. Compared to a reckless, immature boy, I think Arthur is a much better fit for me.” Grandpa Sterling didn’t argue further. He quickly made a call to Arthur, who was currently overseas. Upon hearing the news of the marriage alliance, Arthur’s hand reportedly trembled. He booked the very next flight back home. Even though I was the one who initiated the breakup, I couldn’t deny that I was still in a terrible mood. When my best friend heard the news, she dragged me out to dinner to cheer me up. By sheer, terrible coincidence, we ran straight into Liam and Chloe. “Liam, you have no idea. If I hadn’t suddenly found out you were engaged, I never would have left the country,” Chloe’s voice drifted over from the next table. “You’re getting married so soon… Just being able to be your girlfriend for these three days is enough for me.” “Chloe, I’m so sorry…” My heart violently twisted in my chest. My best friend shot out of her chair and pointed directly at Chloe. “I have never met anyone so shameless! You know perfectly well he’s about to get married, and you still throw yourself at him like a desperate leech! You’re clearly trying to break them up! If you were actually ‘satisfied,’ you’d be wishing them well!” “Mia, are you done?! I already explained everything perfectly clearly! I’m only pretending to be with Chloe for three days, and then I’m marrying you! I swore nothing inappropriate would happen! You don’t need to stalk me and monitor my every move!” My best friend was ready to throw hands, but I pulled her back. I glanced coldly at the two of them. “Liam, you’re flattering yourself. I just came here to eat in peace.” “You expect me to believe that?” Liam sneered at me. “Mia, did you forget? Back when I was first pursuing Chloe, you used this exact same excuse—’just happening to be there’—to insert yourself into our dates. Are you really trying that old trick again?” He stepped in front of Chloe, shielding her. “But this time, you’ve miscalculated. I told you I’d marry you, but I am not changing my plans for these three days.” Before I decided to cancel the engagement, I always believed that I just wasn’t good enough, which was why Liam didn’t love me back. But looking at his twisted, arrogant face now, I realized how incredibly wrong I had been. Love is a binary thing. It’s either there, or it isn’t. And a man like Liam was completely unworthy of the genuine love I had given him. 3 “Whether you change your plans has absolutely nothing to do with me, because I already changed mine!” I didn’t back down an inch, my gaze piercing him like ice. “Liam, our engagement is over! From now on, you walk your path, and I’ll walk mine! Forget pretending to be her boyfriend for three days—even if you two drove straight to the courthouse and got married right now, I wouldn’t waste the energy to stop you!” Chloe stared at me in shock, while Liam’s brow furrowed tightly. Just then, his phone buzzed. He glanced at a message from his assistant regarding hotel bookings, and his face instantly darkened. “Mia, there’s a limit to your pathological lying! If the engagement is really cancelled, why are you having your people book bridal suites?!” I raised an eyebrow. “The engagement with you is cancelled. What I do with my bridal suites is none of your business.” Liam looked utterly unconvinced. “Mia, whatever manipulative game you’re playing, it’s not going to change my mind! For these three days… I am exclusively Chloe’s boyfriend!” Chloe immediately seized the opportunity, her voice dripping with fake, sickly-sweet concern: “Liam, I’m so sorry… I never meant to cause you so much trouble. Maybe… maybe we should just call it off? After all, you’re going to marry Mia…” Liam, looking like he was under some kind of hypnotic spell, grasped her hand with profound devotion. “Chloe, don’t say that. I lost the game, and I’m honoring the bet! For these three days, we are a couple, and no one can change that!” Chloe shot me a hesitant, artificial look of guilt. “But…” Liam’s expression hardened. “I fought hard for these three days! You don’t need to care what she thinks!” Chloe pressed her lips together submissively. I, however, had reached my absolute limit. “I just wanted to eat my dinner in peace! Manager! These two are no longer welcome here. Throw them out!” Liam let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Mia, are you brain-damaged? This restaurant is owned by the Sterling family! Who are you, an outsider, to tell me to leave?” “I think you’re forgetting who decides the inheritance of the Sterling family!” To repay my grandfather’s life-saving favor, Grandpa Sterling had established an ironclad rule years ago: whoever married me would inherit the vast majority of the Sterling empire. And this specific restaurant? Grandpa Sterling had transferred the deed to my name as an engagement gift years ago. Right now, I had every legal right to tell them to get out! Liam obviously knew this. He looked at me with absolute disgust. “Mia, you are sickening. You keep insisting you want to cancel the engagement, but at the same time, you’re aggressively clinging to Sterling family assets!” In his mind, he was entirely convinced I was bluffing—using the threat of a broken engagement just to force his hand! I was done arguing with these two drama queens. A moment later, the manager hurried over, looking incredibly uncomfortable. “Mr. Sterling, please… you’ll have to leave.” Liam clearly hadn’t expected me to actually follow through. His eyes turned murderous. “Mia, have you lost your damn mind?!” “This is my property now. If I want someone gone, they’re gone!” Liam pointed a furious finger directly at my face. “Mia, you’re going to regret this!” “Trust me, I won’t be the one regretting anything.” “There are plenty of other restaurants in this city. We’re leaving!” Liam grabbed Chloe’s hand and turned to storm out. I slammed my hand on the table and shouted, “Hold it right there!” Liam stopped and turned around, flashing a smug, intensely punchable smile. “Mia, I knew you’d crack and try to stop