《Hell Yeah! Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House was Cheating on Me》 Forget the `1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡°Babe, can you give me ess to our AC? I¡¯m freezing.¡± I curled up against my husband, wrapped in a nket. ¡°No need. Guest mode¡¯s enough for you.¡± His tone was as cold as our living room. ¡°If you feel cold, it¡¯s all in your head. Seventy¨Cfive is the most logical temperature.¡± ¡°Then why can Melody change it whenever she wants?¡± He looked up from hisptop, annoyed: ¡°She¡¯s my assistant. She¡¯s here constantly handling critical work. Of course she needs system ess.¡± Right on cue, our smart speaker announced: ¡°Master Melody approaching. Auto¨Copening door. Adjusting to Master Melody¡¯s preferred 78 degrees.¡± Master? So in MY house, I was the guest and SHE was the master. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re absolutely right. Guest mode is perfect for me.¡± I stood up calmly: ¡°Because guests don¡¯t have to pay the mortgage, handle the utilities, or give a damn when the house burns down. Thanks for the reminder, honey. Mywyer¡¯s going to love this.¡± ¡°Jax, tomorrow¡¯s our anniversary. Could you maybe bump up my ess to the home system? At least let me control the AC temp?¡± He didn¡¯t even look up from the data streaming across hisptop screen. ¡°The system¡¯s already optimized for peakfort. Seventy¨Cfive degrees is scientifically proven to be ideal for human physiology.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m cold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s psychological.¡± He frowned. ¡°Iris, don¡¯t get all emotional about this. The smart climate control saves us thirty percent on utilities. It¡¯s the most logical choice.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Then why does Melody have admin ess? She can adjust whatever she wants.¡± At the mention of Melody, he finally looked up, but his eyes were full of irritation. 10:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 0.0% Chapter 1 ¡°She¡¯s constantly here handling urgent work files. She needs ess to the office and equipment. You don¡¯t understand the tech side¨Cif I gave you full privileges, you might mess with the settings and crash the whole system.¡± Right on cue, the smart speaker in the living room chimed to life. ¡°Melody Rivera approaching. Activate wee mode?¡± My stomach dropped. ¡°She¡¯sing over? It¡¯s ten PM.¡± Jaxon stood up,pletely unfazed. ¡°Probably an issue with tomorrow¡¯s presentation materials. She said we needed to go over everything in person.¡± The electronic lock clicked open automatically, and Melody walked in. Sharp business attire, hair cascading over her shoulders. A leather portfolio in hand, her face painted with just the right amount of concern. ¡°Jax, I¡¯m so sorry to barge in thiste.¡± She nced at me with an apologetic smile. ¡°Hey, Iris! Sorry¨Ctomorrow¡¯s pitch is make¨Cor¨Cbreak.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± Jaxon was already heading toward his office. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in there.¡± Melody followed, and as she passed me, she said casually: ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s freezing out there. Thank god it¡¯s cozy in here.¡± Then, speaking to the air: ¡°Alexa, set the office temperature to seventy¨Ceight.¡± ¡°Of course, Ms. Rivera. Temperature adjusted.¡± The system responded instantly. Meanwhile, when I¡¯d tried to adjust the temp earlier, I got: ¡°Insufficient privileges. Contact administrator.¡± Watching them disappear into the office, I stood in the living room feeling like a stranger in my own home. Familiar because I¡¯d handpicked every piece of furniture. Foreign because apparently, I had less control here than an outsider. My phone buzzed¨Cthe hospital. ¡°Mrs. Sterling, your mother¡¯s had a heart attack. It¡¯s critical¨Cpleasee immediately!¡± My legs gave out. I grabbed my purse and rushed to the door. ¡°Alexa, unlock the front door!¡± ¡°Sorry, your departure request requires administrator approval. Current time is 10:15 PM, which exceeds safe departure 10:18 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 2.3% hours.¡± I was about to lose it. I burst into the office. ¡°Jax, my mom¡¯s dying¨CI need to get to the hospital!¡± He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s toote. Not safe out there. Let the hospital handle it tonight, you can go in the morning.¡± ¡°The doctor said it¡¯s critical!¡± ¡°They have professional medical staff. You being there won¡¯t change anything.¡± He checked his watch. ¡°Statistically,te¨Cnight travel has 60% higher ident rates. This is about your safety.¡± Melody chimed in softly: ¡°Jax is right, Iris. Safety first. Want me to have the system transfer money for medical expenses?¡± She pulled out her phone and spoke to the air: ¡°Alexa, transfer fifty thousand from the household ount to Metro General Hospital.¡± ¡°Transferplete, Ms. Rivera.¡± I stared in disbelief. She could ess our joint ount at will, but I couldn¡¯t even unlock my own door¡­ ¡°Money¡¯s not the issue,¡± Jaxon told me. ¡°Your mom will be fine. You need to calm down and stop being so emotional.¡± ¡°I need to see my mother!¡± I was practically screaming. ¡°Iris!¡± He¡¯d never been this harsh with me. ¡°Can you please just be rational for once?¡± Just then, Melody¡¯s phone rang. She nced at it and went pale. ¡°Jaz, we have a problem! The database crashed¨Call of tomorrow¡¯s presentation data is corrupted!¡± ¡°What?¡± Jaxon shot up. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Melody¡¯s eyes instantly filled with tears, her voice cracking. ¡°If we can¡¯t present tomorrow, thepany loses a hundred million dor contract!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic. We¡¯re going to the office right now.¡± Jaxon grabbed his coat and headed for the door. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say it was dangerous to go out at night?¡± 10:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 4.5% He stopped, his voice ice¨Ccold. ¡°This is a hundred¨Cmillion¨Cdor deal. It has to be handled. Business and emotions are different¨Cwhen work fails, hundreds of employees lose their livelihoods.¡± ¡°And my mom¡¯s life doesn¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°I told you, the hospital will handle it.¡± Finally, he snapped impatiently, ¡°Melody, disable Iris¡¯s departure restrictions for tonight.¡± Melody tapped her phone. ¡°Done.¡± The door finally unlocked, but Jaxon and Melody were already gone. I stood alone in the doorway, watching their car disappear into the night. Forget the 2 Rain poured down as I finally caught a cab to the hospital. Mom was still in surgery. I waited outside for three hours. At 4 AM, the doctor finally emerged. ¡°She¡¯s stable for now, but she needs cardiac bypass surgery ASAP. We¡¯re looking at about three hundred thousand.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get the money together.¡± I immediately checked our bank ount, only to discover Jaxon had invested everything in various financial products. [Education Fund (future children): $500K, matures 2035] [Retirement Fund: $1M, matures 2050] [Health Insurance: $20K monthly premiums, 30¨Cyear coverage] Early withdrawal would mean massive penalties. I called Jaxon. It rang forever before he picked up. ¡°What?¡± His voice was still impatiently. ¡°Mom needs surgery¨Cthree hundred thousand. You¡¯ve got all our money tied up in investments¡­¡± He cut me off: ¡°The portfolio can¡¯t be touched. It¡¯s an optimized allocation based on actuarial analysis.¡± ¡°Liquidating now would cost us at least twenty percent in returns. It¡¯spletely irrational.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Use a credit card or medical loan. Hospitals have payment ns withpetitive rates.¡± ¡°Jaxon! This is life¨Cor¨Cdeath money!¡± Silence, then I heard Melody¡¯s voice in the background. ¡°Jaz, the data¡¯s recovered! You¡¯re amazing¨Cwithout you, tomorrow¡¯s presentation would¡¯ve been toast.¡± ¡°Good.¡± After responding to her, he said to me: ¡°Iris, learn to handle problems rationally. The hospital has financing options¨Cthat¡¯s the optimal solution. I¡¯m still dealing withpany issues.¡± He hung up. I sat numbly in the hospital corridor chair. At 5 AM, I got a text from Jaxon. 