me. But I’m sorry… you’re too late! Unless you grovel and apologize to Chloe right now, I will absolutely ignore you for the rest of these three days!” Looking at this man’s staggering, delusional narcissism, I suddenly felt a profound wave of disgust at my past self for ever loving something so pathetic. I let out a cold laugh. “You’re confused. I just wanted to remind you that since you ate the food, you need to pay the bill.” Liam’s face turned rigid. “Mia, I was going to give you one last chance, but since you want to play it like this, don’t come crying to me later!” “I promise you, I will never cry over you again. But surely someone with as much pride as Mr. Sterling wouldn’t resort to dining and dashing?” Suppressing his explosive rage, Liam pulled a platinum credit card from his wallet and slammed it onto the table. “Run it!” A few minutes later, the manager returned, looking even more awkward than before. “I’m… I’m so sorry, Mr. Sterling, but this card… it was declined. Insufficient funds.” Liam’s face instantly turned ash-gray. He realized immediately what had happened: Grandpa Sterling had frozen his accounts because of this stunt. He glared at me with absolute venom. “Mia, do you honestly think this little trick is going to make me beg you? I’m telling you, it’s never going to happen…” I mocked him openly. “Not going to beg? Then pay the bill!” 4 Liam’s jaw tightened. At this exact moment, he was literally broke. With no other options, he stepped aside and dialed his parents. Unsurprisingly, neither of them answered his calls. His expression grew darker by the second. He then tried calling several of his close friends. But the result was the same. The moment he asked to borrow money, they all suddenly had urgent excuses and hung up. I knew exactly what was going on. Grandpa Sterling was furious this time. Not only did he freeze Liam’s cards, but he had also sent a warning to every prominent family in the city associated with the Sterlings. Essentially, right now, no one in the entire city wanted anything to do with him. I didn’t hold back. “What’s wrong? Can the great Mr. Sterling really not afford to pay for a simple meal? Tell you what, for old times’ sake, if you just ask nicely, I’ll let you put it on a tab.” Liam’s hands clenched into tight fists, his face a mask of furious humiliation. Just as he looked ready to explode, Chloe stepped forward. “Liam, don’t be angry. I’ll pay for it.” I was actually a bit surprised she stepped up at that moment. But… did she actually have any idea how much this meal cost? Liam’s face flushed with shame. “Chloe, I’m so sorry…” “It’s okay. We’re a couple right now. And I’m not some gold-digger; splitting the bill is totally normal.” Liam’s eyes immediately reddened with emotion. He looked like he was profoundly regretting ever letting her go. But I had absolutely zero interest in watching this sickening display of fake romance. The manager quickly took her card. However, he returned moments later with the same bad news. “I’m sorry, Ms. Vance, but your credit card limit is insufficient.” Chloe froze, her face turning red. “No, that’s impossible… This card has a fifty-thousand-dollar limit…” What kind of meal were they eating that fifty thousand wasn’t enough? The manager explained, “The food you ordered wasn’t actually that expensive, but you ordered a bottle of vintage imported French wine… that alone is a hundred thousand…” I looked at Chloe with open mockery. A few years ago… when Liam was first pursuing her, she had no idea what his true background or net worth was. But none of that mattered now. I paused dramatically. “Oh, so Ms. Vance doesn’t actually have the money. I assumed…” “Who said I don’t have it?!” Chloe lifted her chin defensively, pulling out several more credit cards. “Run them all! It’ll be enough!” The manager didn’t hesitate and quickly processed the transactions. Liam, obviously feeling humiliated on her behalf, glared at me fiercely. “Mia, do you think everyone in the world is as obsessed with money as you are?! I am not going to forget what you did today. Just you wait.” Shortly after, he and Chloe finally left. My best friend looked at me, bewildered. “Mia, has Liam lost his mind? Someone like Chloe clearly only came back after finding out his real identity. She’s just using this ‘fake couple’ excuse to drain as much money from him as possible.” I watched their retreating figures and smiled. “She’s significantly more calculating than you think.” My best friend didn’t understand, but I couldn’t be bothered to explain. “But this time, she’s going to be severely disappointed.” With the Sterling family changing heirs, who knew how long their “true love” would actually last? Although the interruption was annoying, my overall mood remained relatively positive. After finishing my meal, I headed back to the office. When I walked in, I was surprised to see Arthur, looking like he had just rushed straight from the airport. “Mia. Have you made your final decision?” I knew he was referring to the marriage alliance, and I couldn’t help but smile. “If I said I regretted it right now, would it be too late?”