10:18 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 9.1% [Had Melody transfer $50K deposit to hospital. Finance the rest¨Cmost rational use of capital.] Right after, Melody¡¯s Instagram updated. [All¨Cnighter sess! Crisis averted! Thanks to Jax¡¯s trust and guidance¨Ccouldn¡¯t have done it without you! :>] The photo showed them at the office, both smiling. Melody looked radiant, and Jaxon wore a rare genuine smile. He¡¯d liked the post andmented: [Great work. You¡¯re exceptional.] Iughed bitterly. So he knew how to express appreciation¨Cjust not to me. Forget the 3 When Mom woke up that morning and saw my swollen eyes, she weakly touched my face. ¡°Sweetheart, you didn¡¯t sleep at all?¡± ¡°Mom, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Same old heart trouble. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She looked at me, suddenly confused. ¡°Jaxon didn¡¯te?¡± I stayed silent. ¡°That boy¡­¡± Mom sighed ¡°When your father died saving his grandfather, he cried and swore he¡¯d take care of us. And now¡­¡± ¡°Mom, don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Iris,¡± Mom squeezed my hand, ¡°are you happy in that house?¡± I wanted to say yes, but tears betrayed me. Mom wiped them away and was about to speak when the door opened. Melody walked in carrying a fruit basket. ¡°Hi, Auntie! Came to check on you.¡± Her smile was picture¨Cperfect. ¡°Jax is swamped, so he sent me to represent him.¡± Mom gave her a cold look and said nothing. Melody didn¡¯t seem fazed. She set down the basket and turned to me. ¡°Iris, Jax wanted me to tell you¨Ctonight¡¯s anniversary dinner is cancelled. He¡¯s meeting with a major client.¡± I¡¯d already guessed. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Oh, and,¡± Melody added like an afterthought, ¡°the home system needs upgrading. Jax said to temporarily put you on guest¨Clevel ess so you don¡¯t identally mess anything up.¡± ¡°Guest level?¡± I was stunned. ¡°That means I can¡¯t even do basic things¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you remotely.¡± Melody¡¯s smile was sickeningly sweet. ¡°Just text me when you need something adjusted. I¡¯ll take care of it. After all, high¨Ctech stuff like this really needs a professional touch.¡± She left, heels clicking on the floor. Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 18.2% Chapter 3 Mom watched her go and snorted. ¡°That woman¡¯s trouble.¡± ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Sweetie, can¡¯t you see? She¡¯s recing you step by step. She controls your house¨Cshe¡¯s already the real woman in charge.¡± I smiled bitterly. ¡°Jaxon says it¡¯s for work convenience.¡± ¡°Work?¡± Mom scoffed. ¡°What kind of sense does it make to let an outsider control your own home? Iris, you¡¯re too trusting. Too naive about Jaxon.¡± Although I felt ufortable inside, considering that Mom had just finished surgery, I thought it was better not to worry her. After taking care of Mom all day, I didn¡¯t return home until dark. Click! The lights didn¡¯t turn on. ¡°Alexa, lights on.¡± ¡°Sorry, guest privileges cannot ess that function.¡± Turns out I didn¡¯t even have permission to turn on the lights anymore. I fumbled for my phone in the dark and texted Melody: [Could you please turn on the living room lights?] Ten minutester, she finally replied: [Sorry babe, was in the shower! Just turned them on for you] The lights came on. But needing permission to illuminate my own home felt humiliating. I tried the TV, AC, kitchen appliances¡­ Everything showed ¡°Insufficient ess.¡± In my own house, I¡¯d be an actual ¡°outsider.¡± Jazon didn¡¯t get home until eleven, reeking of alcohol. ¡°Happy anniversary,¡± He set a box on the table. ¡°Your gift,¡± Inside was a new insurance policy. ¡°Critical illness coverage, five million payout, covers all major diseases.¡± He said seriously, ¡°I researched every product on the market¨Cthis is the optimal n.¡± 0.19 Hell Yeah Forgot the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 21.2% I stared at the cold contract. ¡°This is my anniversary gift?¡± He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s practical. Way more useful than flowers or jewelry. When it matters, this could save your life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want insurance. I want yourpanionship.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here now, aren¡¯t I?¡± He checked his watch. ¡°Actually came home an hour early.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Jaxon, why did you downgrade me to guest ess?¡± ¡°System upgrade. Melody said guest level is safest¨Cprevents idental interference.¡± ¡°Melody said?¡± Iughed coldly. ¡°This is our home. Why does everything depend on what she says?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the expert.¡± Jaxon was getting annoyed. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s temporary. Once the upgrade¡¯s done, you¡¯ll get your ess back.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. Depends.¡± He yawned. ¡°I¡¯m gonna shower. Early morning tomorrow.¡± Watching turn walk away, I suddenly asked: ¡°Jazon, in your mind, am I your wife, or just some problem that needs managing?¡± He stopped but didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this. Get some sleep.¡± Forget the 4 The next day, while I was at the hospital with Mom, Melody called. ¡°Hey Iris, sorry to bother you. The home system detected an anomaly¨Csomeone tried to force their way past the security protocols. Was that you?¡± I frowned. ¡°I just wanted to turn on the AC.¡± ¡°Oh, you should¡¯ve just asked me!¡± Her voice carried a hint of smugness. ¡°Forcing the system triggers security alerts. Jax takes homework security very seriously.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my house!¡± ¡°I know, but rules are rules.¡± ¡°Oh, and Jax wanted me to tell you¨Cdon¡¯t wait up for dinner tonight. We¡¯re pulling an all¨Cnighter prepping for next week¡¯s project presentation.¡± After she hung up, I saw her Instagram story. [Some people think the world revolves around them, not realizing what really matters is creating value 1 The photo showed her work badge: ¡°Executive Assistant.¡± Mom caught my mood. ¡°That woman again?¡± I nodded. Then said quietly: ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve decided to get a divorce.¡± Mom was stunned. ¡°Sweetheart, what did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m divorcing Jaxon.¡± I squeezed her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a long time. It¡¯s not impulsive.¡± ¡°But¡­ honey, you need to think this through.¡± Mom looked at me with concern. ¡°Divorce isn¡¯t trivial. You¡¯d be on your own¡­¡± ¡°Mom, I have thought it through.¡± I stared in her eyes. ¡°Living like a prisoner in my own home, needing permission to adjust the thermostat¨Cthat¡¯s not marriage, it¡¯s humiliation.¡± ¡°But Jaxon, aside from being overly logical, hasn¡¯t been terrible to you¡­¡± ¡°Not terrible?¡± Iughed bitterly. omen MuSmart House Was Cheating On Me! 27.3% ¡°Mom, when you were dying, he said it was too dangerous for me to leave the house. But one phone call from Melody about database issues, and he immediately rushed out in a storm. In his mind, your life and mine are both less important than his work.¡± Mom fell silent. ¡°Sweetie. I¡¯m just worried¡­¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about.¡± ¡°But Mom, I¡¯m his wife, not some Sterling family essory.¡± Mom didn¡¯t say anything more, but the look in her eyes held even more heartache for me. That evening at home, I found evidence someone had been there. Two sses on the coffee table, throw pillows rearranged, a faint lingering perfume in the air. Not mine. I checked the door logs¨CMelody had entered at 3 PM, left at 6 PM. Reason listed: ¡°Retrieving work files.¡± But Jaxon¡¯s office was upstairs. Why would she spend three hours in the living room? I called Jaxon. ¡°Melody was at the house today?¡± ¡°Yeah, getting files.¡± His tone was casual. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She was there for three hours.¡± ¡°Probably waiting for documents to print.¡± He suddenly got annoyed. ¡°Iris, don¡¯t be paranoid. Melody was there for work.¡± ¡°She used my coffee mug!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a mug. Are you really going to be that petty?¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Jazon, if Melody said she needed to move into our house for work convenience, would you agree?¡± He was quiet for a moment. ¡°What kind of crazy talk is that?¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He continued: ¡°You¡¯re my wife. This is our home.¡± ¡°But the person controlling this home is her, not me,¡± ¡°That¡¯s just temporary system ess issues!¡± He finally lost it. ¡°Iris! Can you please act like an adult? Stop whining like some bitter housewife!¡± ¡°Bitter housewife?¡± Iughed coldly. ¡°Yeah, I guess I am¨Ca bitter housewife who needs permission to turn on lights in her own home.¡± I hung up and texted my best friend, Lora. [Free to talk? Need advice about divorce proceedings.] Forget the 5 Lora met me at a coffee shop. Seeing my appearance, she was shocked. ¡°God, you¡¯ve lost so much weight.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t had much appetitetely.¡± ¡°Iris,¡± she gripped my hand, ¡°what the hell is going on?¡± I told her everything from the past three years. From when Melody joined thepany, to now when she controlled everything in our home. Lora was livid. ¡°That woman is so calcting! She¡¯s ying the long game¨Cslowly pushing you out of your own home!¡± ¡°Jaxon doesn¡¯t see it.¡± I smiled bitterly. ¡°To him, Melody¡¯s just an excellent assistant.¡± ¡°Men are idiots!¡± Lora fumed, then looked at me seriously. ¡°You¡¯re really decided on divorce?¡± ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. I can¡¯t live like this anymore.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you.¡± She pulled out a notebook. ¡°But Jaxon¡¯s legal team is strong. We need to gather evidence.¡± ¡°What kind of evidence?¡± ¡°Emotional neglect evidence¨Cproof that he ignores and controls you. And¡­¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°If we could prove he and Melody have an inappropriate rtionship, that¡¯d be even better.¡± I shook my head. ¡°They don¡¯t. Jazon isn¡¯t interested in anything except work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure.¡± She gave me a meaningful look. ¡°Feelings develop over time¨Chappens all the time.¡± On the way home, I got a text from Melody. [Hey Iris! The security system needs maintenance tonight¨Cmight lose power a few times. Don¡¯t be scared!] Before I could reply, another came through. [Jax is workingte at the office tonight, says don¡¯t wait up.] 10:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 36.4% Always her rying Jaxon¡¯s messages, like she was his spokesperson. At home, the power did go out. I sat in the dark living room, listening to the smart system reboot. ¡°System updating¡­ Updateplete. Wee home, Ms. Rivera.¡± I froze. ¡°Alexa, I¡¯m Iris.¡± ¡°Identifying¡­ Hello, guest.¡± Guest. In my own home, I was a guest¡­ While the system¡¯s default greeting went to Melody. I texted Jaxon. [System has Melody set as the house master.] He replied quickly. [System bug. I¡¯ll have it fixed tomorrow.] [Where are you?] [Office.] I opened the location app¨Csomething he¡¯d installed for ¡°security¡± purposes. He was indeed at the office. But Melody¡¯s location showed the same ce. At 2 AM, unable to sleep, I called him. ¡°Still awake?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, reviewing reports.¡± His voice sounded tired. ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°Melody¡¯s here too, organizing data.¡± It was quiet in the background, but I could faintly hear typing. ¡°Get some rest,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, you too.¡± After hanging up, I saw Melody had posted something visible only to me. 10.10 Hell Yock Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On] [Some people calling at all hours to check up¡­ so insecure. Too bad¨Cyou can¡¯t hold onto exceptional men like that.] The photo showed two coffee cups with Jaxon¡¯s silhouette in the background. The next day, I went to see a private investigator. ¡°I want to know the real rtionship between my husband and his assistant.¡± The PI looked at their photos. ¡°Sterling Corp¡¯s CEO? His assistant is Melody Rivera?¡± ¡°You know her?¡± Forget the 6 The investigator smiled. ¡°Everyone in our circles knows about Melody¨Cshe¡¯s famous for being ambitious. She pulled the same move at her previous ¡°What move?¡± ¡°ssic homewrecker move.¡± The PI pulled out a file. ¡°But she¡¯s smart¨Cnever makes the first move. Creates situations where men think it¡¯s their choice.¡± My heart sank. A weekter, the investigator gave me a report. While there was no evidence of actual infidelity, there were many inappropriate details. Melody would massage Jaxon¡¯s shoulders when he workedte. They frequently shared working meals, with Melody ¡°naturally¡± using her own fork to serve him food. Melody¡¯s office contained Jaxon¡¯s spare shirts. And security footage showed Melody entering Jaxon¡¯s officete at night multiple times, staying for hours. ¡°While it could all be exined as work¨Crted¡­¡± The investigator shook his head. ¡°Normal boss¨Cemployee rtionships aren¡¯t this intimate.¡± With the report in hand, I returned home to find Melody leaving the house. ¡°Iris! You¡¯re back!¡± Her smile was radiant. ¡°I just tidied up your room¨CJax said you¡¯ve been busy and haven¡¯t had time to clean.¡± ¡°You went into my bedroom?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a mess. I got everything organized for you.¡± She seemed concerned. ¡°Women need to stay polished, or their husbands start losing interest.¡± I pushed her away, open the bedroom door and saw everything had really been moved, Cosmetics rearranged, clothes reorganized, even the bedsheets changed. She¡¯d erased my presence, bit by bit. Melody leaned against the doorframe, smirking. ¡°I tossed those old clothes of yours¨Ctotally outdated. Women need to invest in themselves, or how can they keep their man¡¯s attention?¡± ¡°Those were MY things! What right did you have to throw them away?!¡± ¡°Jax approved it.¡± She blinked innocently. ¡°He said you haven¡¯t been yourselftely and asked me to help out more.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Melody, what exactly do you want?¡± She paused, thenughed. ¡°Iris, what could I possibly want? I¡¯m just doing my job conscientiously.¡± ¡°Oh, really!¡± I pulled out the PI¡¯s report on my phone and shove to her face. ¡°And this is part of your job too?!¡± She nced at it, her expression flickering before returning to calm. ¡°Iris, you¡­ don¡¯t trust Jax?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust YOU!¡± ¡°Then you should ask Jax directly.¡± Her smile was loaded with meaning. ¡°Though I¡¯d advise against it. Men hate distrust and surveince. You¡¯ll only push him further away.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± She leaned closer, lowering her voice. ¡°Who do you think Jax would believe¨Cyou or me?¡± Forget the 7 That evening, Jaxon came home looking furious. ¡°You had me investigated?¡± He suddenly mmed a document on the table. It was the PI contract with my signature. ¡°Who told you?¡± I asked, though I already knew. ¡°Melody said someone was following her. She called the police and found out you hired them.¡± Heughed coldly. ¡°Iris, I never thought you¡¯d stoop this low.¡± ¡°I just wanted to know the truth.¡± ¡°What truth?¡± He stepped closer, eyes ice¨Ccold. ¡°You think I¡¯m cheating?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Three years, and you still don¡¯t trust me.¡± ¡°I work sixteen hours a day¨Cfor what? For our future! And what do you do? Spy on me, suspect me,in like a bitter housewife!¡± ¡°I was just¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± He cut me off. ¡°Melody is my assistant, nothing more. She¡¯s excellent, capable, rational¨Cshe¡¯d never throw tantrums like you do.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s better than me?¡± He was quiet for a moment. ¡°At least she doesn¡¯t waste time on pointless jealousy.¡± ¡°Jazon,¡± I looked at him, ¡°do you realize the system calls her the master and me a guest?¡± ¡°I told you! That¡¯s a bug!¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a bug. It¡¯s the truth. In this house, she¡¯s thedy of this house and I¡¯m just a outsider.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to see it, I can¡¯t help you.¡± With that, he turned toward the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m sleeping in the office. You need to do some serious self¨Creflection.¡± 10:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 54.5% I sat in the living room, listening to his footsteps upstairs. DING- My phone lit up with a message, it¡¯s Melody. [Iris, why do this to yourself? You¡¯re only pushing Jax toward me.] [Oh, forgot to mention¨Cstarting tomorrow I¡¯m officially moving into thepany¡¯s executive suite. It¡¯s right next to JAX¡¯s office] [For work convenience, of course. You understand, right?] I deleted the messages and called Lora: ¡°I¡¯ve got the evidence. Help me draw up the divorce papers.¡± C Forget the 8 hapter 8 The next day, I took the divorce papers to Jaxon¡¯s office. The receptionist looked surprised to see me. ¡°Mrs. Sterling, it¡¯s been so long since you¡¯ve visited.¡± ¡°Is Jax in?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± She hesitated. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Ms. Rivera said Mr. Sterling is very busy today and isn¡¯t taking guests.¡± ¡°I¡¯m his wife, not a guest.¡± The receptionist looked ufortable. ¡°But Ms. Rivera said¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go up myself.¡± Taking the elevator to the top floor, I saw Melody waiting as soon as I stepped out. ¡°Iris! What brings you here?¡± ¡°I need to see Jaxon.¡± ¡°Jax is in a meeting.¡± She blocked my path. ¡°A very important meeting that can¡¯t be interrupted.¡± Through the ss doors, I could see Jaxon was indeed in the conference room. But he was alone, looking at hisptop. ¡°Move aside.¡± ¡°Iris,¡± Melody sighed, ¡°you¡¯re just going to make Jax resent you. A sessful woman supports her husband¡¯s career instead of¡­¡± ¡°MOVE.¡± I pushed past her and walked straight into the conference room. Jaxon looked up, frowning. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I just stepped forward and ced the divorce papers in front of him. ¡°Sign these.¡± He stared for a few seconds, thenughed coldly. ¡°This routine again? Iris, are you addicted to threatening me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not threat. It¡¯s a decision.¡± He picked up the papers and flipped through them, his expression darkening. 10:20 0 Hell Yeah Forgot the Other Women My Short House Was Cheating On Mol 636% ¡°All because of Melody?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just her.¡± I said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s because in your heart, I¡¯ve never been first. Workes first, logices first, even Melody is more important than me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± ¡°Then tell me¨Cin three years of marriage, do you remember my birthday? What I like to eat? The name of even one of my friends?¡± He opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°But you remember every client¡¯s preferences, that Melody¡¯s allergic to pollen, that she likesttes with half the sugar.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for work!¡± ¡°Right, everything is work to you!¡± I smiled bitterly. ¡°Including our marriage¨Cjust another part of your stupid work!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t agree to divorce!¡± He tore up the papers. ¡°You¡¯re my wife, always will be!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just your wishful thinking!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t over.¡± I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm. ¡°Iris, let¡¯s talk.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk.¡± ¡°What if¡­ what if I fired Melody? Would you still want a divorce?¡± I looked back at him. ¡°Could you bear to?¡± He fell silent. ¡°See? You can¡¯t even make that promise.¡± I shook off his hand. ¡°Jazon, you don¡¯t love me. You love the idea of a perfect wife who fits your life n. Unfortunately, that¡¯s not me.¡± Walking out of the conference room, Melody was still waiting outside. She smiled smugly. ¡°Have a fight?¡± ¡°None of your business.¡± ¡°How is it not my business?¡± She followed me to the elevator. 10.20 66.7% ¡°Did you know, Iris? Jax and I were up all night talking¨Cdidn¡¯t finish until 3 AM.¡± I pressed the elevator button, ignoring her. ¡°He said you don¡¯t understand him, that all you do isin.¡± She whispered in my ear: ¡°He also said if it wasn¡¯t for duty, he would have already¡­¡® The elevator doors opened. I stepped in and turned to look at her. ¡°Melody, his appreciation for you is conditional. When you¡¯re no longer ¡®excellent, capable, and rational,¡® you¡¯ll be the next me.¡± The doors closed, cutting off her stunned expression. Forget the 9 Back home, I started packing. While the system wouldn¡¯t let me control the appliances, I could at least pack my own belongings. Halfway through, Jaxon came home. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Moving out.¡± He immediately grabbed the box from my hands. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no ce for me in this house anymore.¡± I gestured at the smart devices. ¡°I¡¯m just a guest, remember? Only the master can stay permanently.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have it changed immediately!¡± he said urgently. ¡°I¡¯ll delete all of Melody¡¯s ess and give you full administrative rights!¡± He actually started operating his phone. Minutester, the system announced: ¡°ess transferplete. Ms. Iris Sterling is now the primary administrator.¡± ¡°See?¡± He looked at me hopefully. ¡°Now you¡¯re the master of this house.¡± Turns out it only took a few minutes to change the ess rights, but he still kept dying it. I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± ¡°Iris!¡± ¡°Jaxon, don¡¯t you understand?¡± I looked at him. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t ess rights¨Cit¡¯s your heart. Your heart has grand business visions and detailed life ns, but no room for me.¡± ¡°I do have room for you! Everything I do is for you!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s for your ideal life.¡± ¡°In your n, career sess by 30, financial freedom by 35, IPO by 40. The wife handles domestic duties and maintains your perfect image. I¡¯m just a role in that n.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± ¡°Then tell me,¡± I asked him, ¡°if I got sick and it interfered with your work, would you choose to stay with me or go to the office?¡± He fell silent. ¡°See? You know the answer but you don¡¯t dare say it.¡± 10:20 Hell Yeah Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 72.7% Suddenly, his phone rang¨CMelody. He nced at it and hung up. But it immediately rang again. ¡°Answer it,¡± I said calmly. ¡°It must be something ¡®very important.¡°¡± He reluctantly picked up. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°God! Jax!¡± Melody was crying on the other end. ¡°All the servers crashed! We can¡¯t ess any data! All the materials for tomorrow¡¯s IPO roadshow won¡¯t open!¡± Jaxon¡¯s face went pale. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everyone from IT is here but no one can fix it¡­ Jax, if tomorrow¡¯s roadshow fails, thepany¡¯s IPO n is ruined!¡± He looked at me, conflicted. ¡°Go,¡± I said. ¡°Iris¡­¡± ¡°This is who you are¨Cthere¡¯s always something more important than me.¡± I pulled my suitcase. ¡°I¡¯ll stay at Mom¡¯s for a few days. Mywyer will send the divorce papers.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± He caught up. ¡°I won¡¯t go to the office. I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± I stopped. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± He put down his phone. ¡°Nothing is more important than you.¡± But within three seconds, his phone started vibrating frantically. Countless messages flooded in. Seeing the screen, his fingers were trembling, cold sweat on his forehead. ¡°Just go,¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡­¡± His phone kept ringing¨CMelody calling again. This time he didn¡¯t answer. He turned it off. ¡°I choose you,¡± he said. But watching his agitated state, the way he kept checking his watch, I knew his body was here but his heart had flown to the office. I shook my head. ¡°Forget it.¡± ¡°Forcedpanionship is meaningless.¡± Forget the 10 I stayed in Mom¡¯s hospital room for three days. During that time, Jaxon called countless times and sent endless messages. [The roadshow was sessful, thepany goes public next month.] [I fired Melody.] [I took a month off, should we go on vacation?] [Iris, I really know I was wrong.] [Pleasee back¡­] On the fourth day, he came to the hospital. Much thinner, eyes bloodshot. ¡°Mom.¡± He looked at my mother. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t take good care of Iris all these years.¡± Mom looked at him coldly. ¡°Only realizing that now? Toote.¡± ¡°Mom, give me another chance¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mom.¡± Mom cut him off. ¡°Jaxon, do you really love my daughter?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He answered without hesitation. ¡°If you had to choose between your career and my daughter, what would you pick?¡± He froze. ¡°Is that such a difficult question? Your hesitation says it all.¡± ¡°No¡­ I want both¡­¡± ¡°Greedy,¡± Mom shook her head. ¡°You want everything and end up with nothing.¡± Just then, his phone rang. An unknown number, He answered, and his face changed dramatically. ¡°What? Melody jumped off a building?!¡± Actually, Melody didn¡¯t die, just broke her leg. Apparently after being fired, she hacked thepany system to cause damage, got caught, faced massivepensation and criminal charges, and had a moment of despair. 