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Everyone knew I was Alexander Clark’s favorite trophy girlfriend. Beautiful and compliant, gentle and considerate. As long as the money was right, I’d endure his endless whims. Even when he humiliated me for the sake of his true love, I never showed the slightest complaint. Everyone assumed I would never leave. But no one knew that when the contract expired, I would marry another man and completely sever ties with that relationship. The ping of my phone broke the silence as I sorted through research documents for my return home. The words “500,000 credits deposited” flickered on the screen. I casually placed my phone on the corner of the table and continued verifying the files. That was my monthly allowance. My best friend, Sophia, looked worried. “Alexander knows you’re getting married. He won’t come back and make trouble, will he?” My fingers paused. My voice was calm. “He won’t. He’s always generous with ex-lovers. He’ll just find a new trophy girlfriend.” My contract would expire in a month. Then I could change my name, move to a new city, and forget everything about this foggy city. The rain started falling again in this foggy city. I returned to my apartment. As I reached the door, a custom black umbrella caught my eye—it was Alexander’s. My steps involuntarily halted, and my heart tightened slightly, as if entangled by fine threads of rain. He was here. Pushing open the door, in the warm orange glow, his back was silhouetted in the kitchen. I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, a perfectly calibrated tone of complaint in my voice. “You haven’t been back in twenty days. Before, it was never more than fifteen.” This was the dynamic I had painstakingly learned: an occasional complaint from the trophy girlfriend made the benefactor feel depended upon. In the past, he would always ask if I needed money. But this time, he simply plated a steak, his voice cool. “Eat, then take a shower.” I glimpsed a bite mark beneath his cuff, thick with a scab. I resisted asking questions, quietly heading into the bathroom. The woody scent from the shower was identical to the first time I met him four years ago. My thoughts drifted back to that moment, echoing the rhythm of the rain. That year, during my university entrance exams, my mother slipped notes into my stationery, and I was caught cheating, my scores invalidated. I, who could have attended an Ivy League, ended up branded a ‘cheating student,’ mocked by everyone. She then cried and knelt, forcing me to give up my re-take to work and support my sister’s art college tuition. I fled to this foggy city, but on my way home one night, I was mugged, all my money gone. I didn’t even have enough for next month’s rent. Desperate, I called my mother for help, only to be met with, “It’s your own choice.” In the international student community, for a poor student like me, apart from scholarships, the only way to make money was to find a rich “boyfriend.” That day, with my last bit of cash, I dressed myself provocatively. I went to a midnight party and immediately saw Alexander Clark in the center of the crowd. I forgot how I ended up kneeling before him, allowing his hand to easily touch my most vulnerable neck. I only remembered him smiling faintly, his eyes slightly narrowed under the dazzling lights. A clap of thunder pulled me from my memories. I walked out of the bathroom. Alexander stood by the window, surrounded as if by deep winter’s ice and snow. “Come here.” His voice was indifferent. As I approached, he pulled me onto the bed. His movements were rough, and I bit my lip, daring not to make a sound. “Not going to ask about the bite mark? Or why I’m angry?” He curled his lip. I forced a smile, leaning in to kiss him. “As long as you’re happy, nothing else matters.” Maintaining boundaries, that’s how a trophy girlfriend avoids getting hurt. Initially, I couldn’t distinguish love from desire, mistaking his indulgence for affection. Until the first time he treated me roughly, and I said he was out of line. He coldly replied, “If you don’t like it, get out.” Afterward, I learned my lesson, understanding I was merely a pet. But I am still a person, so when the contract ends, the trophy girlfriend should leave. The next day, Alexander was already gone. Due to his company’s international business, Alexander spent half of each month in Capital City and the other half in this foggy city. I opened my phone. The international student group chat had exploded, hundreds of messages flooding in, half of them tagging me. A secretly filmed video went viral: Alexander holding a woman’s hand. The woman bit his wrist, yet he didn’t let go, instead forcefully kissing her. The sadness and deep affection in his eyes were something I had never seen before. Sophia messaged me, asking if I was okay. I replied, “I’m fine,” but stared at the video for a long time until my eyes ached. I had always accepted my fate; a trophy girlfriend should live in her cage, not peek into her benefactor’s life. As graduation approached, I was busy with wrapping things up. Returning home on a stormy day, I heard piano music as I reached the door. Pushing it open, I saw a woman with delicate features sitting at the piano. Her profile was identical to the woman in the video. “So you’re the little trinket Alexander keeps in this foggy city?” Her tone was dismissive. I clenched my hands, responding politely, “Hello, I’m Stella Taylor.” She didn’t introduce herself, merely saying casually, “This piano still sounds perfectly in tune. Alexander must have it tuned regularly, doesn’t he?” I remembered when I first moved in, thinking Alexander liked piano, I had specifically studied for a year. But when I played for him, he angrily pulled me away, scolding, “What right do you have to touch this piano?” Now, the one with the right had finally arrived. The door opened. Alexander saw the woman and his body stiffened. After a long moment, he spoke coldly, “Fighting with my brother again? Sister-in-law?” I froze. So, she was Alexander’s sister-in-law, Victoria Lin. Victoria’s voice was low. “Alexander, must you speak to me like that?” Alexander’s jaw tightened, and he softened his tone. “Haven’t eaten?” “I was waiting for you,” Victoria murmured. Alexander took off his suit and walked towards the kitchen. “The usual? Filet mignon with Merlot, alright?” My heart clenched—this was the dinner he often made for me. I had once thought it was a unique gesture, only to realize it was merely a continuation of someone else’s preference. Victoria suddenly asked what I wanted to eat. Alexander finally looked at me, his voice icy. “You, go out.” I feigned composure. “Okay, I’ll come back later.” He flatly refused. “No need. Stay in a hotel these next few days. I’ll call you when it’s time to come back.” The door slammed shut behind me, rain lashing against my face. It felt as cold as it did three years ago when the