10:20 Hell Yeah Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 81.8% Jaxon went to handle the situation. Lora came to see me. ¡°That Melody really dug her own grave.¡± ¡°She was too impatient,¡± I said. ¡°If she¡¯d taken it slower, she might have actually seeded.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t hate her?¡± ¡°I did, but not anymore. She was just a catalyst that made me see the truth about this marriage.¡± ¡°What about Jaxon?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good person, just not suitable as a husband.¡± I shrugged. ¡°At least not as my husband.¡± Two monthster, the divorce was finalized. When Jaxon signed the papers, his hands shook terribly. ¡°Iris, is there really no chance for us?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What if I changed¡­¡± ¡°Jaxon,¡± I interrupted him, ¡°this isn¡¯t about changing. Your rational thinking, your career drive¨Cthese are part of your nature. People who change their nature can¡¯t be happy.¡± ¡°But without you, I won¡¯t be happy either.¡± ¡°You will be.¡± ¡°When yourpany goes public, when you achieve financial freedom, you¡¯ll see this failed marriage as just a small episode in your life.¡± He smiled bitterly. ¡°What kind of person do you think I am?¡± ¡°Someone who values logic and career above everything else.¡± I stood up. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing wrong with that¨Cwe¡¯re just ipatible.¡± ¡°Iris¡­¡± ¡°I hope you find someone truly right for you.¡± ¡°Someone as rational as you, who also puts career first.¡± Walking out of the civil affairs office, the sunlight was perfect. I took a deep breath of fresh air and called Mom ¡°Mom, I¡¯m free.¡± After the divorce, I used my settlement to open a flower shop. 10:20 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 84.8% Right near Mom¡¯s hospital, so I could easily take care of her. The shop did well¨Cpeople came to buy flowers every day. One day, a familiar customer walked in. Forget the 11 ¡°Hey, I¡¯d like some lilies.¡± I looked up¨Cit was my college ssmate Marcus. ¡°Marcus? Long time no see!¡± He smiled warmly just like before: ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you, Iris! Its been a while!¡± ¡°Sorry to mention¡­ but I heard you got divorced, is it real?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I admitted it openly. After all, he attended my wedding, so he knows Jaxon too. And being an adult, I could read between the lines about why he brought this up. ¡°Then¡­ would you like to have dinner sometime?¡± I thought about it. ¡°Sure.¡± Marcus was gentle¨Che¡¯d remember to pull out my chair, ask what I wanted to eat, listen carefully when I spoke. All the tenderness Jaxon couldn¡¯t give me, Marcus had. But my heart didn¡¯t flutter. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said honestly, ¡°I might need a long time before I can start a new rtionship.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can wait. Or we could just be friends?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus started visiting the shop regrly, sometimes helping me move flowers, sometimes chatting with Mom. He never pushed or pressured¨Cjust quietly apanied me. Six monthster, Jaxon came by, He was much thinner but looked well. ¡°Thepany went public,¡± he said. ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Market cap of five billion.¡± ¡°Very impressive.¡± He smiled bitterly. ¡°But I¡¯m not happy.¡± ¡°You will be.¡± House Was Cheating On Me! 90.9% Chapter 11 ¡°Iris,¡± he looked at me, ¡°these six months, I¡¯ve thought about you every day.¡± ¡°Jaxon¡­¡± ¡°I know we¡¯re impossible now.¡± He cut me off. ¡°I just wanted to tell you¨Conly after losing you did I understand what¡¯s truly important.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, you realized it toote.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know¡­¡± Then he pulled out a box. ¡°This is for you.¡± It was a key. ¡°The house we used to live in¨CI transferred it to your name. And I reset the system too. You¡¯re the sole master.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need¡­¡± ¡°Please take it, as my apology.¡± He turned to leave, then looked back. ¡°Iris, thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For teaching me that life isn¡¯t just about logic and nning¨Cthere¡¯s also love. Even though I understood toote.¡± ¡°Sorry, Iris.¡± Watching him walk away, I suddenly felt at peace. No need to apologize. Neither of us was wrong¨Cwe were just ipatible. A yearter, Mom¡¯s health had recovered well. The flower shop opened a second location. I hired staff and had more personal time. That day, Marcus asked me to see an art exhibition. ¡°Today marks the one¨Cyear anniversary of my first visit to your flower shop.¡± I paused. ¡°You remember even that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s an important day for me.¡± Seeing his gentle eyes, I felt a ripple in my heart. This year, hispanionship had gradually lifted me from the shadows. He remembered my birthday, broughtte¨Cnight snacks when I worked overtime, quietly stayed with me when I was down. This simplepanionship was something Jaxon had never given me. I asked him, ¡°If your work conflicted with me, what would you choose?¡± Chapter 11 ¡°You.¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I can find another job, do other projects, but there¡¯s only one you.¡± I smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s irrational?¡± ¡°Love isn¡¯t supposed to be rational.¡± He suddenly turned serious: ¡°If everything had to be rational, would it still be love?¡± In that moment, I suddenly understood. What I needed wasn¡¯t perfect nning or rational arrangements¨Cjust simplepanionship and caring. ¡°Marcus.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He paused, then smiled. ¡°Does this mean¡­ I¡¯m officially hired?¡± Iughed too. ¡°Probation extended six months.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Three yearster. Marcus and I got married. The wedding was simple¨Cjust family and close friends. Married life was simple and happy. Marcus remembered every anniversary, ate breakfast with me, appeared whenever I needed him. Our home had noplex smart systems or detailed financial ns¨Cjust simple happiness. One day at the shop, I received a bouquet. No signature, but I knew who sent it. The card had just one line: [Wishing you happiness.] Jaxon¡¯s handwriting. Chapter 11 Marcus saw it and asked, ¡°Jaxon?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Should you respond?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No need. It¡¯s all in the past.¡± Marcus hugged me. ¡°Thank you for choosing me.¡± ¡°I should thank YOU. For showing me what it feels like to be loved.¡± That evening, while closing up, I saw a familiar car parked across the street. Jaxon sat inside, watching from afar. I didn¡¯t walk over, just smiled slightly. He smiled back, then drove away. Some people are destined to be just passersby in our lives. Thank them foring, and thank them for leaving. Because only when they leave can we meet the right person. Forget the 12 Jake Ashford and I were the poorest couple in Millfield, Montana. He couldn¡¯t walk right, his parents were sick all the time, and our baby boy died from a fever we couldn¡¯t afford to treat. When the flood hit, I strapped Jake to my back and started hauling ass up the mountain. His mom was screaming behind us: ¡°ra, leave his ass! Save yourself, honey!¡± I gritted my teeth and didn¡¯t let go. Just when I thought I couldn¡¯t take another step, Jake suddenly moved. He untied himself and stood up in the water like nothing happened. That¡¯s when a helicopter dropped out of the sky. His ¡°sick¡± parents ran up to it like they were in the Olympics or some shit. Jake reached out his hand, casual as hell: ¡°Congrats, babe. You passed the test. Get in¨Cour son¡¯s waiting.¡± After he said that, I nearly face¨Cnted. My son¡­ wasn¡¯t he supposed to be dead? I just stared at this asshole. Ten years I¡¯d been sleeping next to him, and turns out I didn¡¯t know shit about who he really was. Under that soaked, raggedy shirt were real fucking muscles. His face had this cold look I¡¯d never seen before. My throat felt like I¡¯d been eating ss: ¡°What test?¡± ¡°Ashford women gotta prove they won¡¯t bail when shit gets tough. Gotta be loyal, you know?¡± He didn¡¯t even try to exin, just grabbed my arm. ¡°You did great, babe. Grandpa¡¯s pumped.¡± Ashford? Grandpa? That hit me like a freight train. He dragged me onto the helicopter. As doors mmed shut, I watched our shitty little trailer disappear under all that water. Inside, his ¡°parents¡± went from freaking out to looking all¡­ respect? Total 180. They nodded at me: ¡°Mrs. Ashford.¡± 13:17 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 7.4% Chapter 1 Then they walked over to Jake and literally fucking bowed: ¡°Mr. Ashford, missionplete.¡± Jake waved them off and they sat in the corner like robots. I was shaking like crazy, but not ¡®cause I was cold. ¡°Who are they?¡± I asked Jake. ¡°Company employees. They¡¯re pros.¡± With that, he peeled off his wet jacket. Underneath? Perfect dry shirt. Not one wrinkle. Even his damn clothes were fake. ¡°So these ten years¡­ all fake?¡± My voice was all fucked up. ¡°Your leg, your parents being sick, us being broke¡­ all of it was bullshit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a test.¡± He handed me coffee. ¡°ra, you should be stoked. You passed. No more living like white trash.¡± Stoked? I stared at this piece of shit. Ten years. I broke my arm falling off cliffs looking for herbs for his ¡°bad leg.¡± Ten years. I worked three jobs till I was puking blood to buy medicine for his ¡°dying parents.¡± Ten years. I ate fucking ramen for months to save money. Thought we were struggling together. Turns out I was just hisb rat. ¡°My son¡­¡± I grabbed onto the only thing left. ¡°Tommy, he¡¯s really alive?¡± ¡°Yeah, duh.¡± Jake nodded. ¡°Goes by Carson now. He¡¯s nine, healthy as hell, smart little shit too.¡± Nine? He was barely walking when he supposedly ¡°died.¡± Eight years. Eight fucking years I cried myself to sleep, visited his grave, wanted to kill myself ¡®cause I couldn¡¯t save him. Yet he was out there the whole time. That felt like getting stabbed in the chest. ¡°Why the fuck would you DO this?¡± I stared him down. ¡°Family tradition.¡± Like it was no big deal, he said. ¡°Had to make sure you¡¯d be loyal to the Ashfords, you know?¡± Iughed till I was crying, Loyalty? 13:18 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 7.6% He wanted loyalty through ten years of lies? A Wended on this massivewn. Behind it was basically a fucking castle. I¡¯d never seen anything this fancy, not even on TV. This was Ashford Manor- My new ¡°home,¡± bought with ten years of hell. Forget the 13 This woman in a power suit walked out with like twenty staff behind her. ¡°Mr. Ashford, wee back.¡± She took Jake¡¯s coat like he was the damn president. Jake pointed at me: ¡°This is ra Montgomery. She¡¯s Mrs. Ashford now.¡± The woman gave me this tiny bow with the fakest smile ever: ¡°Mrs. Ashford, I¡¯m Margaret Walsh, head of staff.¡± I just stood there like a zombie. Walking through those doors was like entering another fucking- Chandeliers everywhere, floors so shiny you could see your reflection, paintings that probably cost more than most people make in a lifetime¡­ None of this shit had anything to do with me. Jake dragged me down this crazy long hallway, stopped at a white door. ¡°Carson¡¯s in here,¡± he said. ¡°Sophia¡¯s with him.¡± He opened the door and holy shit¨Cit was like Toys¡°R¡°Us threw up in there. This kid in a little button¨Cdown was on the carpet, building with LEGOS. He looked just like Jake, but had my eyes. ¡°Carson,¡± Jake called. Kid saw Jake and totally lit up, came running over: ¡°Daddy!¡± Then he saw me. His face changedpletely. Suspicious as hell. ¡°Daddy, who¡¯s she?¡± This sweet voice answered. ¡°Carson, honey, don¡¯t be rude.¡± This woman in a white dress walked over, knelt next to the kid and took his hand: ¡°This is your dad¡¯s¡­ friend.¡± Then she looked at me with this fake ass apologetic smile: ¡°Sorry, Miss Montgomery. We¡¯ve spoiled him¨Che¡¯s not great with strangers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sophia Laurent. Carson¡¯s nanny.¡± Jake jumped in: ¡°Sophia¡¯s got her Master¡¯s from Columbia. She¡¯s been taking care of Carson since he was tiny.¡± I watched this bitch with my son. How they just¡­ fit. 13:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 8.1% Chapter 2 My son was hiding behind her, looking at me like I was gonna kidnap him. Eight years. While I was losing my fucking mind, this woman got bedtime stories and hugs and first steps. Now I¡¯m just some creepy stranger. Jake was still grinning, totally clueless I was falling apart: ¡°Carson, say hi to your mom.¡± He hesitated on that word. Kid backed up even more. ¡°I don¡¯t want another mom,¡± he whispered, looking at Sophia like she was his whole world. Every word was a p in my face. Sophia immediately got down on his level: ¡°Carson, sweetie, that¡¯s not nice. Thisdy is your dad¡¯s friend¨Cwe gotta be polite, okay?¡± She turned to me: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Miss Montgomery. He¡¯s just a kid, you know?¡± ¡°Lady.¡± ¡°Miss Montgomery.¡± Making it crystal clear I didn¡¯t belong. Jake looked pissed but didn¡¯t push it. ¡°ra, go shower and change.¡± His arm around my shoulders felt like a cage. ¡°Margaret, show Mrs. Ashford to her room.¡± Margaret led me to what was basically a pce. Walk¨Cin closet full of designer shit with price tags I couldn¡¯t even read, bathroom bigger than my old trailer. Margaret ran my bath, polite but cold as hell. ¡°Mrs. Ashford, I got rid of your old stuff. Mr. Ashford picked these out¨Chope they work for you.¡± Got rid of. That beat¨Cup nnel I¡¯d lived in for five years, stained to shit, sleeves falling apart. The nicest thing I owned. My whole fucking life. Just¡­ gone. I sank into that fancy bathtub, but felt cold down to my bones. Ten years¨Call one big fucking joke. Love was fake, family was fake, my grief was fake. After showering, I put on this silk nightgown that felt like wearing air. Mirror showed someone I didn¡¯t know¨Cpale, empty, broken. ¡°How you feeling? Getting used to everything?¡± 13.18 Wall Yook Couret the Othan We Chapter 2 Jake came in, sat down on the bed, and handed me some wine. But I didn¡¯t take it. ¡°Jake, you think ¡®cause you gave me all this fancy shit, I should kiss your ass?¡± His smile died. ¡°ra, I get that this is a lot. But you¡¯re smart¨Cthis is the best thing that could¡¯ve happened. No more being poor, Carson¡¯s alive, we can all be together.¡± ¡°Together?¡± Iughed. ¡°What am I in this little fantasy? Your personal baby factory?¡± His face went dark. ¡°ra, don¡¯t you fucking dare act like this. You know how many chicks would die for Mrs. Ashford? I spent ten goddamn years testing your ass¨Cyou should be kissing my feet.¡± Kissing his feet. So all that shit, all the hell I went through¨CI was supposed to get on my knees and thank this asshole? ¡°What if,¡± I stared right at him, ¡°what if I¡¯d said fuck it and left you to drown today? What then?¡± Jake went quiet. ¡°Then I¡¯d¡¯ve been wrong about you. You and Carson would be gone right now.¡± He said it like he was talking about the weather. But I got it. If I¡¯d failed, my son and I would¡¯ve just¡­ disappeared. ¡°Get the fuck out.¡± I pointed at the door. Jake tried to get all sweet, arms open like old times. ¡°ra, baby¡­¡± Fuck it. I just curled up in a ball, arms wrapped tight around myself. Jake wrapped his arms around me. This used to feel safe. But now the bed was too soft, too perfect¨Cnothing like that piece of shit mattress with springs poking through. Sure, it was fancy andfortable, but somehow it felt colder than that crappy trailer with holes in the roof. Jake Ashford¨Cspoiled rich asshole who slept on plywood for ten years just to mess with my head. And I was supposed to thank him? Wee Cheating On Mol Forget the 14 The next morning, I woke up smelling like a damn perfume store. New clothesid out¨Csome designer dress that probably cost more than I used to make in a year. I put the damn thing on, and it felt like wearing a costume that wasn¡¯t even close to being me. Downstairs, this old guy was at a dining table the size of a small country. Expensive suit, ying with some gold coin thing, radiating ¡°I own your ass¡± energy. Had to be the big boss¨CJake¡¯s grandfather. Jake and Sophia were eating while my son sat next to her, letting her cut his pancakes. Perfect little family. I looked like the psycho ex crashing breakfast. ¡°Sit.¡± Old man barely looked up. I sat next to Jake. Some servant brought me fancy coffee and croissants and shit I¡¯d only seen in movies. Somehow, it made me think of back home¨Cstale cereal if I was lucky. ¡°ra, say hello to Grandpa,¡± Jake said. I looked at the old man. My mouth opened but nothing came out. ¡°No fucking manners.¡± He mmed his fork down. ¡°Jake, this is what you picked? Trailer park trash who can¡¯t even pretend to have ss.¡± Jake¡¯s face went red: ¡°Grandpa, she just needs-¡± ¡°Needs what? A miracle?