landlord kicked me out. I thought I was clear-headed enough, but subconsciously, I had still considered this place “home.” Sophia called, reminding me that the contract expired on March 14th, asking if I wanted to book a flight for the 16th, avoiding Alexander’s birthday on March 15th. I took a deep breath. “Book it for the 14th. End it on the day it’s meant to end.” The next morning, Alexander messaged, “Come back.” I obeyed, taking a taxi back, only to see workers moving things out. “All this is being thrown out just because one woman doesn’t like it. Rich people are so capricious.” The worker’s words stopped me in my tracks. Another worker held up a cartoon plushie, carefully asking Alexander, “Not this one either?” That was a gift Alexander had given me. I had once mentioned wanting it as a child but never getting it, and he had specially postponed three days of his schedule to return home to find it. That was the first time I had forgotten my place, hugging him and crying uncontrollably. But now, Alexander said coldly, “Throw it away.” The plushie dropped into the garbage truck, buried beneath trash. I wanted to step forward, but Alexander called out, “What are you doing?” I forced myself to be calm, linking my arm through his. “I got your message. I was back in ten minutes, wasn’t I quick?” He made no comment, merely stating, “Live here from now on. Don’t leave anything behind.” I looked at the garbage truck, where all my belongings lay. After a long moment, I gently nodded. “Okay.” Alexander didn’t stay that night. The next day, his assistant delivered a dozen limited-edition Chanel bags. Along with a 7-million-credit black card and a property deed for an apartment in the city center. “This is Mr. Clark’s graduation gift to you.” I knew it was his way of placating me after he’d discarded my belongings. “Will he be coming back these next few days?” I asked. The assistant replied, “Mr. Clark postponed his business trip for Ms. Victoria Lin’s concert. He’ll return after it’s over, probably next month.” But I couldn’t wait until next month. I bought a ticket to the concert. Sophia scoffed, “A third-rate musician built on capital, what’s there to see?” But this was my last chance to see Alexander. The concert had already begun. The hall was dim, yet I instantly spotted Alexander in the first row. He gazed at Victoria Lin on stage, his eyes a deep ocean blue, a tenderness I had never witnessed. Victoria spoke, “I want to thank my husband. He gave me this piano, and I brought it. He’s always by my side.” The host mentioned Alexander, and Victoria smiled, saying, “Besides being family, we’re also very good friends.” Alexander abruptly stood up and walked out, bumping right into me. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me into a car. The driver, sensing the tension, discreetly left. His kiss was filled with icy rage; I couldn’t breathe, my wrist ached from his grip. “Mr. Clark, not here…” “Shut up!” he barked, yet his movements gradually softened. Finally, he whispered in my ear, “I love you…” My heart skipped a beat, but the next second I heard him call out, “Victoria Lin.” Under the starlit ceiling, I froze. His ‘love,’ it turned out, was never for me. Tears fell uncontrollably. Alexander asked what was wrong. I hugged him tightly. “Nothing, I just wanted to hold you.” It started raining outside. He suddenly asked, “Why did you come looking for me?” I softly said, “I wanted to see you.” He looked down at me, a slight upturn to his lips. “Such a good girl. What do you want? I’ll have Liam send it over.” For the first time, I refused. “No, thank you, Mr. Clark.” He froze, but his phone rang. Victoria’s voice was tearful. “Alexander, the hotel I’m staying in is blocked by the police. I’m so scared…” “I’ll be right there.” Alexander hung up, glanced at me, his voice icy. “Get out!” The heavy rain instantly soaked me. He shoved an umbrella into my hand, his voice detached. “I have something to do. Go back by yourself.” The Rolls-Royce’s headlights vanished into the rainy night. I held the umbrella, but the wind broke its ribs. I boarded a bus. The cold air made me shiver. Then, a jacket was draped over my head. I looked up, only seeing a handsome profile. He quickly got off the bus, disappearing into the rain. Back at the apartment, I washed and put away the jacket. I opened my phone. In a pushed news interview, a reporter asked if the woman Alexander had taken away was his girlfriend. Victoria smiled and said, “Just an irrelevant person who stumbled in. Alexander took her out because he was afraid of affecting me.” Alexander merely responded, “Yes.” I exited the video and opened my email. Two emails lay side by side: one was an invitation to a top domestic research project. The other was an offer for a million-dollar annual salary from a top 100 global conglomerate. On March 12th, I took a deep breath and replied to the research project email: “I am honored to join.” The next day, I returned home. The kitchen light was on, and Alexander was cooking. I walked over, only to see oxtail clear soup on the table—my favorite—instead of his usual steak. “Why this today?” I asked softly. He said casually, “I won’t be making steak anymore. You try this.” I glimpsed Victoria’s message on his phone: “I don’t want to be like everyone else.” My heart clenched, and I sat down in silence. “Tomorrow, Victoria and I are going to Germany. Don’t contact me these next few days,” he said coldly, pushing the bowl of soup towards me. I knew he was going to celebrate Victoria’s birthday with her, as he had for the past two years. “Okay,” I forced a smile. He promised, “I’ll bring you a gift from France.” “No need,” I looked up at him. “Mr. Clark, happy birthday.” He stood up and walked over to me, his tall figure eclipsing the light. His kiss was as hot as a volcano, and he lifted me, carrying me towards the bedroom. This was the most intense time in three years. I eventually passed out. He held me while cleaning, then pressed a kiss to my forehead. When I woke up, he was already gone. Sophia messaged, “3 PM flight. I’ll pick you up.” I scanned the apartment; all traces of me had long been thrown away. Packing my last few items of clothing, I placed the property deed and bank card on the study desk. “Honestly, I’ve always been grateful to you for helping me when I was at my lowest.” I took one last look at the apartment. “Thank you, Alexander Clark.” At 3 PM, Alexander’s plane landed in Germany, and my plane took off. 12 hours later, he was at a birthday party in Germany. I landed in Capital City. Taking the new phone handed to me by the staff, I headed to the research base. Two days later, Alexander returned to the foggy city early. His assistant smiled, “Mr. Clark, don’t worry, I’ll deliver the gift to Miss Taylor.” “It’s for her,” Alexander said flatly, then added, “Draft the renewal contract again, increase it from 500,000 to 700,000 credits. Send it tomorrow.” He returned to the apartment, made dinner, and waited for me from dusk until deep into the night. I didn’t come back. He took out his phone to call, but only heard an automated voice: “Hello, the number you have dialed is no longer in service…” Alexander dialed again, still getting the same message. He rushed upstairs; the bedroom, balcony, and study were all empty. Only the card and property deed remained on the desk, with a note tucked underneath: “Alexander Clark, thank you for these three years.” He called his assistant, his voice icy. “Find out where she is.” The assistant, bewildered, replied, “Isn’t Miss Taylor with you, Mr. Clark?” “Find her,” Alexander cut him off. Victoria messaged, “Alexander, I want to see you.” In the restaurant, Victoria cried, “Your brother found another woman. Help me get rid of her. You’re already keeping a little trinket in the foggy city, so keeping another one in Capital City won’t matter.” “Victoria Lin,” Alexander interrupted her. “Her name is Stella Taylor.” Victoria froze. Alexander continued, “This was your choice, back then.” Victoria tried to speak, but Alexander pulled his arm away. “I’m leaving.” Standing in the long corridor, looking at the city lights, Alexander suddenly thought of me. He took out his phone. “Find her location. Bring her back tonight.” The assistant hesitated. “Mr. Clark, someone has deliberately hidden Miss Taylor’s information. We can’t find her.” Capital City, Seventh Aerospace Research Institute. The academician patted my shoulder. “We have a new member joining. You both studied abroad in the foggy city, so you can pick him up.” “He’s a genius in physics, a rare talent in a century. He earned two bachelor’s degrees at 15, a doctorate at 17, and now holds two doctorates.” I turned, curious, and the young man at the door turned towards me—it was the same person who gave me his jacket on that rainy night in the foggy city. “It’s you.” My heart skipped a beat. “You remember?” he asked. “You’re not someone easily forgotten.” I extended my hand. “Thank you for that day. Welcome aboard. My name is Stella Taylor.” “Jasper Harris,” he said, shaking my hand, his voice cool and clear. In the foggy city apartment, Alexander looked at his assistant. “You’re telling me that with all of Clark Holdings’ connections, you can’t find a single Stella Taylor?” The assistant wiped sweat from his brow. “Top hackers, both domestic and international, have tried, but they can’t breach that firewall. It’s likely a state-level secret.” Alexander dismissed his assistant. The room instantly became a mess. He leaned over his desk, emotions surging in his chest, threatening to drown his reason—something had utterly slipped from his control. Alexander went to the club, walking directly towards Sophia. “Where is Stella Taylor?” Sophia feigned ignorance. “Stella Taylor? I don’t understand.” “On the afternoon of the 14th, you drove her to the airport. I’m asking you one last time, where is she?” His eyes were icy cold. Sophia’s heart turned cold. “She went back to the country. Said she wanted to go home to get married.” “Married?” Alexander was almost too angry to laugh. Sophia mustered her courage. “If you don’t like her, then let her go. She only came to you because she was desperate, treating herself like a commodity. But she’s a human being, with flesh and blood.” “Humiliation?” Alexander frowned. “You think I was humiliating her?” Sophia opened her phone. The screenshot showed the trending topic “A certain female international student, shameless, selling her body to climb the ladder.” It also showed photos of me trying to please Alexander. Suddenly, Alexander’s fingers froze—the zipper of the plushie in the screenshot was open, revealing a note inside the cotton. “I love you, Alexander Clark.” It was the plushie he himself had said he’d thrown away. Alexander gripped his phone tightly, Victoria Lin’s face flashing in his mind. “I didn’t know,” his voice was hoarse. Sophia said, “She paid to suppress the news that night, saying she didn’t want to trouble you. But what did you do?” Alexander remembered that day. Victoria had said she didn’t like the things in the apartment, so he, in front of me, had thrown away all my belongings. Standing under the eaves, Alexander called Victoria. Victoria exclaimed with delight, “Alexander, did you agree to what I asked? I knew it…” Alexander gently interrupted her. “That night in the apartment, what did you do?” Victoria froze. “I didn’t do anything. I was so tired that day; I went to bed early.” “Victoria Lin!” Alexander said coldly. “That day, what did you see in my room?” Victoria was silent for a moment. “If you’re asking me this way, do I still need to say it? Haven’t you already figured it out?” Alexander said in disbelief, “How could you be like this?” “Isn’t it because your brother and you forced me? One cheated, the other didn’t help me, always hiding out with his little mistress in the foggy city. When I needed support, there was no one behind me. I just wanted to drive her away, to make sure your attention was only on me. What did I do wrong?” Victoria gritted her teeth and yelled, “And anyway, weren’t you the one who actually threw her things away?” Alexander was completely stunned. Yes, he was the one who threw away my things, who lost me. It had always been him. He weakly hung up the phone with Victoria, looking at the dark night sky. A strange fear spread from his bones. He sent me a message: “I’m back.” “I, I’m back.” But there was no reply. Rain poured down. The assistant rushed over with an umbrella. “Mr. Clark…” The rest of his words caught in his throat. He watched Alexander stand silently in the rain, water soaking his hair, tracing his eyelids, leaving streaks on his face. The rain in this foggy city seemed to never cease. Two years later, the project ended. I called Sophia.