¡± Old man¡¯s eyes were like ice. ¡°You¡¯re an Ashford now, girl. Act like it or get out. I won¡¯t have this family embarrassed by some hillbilly cunt.¡± Sophia jumped in at the perfect moment, voice sweet as fucking sugar: ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t get yourself all worked up. ra just walked in the door¨Ccut her some ck, you know? Jake¡¯s got good taste. If he picked her, she¡¯s gotta have something going for her.¡± Sounded like she had my back, but the bitch was totally setting me up. And it worked. Grandfather¡¯s face went from pissed to fucking livid. ¡°Something going for her? All I see is trailer trash who can¡¯t even fake having manners.¡± Carson mumbled: ¡°She made Dad really mad yesterday.¡± Sophia patted his back: ¡°Carson, don¡¯t say things like that, honey,¡± But she smirked at me. 13:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 8.7% This cunt wanted my husband and my son. Question was: if she was already ying house, why bring me back? I drank my coffee. Bitter as hell, but it cleared my head. That¡¯s when it hit me. Losing my shit wasn¡¯t gonna help me one damn bit here. Time to get smart. After that shitshow breakfast, Jake left for work. Before leaving, he pulled me aside: ¡°ra, just¡­ go along with Grandpa for now, okay? Eventually we¡¯ll run this ce.¡± ¡°We?¡± I stared at him. ¡°You actually mean both of us?¡± He looked confused. ¡°Well, yeah. You¡¯re my wife. Mrs. Ashford.¡± Right. Like that meant shit. After he left, Sophia took Carson to the garden. I watched from upstairs¨Cthey were so fucking happy. My son holding her hand,ughing at something she said. Seeing that just fucking killed me. I couldn¡¯t watch anymore, so I went back to my room. Time to figure out how this ce really worked- Margaret was polite but I could see her judging every move I made. Other staff acted like well¨Ctrained soldiers. And Grandfather controlled everything¨Che was the real power. But there were cracks¨CJake¡¯s, Ryan Ashford. At dinner, he¡¯d make these littlements, always smiling like it was just jokes. I started ying along. Wore the fancy clothes, learned which fork was which, smiled when I wanted to scream. I became quiet and sweet¨Clike a perfect little doll. Jake was eating this shit up. Thought I¡¯d finally gotten with the program, you know? Like I was cool with this whole setup now. What he didn¡¯t know was that in my mind, this asshole wasn¡¯t my husband anymore. That guy was dead to me. But my kid? The baby I busted my ass to bring into this world? Fuck that. Nobody was taking him from me. 13:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 9.19% Forget the 15 Chapter 4 Everything changed the next Saturday. Jake wanted family bonding time at the stables. Carson was psyched ¡®cause Sophia promised to teach him to ride. I couldn¡¯t ride for shit, so I just watched. Carson looked like a little prince on this white pony, Sophia leading him around. ¡°Miss Sophia, am I doing it right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re perfect, sweetie!¡± She kept checking to make sure Jake was watching her be the perfect mom. Theirughter made me sick. Jake came over: ¡°See how great they are together? Sophia¡¯s amazing with kids.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said, watching my son love someone else. Then the pony freaked out and reared up. Carson screamed and hit the ground. Everyone froze. I stopped thinking and started running. ¡°CARSON!¡± Sophia was screaming too, got there first. ¡°Carson, baby, are you hurt? Tell me where it hurts!¡± Crying like her heart was breaking. Carson was terrified, sobbing. I tried to get close but he shoved me away. ¡°Get away from me! I hate you! You did this! You scared my horse!¡± I was standing like twenty feet away. Hadn¡¯t done jack shit. But Carson was pointing at me, crying like I¡¯d tried to kill him. Jake came running over and snatched Carson right out of Sophia¡¯s arms. ¡°Where¡¯s it hurt, buddy? You okay?¡± ¡°Daddy, it was her! She gave my horse the evil eye and scared him!¡± Carson was bawling, pointing his little finger straight at me. 13:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 9.4% Chapter 4 Jake looked at me like I was a monster. ¡°ra, what the fuck did you do?¡± I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. ¡°Nothing!¡± I said, ¡°I was just standing here!¡± Sophia was shaking, hugging herself: ¡°It¡¯s not Miss Montgomery¡¯s fault, Jake. Maybe I didn¡¯t hold the lead rope tight enough. It¡¯s my fault. Carson, don¡¯t be scared, honey.¡± She was all gentle with Carson,forting him and shit, but kept side¨Ceyeing me like she was scared I¡¯d call her out. Academy Award performance right there. Made it look like I was the jealous psycho birth mom trying to hurt my own kid. ¡°You¡¯re fucking pathetic, ra.¡± Jake¡¯s voice could freeze hell. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit if you¡¯re pissed at me¨Cdon¡¯t you dare take it out on him.¡± The asshole was right there with me the whole time. He fucking knew I didn¡¯t do anything. Didn¡¯t even give me a chance to say anything¨Cjust threw me under the bus. He picked up Carson and walked off without looking back. Sophia followed but stopped next to me, whispered: ¡°Listen up, bitch. This isn¡¯t your house, Carson isn¡¯t your kid anymore, and Jake sure as hell isn¡¯t your husband. They¡¯re all mine.¡± I stood there while everyone stared and whispered about the crazydy. Now I got it- I waspletely alone here. Forget the 16 I didn¡¯t cry, didn¡¯t lose my shit. Just walked back to my golden prison. That night, Jake didn¡¯te to bed. But I could hearughing from Sophia¡¯s room. ¡°Jake, try these cookies¨CCarson helped me make them just for you.¡± ¡°Carson¡¯s still upset from earlier. I should stay with him tonight.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave¨CCarson wants his daddy.¡± Our rooms were like at opposite ends of this massive house¨CI shouldn¡¯t have heard jack shit. Sophia probably cracked her door wide open, making damn sure I caught every word. But I knew Jake wasn¡¯t gonna spend the night. These rich assholes care way too much about what people think. Jake shacking up in the nanny¡¯s room? Yeah right. That¡¯d be a total scandal. They tested me for ten fucking years¨Cyou think they¡¯d screw up their own image now? My being here? That was all part of their twisted little game. Iy there staring at nothing, couldn¡¯t sleep worth a damn. Next day I found Margaret. ¡°I want cameras in my room,¡± I said. Margaret looked surprised: ¡°Mrs. Ashford, your room is perfectly secure.¡± ¡°Not for security. For memories.¡± I met her eyes. ¡°I wanna record time with Carson. Save videos for when he¡¯s older, you know?¡± Reasonable request. Margaret agreed, had them install a basic camera. After the tech guy left, I swapped it for a tiny wide¨Cangle one I¡¯d ordered online, hid it behind some books. Perfect view of the little sitting area where Sophia brought Carson for their ¡°visits.¡± Now, time to wait- Sophia was smarter than I thought. She knew something was up, acted perfect whenever she brought Carson over. Even encouraged him to hug me, making it look like we were bonding. 13:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 10.1% Everything I recorded just her perfect little act¨Ctotally useless as evidence. I needed her to drop the act. That old shirt Margaret said she¡¯d ¡°taken care of¡°? Yeah, I¡¯d actually stuffed it in my backpack when no one was looking. When Sophia brought Carson in and saw it, her perfect mask slipped just a little. After she sent the servants away, her perfect smile finally cracked. ¡°ra, why the hell are you keeping this piece of shit?¡± She stared at my old nnel. ¡°Missing your trailer park days? Feeling all nostalgic about being poor as dirt?¡± I didn¡¯t say anything, just kept wiping down this little ss jar¨Cthe only thing connecting me to my son from before. ¡°You think keeping this crap around is gonna make Jake remember the ¡®good times¡®? Make him fall for you again?¡± Sophiaughed, but it was mean. ¡°He wants someone who can handle his world, who can raise his kid right. Not some hillbilly who doesn¡¯t know shit about anything.¡± Then she walked over to Carson, ran her fingers through his hair. ¡°Carson, honey, tell thisdy who you love most.¡± Carson didn¡¯t even look up from his toys: ¡°I love you, Miss Sophia.¡± The look she gave me was pure victory. She crouched down next to Carson, talking quiet but just loud enough for my hidden camera to pick up. ¡°Carson, baby, you gotta remember: Thatdy over there? She didn¡¯t want you when you were little. She threw you away like garbage. Now she¡¯s back ¡®cause we got money, trying to steal you from me.