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“Ash, please stop… It’s already so raw.” Tears streamed down my face as I slumped before the man in military uniform. His voice was gentle, yet his hands didn’t falter. “Unless it’s perfectly clean, I won’t come near you.” My husband, General Ashworth Thorne, was… peculiar. Not only did our monthly intimacy require a formal request from me, but before he’d even consider touching me, I had to undergo a full three-stage disinfection, inside and out. But then, on our fifth wedding anniversary, I found a ripped silk stocking in his car. When I confronted him, he merely turned the steering wheel with an unnervingly calm expression. “I lent the car to Xander last week.” I didn’t say anything. Instead, I contacted his aide, Sergeant Brooks. That’s when I learned about a new junior comms officer recently assigned to Ashworth’s division. Over the phone, Brooks’s voice was hushed, almost a whisper. “Ms. Harper, I saw the General kiss her foot with my own eyes. They even shared a drink. And… I hear she might be pregnant.” “You’ve been good to me, I couldn’t stand to see you kept in the dark.” After hanging up, I calmly drafted the divorce papers. Ashworth, we’re done. … The next morning, I drove straight to the military headquarters. Sergeant Brooks’s face went white when he saw me. I glanced at Ashworth’s office – papers were strewn everywhere. Ashworth, the man who would instantly disinfect anything another person so much as brushed against, was currently pinning a woman to the floor, locked in a passionate kiss. Faint whimpers escaped the room. The woman inside met my gaze, her eyes devoid of any fear. I remembered that face. Three months ago, she’d just been assigned here, and had been utterly terrified, apologizing profusely when she’d accidentally knocked a file from my hands. “It must be hard on you.” I greeted Brooks, then pushed the door open without a knock. CRASH! The door slammed against the wall with a deafening thud. Startled, the two broke apart. I’d expected some flicker of panic, a clumsy excuse, or at least a hint of shame when caught in the act. But there was none. He merely frowned, his eyes filled with bewilderment and irritation. “Didn’t I tell you that you need to wear a sterile suit and disinfect three times before entering my office?” In his eyes, no emergency, no personal drama, could ever outweigh his almost pathological need for cleanliness. For five years, I had rigidly adhered to his rules. But now, it seemed utterly pointless. Because the young woman’s sweat was mingling with his, and he didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. Elara Vance’s uniform was disheveled, her face flushed crimson. “Ms. Harper, please don’t misunderstand. I just slipped while delivering some files, and General Thorne helped me steady myself.” Though she spoke to me, her eyes darted to Ashworth’s reaction. This girl, eight years my junior. Young, vibrant, and utterly oblivious to boundaries. I ignored her, tossing the divorce papers onto Ashworth’s face. The freshly printed pages still carried the faint scent of toner. Ashworth’s frown deepened. He must despise that smell. After all, in our home, every item had to undergo three layers of disinfection before it was allowed in his presence. Ashworth’s gaze flickered to the agreement on the floor, and he sighed with exasperation. “Listen, Harper, I told you, that item belonged to Xander. Can you please stop being so dramatic?” Xander was his academy classmate, one of his very few friends. But he’d forgotten, in his lie, that Xander had been deployed for field training four months ago, and Ashworth never lent his car, because he found it ‘dirty.’ But he wasn’t the only one with a cleanliness fixation. I found a disloyal marriage just as dirty. “Sign it. Divorce. It’s the best outcome for us.” I stood my ground, unyielding. He laughed, a bitter, angry sound. “What’s the point? You know my parents and the command won’t approve.” “In all our years of marriage, I haven’t touched another woman. This is just this one time.” “Can’t you just do what a General’s wife is supposed to do? Turn a blind eye?” According to him, I should be grateful that he only cheated with one person. He turned to Elara, his voice softening instantly. “You can go now. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.” But Elara took a step forward, a patch of skin on her collarbone, marked with a kiss, peeking from under her loose hair. “Ms. Harper, please don’t be angry with General Thorne. It’s all my fault.” Of course it was her fault. Breaking up a military marriage? Did she expect me to comfort her? SLAP! Before Elara could finish, I slapped her hard across the face. “This isn’t your place to speak.” Elara was stunned, clutching her cheek, her eyes instantly welling with tears. Ashworth and Brooks, who was still by the door, froze. They were both accustomed to my calm and professional demeanor, even when dealing with the most challenging trauma patients on the battlefield. Regaining her senses, Elara crumpled, falling into Ashworth’s arms. She sobbed uncontrollably, letting her makeup smudge onto Ashworth’s pristine military shirt. Ashworth, though his brow was slightly furrowed, patiently patted her back, his eyes filled with tenderness. Seeing this, I remembered. Because Ashworth loathed the smell of cosmetics, I had gone five years barefaced. He’d even insisted I wipe off my lip gloss for our wedding photos. “Are you insane? Do you know what you’re doing?” I met his furious gaze, my smile cold. “Doing what a General’s wife should.” “The Thorne family does not allow mistresses to waltz in.” Ashworth didn’t even glance at the divorce papers before telling Brooks to shred them. If he wouldn’t agree to a divorce, then I’d force his hand. No one knew better than me how to shatter his defenses. I kicked my military boots haphazardly in the entryway, poured live fish from the market into the bathtub, and even splashed sweet and sour sauce onto the cream-colored rug. The entire house was instantly filled with a fishy, greasy odor. Before, Ashworth would have replaced every single item in the house. Then he’d have soaked himself in disinfectant for hours. I sat in the chaotic living room, smirking, waiting for him to finally reach his breaking point and throw the divorce papers in my face. But until one in the morning, there was no sound from the front door. My phone screen lit up. Elara had sent me a photo from Ashworth’s phone. Ashworth sat on a greasy, shiny plastic stool at a night market stall, sharing a bowl of spicy noodle soup with Elara. [He’s willing to break all his principles for me.] My stomach churned. That year, I came back from a mission, carrying the faint scent of a street food stall. He banished me to the guest room for three days, then burned all the clothes I’d worn, claiming the smell disgusted him. So I’d endured five years of bland meals with him, to the point where the sight of red chili oil made me nauseous. But now, it seemed he could sit in a night market littered with bamboo skewers and grime, all for Elara. I sat awake all night, until my tears ran dry, then dialed the division’s political affairs office. “This is Major Harper. I demand you immediately reassign Comms Officer Elara Vance.” The line went silent for a few seconds, then a hesitant voice spoke. “General Thorne specifically instructed that any reassignment of Officer Vance must be personally approved by him.” My fingers, clutching the phone, felt ice-cold. The next second, Ashworth’s call came in. “Harper, how much longer are you going to keep this up?” “What, as a field officer, I’m not allowed to reassign a comms officer with questionable conduct?” “Not her.” “Harper, you need to reflect on your own behavior. Stop being so unreasonable.” They were the ones cheating, they were the ones who made mistakes, yet he thought I was the one who needed to reflect. But I was never one to just take things lying down. The next morning, I took a stack of photos and plastered them all over the bulletin boards in the military office area. The photos showed them passionately kissing in the jeep, entangled in the office, and feeding each other at a street food stall. By the time Ashworth arrived at the headquarters, it was too late. “I always knew there was something going on between that comms officer and General Thorne. I’ve seen them out alone multiple times.” “So young, yet so manipulative. Too bad she chose the wrong path.” “General Thorne is usually so morally upright, how could he… doesn’t he have a severe phobia of germs? Doesn’t he find her dirty?” Ashworth violently ripped the photos from the wall, his eyes practically spitting fire as he looked at me. “Harper, what’s the difference between you and those hysterical, screaming women now?” So he knew this kind of thing was disgraceful. If he knew, why did he do it? Everyone’s gaze, like sniper sights, zeroed in on Elara’s face. She clutched her face, hiding behind Ashworth. “Ash, I can’t show my face anymore. Maybe I should just request a transfer. Let’s not contact each other again.” I thought Ashworth, for the sake of appearances, would tell her to handle it discreetly. But he didn’t. In front of everyone, he took off his military jacket and draped it over Elara’s shoulders. His gaze swept across the crowd, sharp and menacing. “Had enough looking?” “From today, Elara Vance is reassigned to the operations department as an administrative assistant, and her stipend is increased by two grades.” “She is my person. Anyone who discusses this privately will face disciplinary action.” No one dared to speak again. They had careers to protect, and General Thorne was not someone they could afford to offend. I lost. The outcome of this, just as Ashworth had predicted, was me becoming a hysterical, irrational woman. As I walked out of the military headquarters building, Elara, who had been sobbing, finally whispered to me. “Thank you. Otherwise, Ash might have kept me hidden for who knows how long.” I returned, utterly dejected, to the city’s finest military general hospital. The psycho-trauma intervention clinic there was the only place that truly belonged to me. “Dr. Harper, about that…” My assistant called out to me, while the nurses nearby whispered amongst themselves. Though I was mentally prepared, pushing open the door still made my breath catch. The sofa was slashed with a knife, bookshelves were toppled, and broken glass and scattered files covered the floor. Ashworth had once pulled strings to secure the best equipment and a dedicated floor for me to practice here. Now, because of my defiance, he had personally destroyed it. I slowly knelt, picking up the scattered patient files. A familiar photograph slid out from the bottom of a folder. In the picture, Ashworth wore a hospital gown, his eyes vacant and terrified, curled tightly in a corner. Back then, his severe germ phobia caused him to violently vomit and tremble if anyone even approached him. Even the military doctors said he might never be able to serve again. I treated him for two years, helping him regain basic social functions, allowing the already highly-regarded officer to return to the force, where he rapidly rose to the rank of General. Ashworth’s grandfather immediately decided on our marriage. But why? Why should I be his permanent sacrifice, clinging to this already rotten marriage? The hospital director called me into his office. “While the expert panel deems you fit to work, the hospital cannot directly confront General Thorne.” “You should take some time off and rest.” I understood his predicament. Without argument, I took my new prescription and went home. Opening the door, I saw a pair of women’s short boots, not mine, neatly placed in the shoe rack. I chuckled self-deprecatingly. At Ashworth’s insistence, no one else had ever set foot in this house besides me and the cleaning lady who came once a week. Including our child. The year we married, I unexpectedly became pregnant. But Ashworth absolutely forbade me from having the baby. “I cannot tolerate something covered in blood and bodily fluids in my house.” “Besides, I’ve always disliked children, you know that.” Seeing him short of breath and trembling, I tried desperately to calm him, but in the struggle, I fell down the stairs. I lost the baby, and I almost bled to death on the operating table. From then on, after our monthly conjugal duties, he would personally watch me swallow birth control pills. Elara heard the door open and walked over, proudly caressing her flat stomach. “Sister, I’m pregnant. You must have heard, right?” “I don’t want my child to be born a bastard.” She leaned close to me, her voice light. “So, Harper, we’re actually on the same side.” “I want to move up, you want a divorce. We both get what we want.” I scoffed. “You’re mistaken. My desire for a divorce doesn’t mean I’d ever endorse a mistress like you taking my place.” “A mistress is always a mistress.” Perhaps my words stung her. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by anger. “What are you, anyway? Can’t keep your man, so you take it out on me?” “You actually think Ash isn’t divorcing you because he can’t bear to let you go? He just hasn’t sorted things out with his family yet.” “Men only let the woman they truly love carry their child.” “Your child? He didn’t want it, even when you conceived.” Her smile was sickening. I froze. The Thorne family had kept that incident under wraps. It was a permanent scar on my heart, and a scandal the military family preferred not to mention. But Ashworth had so easily told this woman. In my daze, the pill bottle in my pocket fell out. Elara picked it up and read the label, her sneer deepening. “What’s this? An aphrodisiac? You still haven’t given up on Ash?” “To be a woman who needs drugs to keep a man… how pathetic.” I stared at her, hatred churning in my gut. The next second, I fiercely twisted open the cap and tried to force the pills into her mouth. “This is an abortifacient. Specially prepared for you.” “You want to have a baby? I’ll make sure you can’t.” She gasped, her face turning ashen, struggling desperately. Suddenly, the door behind us opened, and she broke free from my grasp. “Ash! Sister, she tried to make me take some medicine!” “Our baby… my stomach hurts so much!” Ashworth shoved me to the ground. “What did you do to her?” Elara sobbed hysterically, though I knew she hadn’t swallowed a single pill. Ashworth glanced at the pills on the floor, his face changing drastically. After five years of marriage, he recognized the medication by osmosis. Paroxetine, contraindicated for pregnant women. He quickly scooped her up and rushed into the bathroom, helping her to induce vomiting. Vomit covered the pristine sink. The man who once demanded I disinfect a doorknob if my fingertip so much as brushed it. Was now clearing the grime from her lips with his bare hands, utterly unconcerned. After confirming she was alright, he emerged, his eyes like they wanted to devour me whole. “Harper, are you really so incapable of tolerating a child?” I tolerate her child? Who ever tolerated my child? I stared blankly at the pills on the floor. How ironic, a psychologist, suffering from depression. But I was fully aware of what I was doing. I wasn’t losing control; I was just consumed by hatred. I sat powerlessly on the bed, but habitually remembered that I hadn’t changed into my loungewear. It seemed I had been so thoroughly trained by Ashworth that I constantly thought of his rules. But he wasn’t afraid anymore, was he? In a daze, Ashworth entered the room. Seeing my coat, he stopped two meters away from me. So he wasn’t unafraid. It was just that Elara was always the exception. “You’re sick? Since when?” Probably for a long time. Under the constant pressure of his monthly demands for reports, scrubbing, and disinfection. Under the crushing pain of losing our child. Under the despair of sensing his infidelity with nowhere to turn. I thought, since he was asking, he might show an ounce of concern. But instead, he just went on. “Your behavior just now makes you unsuitable to continue working in psychological intervention.” “Quit your job. You’ve always wanted a child, haven’t you? Elara’s child, I’ve decided.” “You just need to explain at the press conference that she’s your distant cousin, pregnant out of wedlock.” “And that you’re infertile, so you’ll adopt her child, registered under our name.” “We’ll live together, and you’ll raise the child together.” My fists clenched. I thought I must have misheard him. How could he utter such an outrageous request? “What if I refuse?” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Harper, can’t you be a little more considerate of the bigger picture? That’s my flesh and blood too.” I sneered. “If we divorce, she and the child can be legitimate.” Ashworth didn’t speak. After a long moment, he sighed. “If you don’t agree, I’ll have the hospital cut off your mother’s specialized nursing ward and her targeted medication. You decide.” “Don’t bother trying to contact my parents. They’re inspecting the border defenses, you won’t be able to reach them.” My mother’s late-stage kidney cancer relied entirely on the military general hospital’s cutting-edge treatments. He was cutting off my mother’s lifeline. I surrendered.

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