¡± ¡°Stay away from her, okay? She might try to hurt you or take you somewhere bad.¡± My hands clenched into fists. So that¡¯s how she¡¯d been poisoning my kid against me. I took a deep breath, stood up, walked right up to her. ¡°Sophia, you can say whatever shit you want about me. But don¡¯t lie to my son.¡± ¡°Lie?¡± She stood up, got right in my face. ¡°Did you or did you not disappear for ten years? Did you or did you not abandon him? I¡¯m just telling him the truth.¡± ¡°The truth is, I¡¯m his mom,¡± I said, every word crystal clear. ¡°Mom?¡± Sheughed like I¡¯d told the world¡¯s funniest joke. ¡°A mom who dumped her kid for ten years and never gave a shit? ra, you¡¯re fucking delusional.¡± I looked at her, then just smiled and walked out. Sophia looked confused¨Cprobably expected me to lose my shit. I didn¡¯t take action right away. 13:18 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 10.3% That video might get rid of Sophia, but getting rid of her wasn¡¯t my real goal. I put the recording away safe. I was waiting for the right moment. Forget the 17 The Ashford family business was huge¨Creal estate, tech, you name it. Jake was running this new green energy project. Grandfather was using it to test Jake against his cousin Ryan¨Cwhoever did better would inherit everything. The project was happening in this ce called Pine Ridge. When I heard ¡°Pine Ridge,¡± I almost dropped my coffee. Pine Ridge was right next to where we used to live. I knew that ce like the back of my hand. Jake was stressed as hell about it, working till all hours. His office was covered with project files and blueprints. I started bringing himte¨Cnight snacks when he was working. At first, he was suspicious, but when he saw I just dropped off food and left without asking questions, he rxed. I couldn¡¯t read all thoseplicated reports and shit. But I could read maps. I saw exactly where they nned to build the factory¨Cright in this low area near Pine Ridge. That spot flooded every damn year when the snow melted and the underground springs overflowed. All us locals called it ¡°Devil¡¯s Hollow¡°-nobody was stupid enough to build there. Jake had to know. There was a thick geological report on his desk that basically said ¡°HIGH RISK.¡± But he picked that spot anyway ¡®cause thend was cheapest and he could finish fastest, beat Ryan to the punch. He was gambling with people¡¯s lives to win some family pissing contest. Finally, I saw my chance. At a family barbecue, I spotted Ryan sitting alone in the corner, drinking and looking pissed about something. I grabbed some lemonade and walked over. ¡°Hey Ryan, why you sitting here by yourself?¡± He looked up at me with this calcting look. ¡°What¡¯s up, ra?¡± ¡°Nothing really, just saw you looked lonely.¡± I sat down across from him. 13:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 10.79% ¡°Heard you guys are both working on some big project. Must be stressful.¡± ¡°Family business,¡± he said, not giving much away. ¡°I don¡¯t know shit about business stuff.¡± I stirred my drink, acting casual. ¡°Just know you gotta be careful where you build things. Like back home near Pine Ridge, there¡¯s this spot called Devil¡¯s Hollow that floods every spring. Old¨Ctimers always said anyone stupid enough to build there would lose everything.¡± I said it like I was just making conversation. Ryan¡¯s fingers tapped once on his beer bottle. I knew I¡¯d hit something. ¡°Really? That¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°Probably just old wives¡® tales, you know?¡± I smiled and got up. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t let me bug you.¡± ¡°Wait, ra. I got some other questions for you.¡± I turned back to Ryan. I knew he was hooked. That night, I drove out to Pine Ridge alone. Looking at all that construction happening in the moonlight, I made a phone call. ¡°Ryan, I got a deal for you. You interested?¡± Forget the 18 As days went by, Pine Ridge construction kept going full steam. Jake was getting more confident every day, kept getting praised by Grandfather in meetings. While Ryan was getting quieter and moodier. Sophia was getting more bitchy around me. She started bossing Carson around right in front of me, acting like I was invisible. She even hinted to the other staff that they didn¡¯t need to take the ¡°temporary Mrs. Ashford¡± too seriously. I didn¡¯t give a shit. I was just waiting. Waiting for the spring floods. Spring in Montana hits hard and fast. Weeks of heavy rain and snow melt turned the whole area into a swamp. News started talking about flood warnings in the mountains. Then one night, Jake got a phone call. All the color drained from his face. ¡°What do you mean cracks in the foundation wall?! IMPOSSIBLE! I spent millions on reinforcement!¡± He was screaming into the phone while I sat on the couch reading a magazine. He hung up and just copsed on the floor. Weekter, the rains were stilling. Then came judgment day- ¡°What¡¯s all this yelling about?!¡± Grandfather¡¯s voice boomed through the house. ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± Jake¡¯s voice was shaking. ¡°Pine Ridge¡­ The factory foundation copsedpletely ¡®cause of flooding and mudslides.¡± Grandfather¡¯s face went ck as thunder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do soil testing?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but the rain was so heavy, the groundwater rose way higher than anyone predicted, and when the mudslide hit¡­¡° Jake¡¯s voice got smaller and smaller. That¡¯s when Ryan spoke up. ¡°Jake, I tried to warn you about that spot. It¡¯s called Devil¡¯s Hollow¨Cthe locals know it floods every year. You just wouldn¡¯t listen ¡®cause 13:19 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 11.4% 444 you wanted to rush the timeline.¡± Jake¡¯s head snapped up: ¡°You¡­ you knew?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know for sure.¡± Ryan shrugged, looking innocent. ¡°I just heard ra mention some local folklore, figured it was worth checking out. Had my team do a backup n just in case.¡± ¡°Not only that¡­¡± Ryan pulled out his phone, showed a video. Video showed the construction site with workers building, Ryan suddenly appeared on screen. ¡°Everybody out! NOW! We got mudslidesing down the mountain and this ce is about to get hit!¡± Workers looked panicked, but Ryan got them all out safely. Minutes after everyone evacuated, the whole area copsed with a huge CRASH. Obviously, if Ryan hadn¡¯t given that warning, the Ashfordpany would be dealing with twenty¨Csomething deaths. Losing a project was nothingpared to that. Dead workers would¡¯ve destroyed the whole Ashford empire. Everyone stared at Jake. Especially Grandfather, with the coldest look I¡¯d ever seen. Jake looked at me like he¡¯d seen a ghost. ¡°ra¡­ it¡¯s you?¡± I slowly closed my magazine, looked up at him. ¡°I just told Ryan a story from back home.¡± My voice was totally calm. ¡°Is that against thew or something?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even finish the sentence. ¡°Enough!¡± Grandfather mmed his cane down. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking disgrace!¡± He was shaking with rage. ¡°Billions! Gone! You arrogant piece of shit! Thank God for Ryan or we¡¯d all be fucked! You¡¯ve turned the Ashford name into a fuckingughingstock!¡± Ryan stood there quiet, shared a look with me. I knew Jake was done. 13:19 Forget the 19 Grandfather basically grounded Jake¡¯s ass and kicked him out of thepanypletely. Ryan had to deal with all the Pine Ridge bullshit now. The whole house was like a tomb for days straight. Jake holed up in his room, smashing bottles and getting wasted. When he looked at me, he had murder in his eyes. He stormed into my room and grabbed my wrist hard. ¡°ra, why the fuck did you do this to me?! What¡¯s your game?!¡± His eyes were bloodshot as hell, reeking of booze. ¡°Game? What game?¡± I yanked my arm away from him. ¡°All I did was tell Ryan a story I¡¯ve known since I was a kid. You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t believe some ¡®hillbilly trash,¡® right?¡± ¡°You knew that ce was fucked up! Why didn¡¯t you just tell me?!¡± ¡°Tell you? Would you have even listened?¡± Iughed in his face. ¡°You think I¡¯m just some ignorant hick who got lucky after ten years of kissing ass. You think my word means jack shitpared to your fancy reports?¡± He just stood there with his mouth hanging open. Yeah, that was it. He never actually respected me. Not once. To him, everything I was worth came from passing his sick little test. ¡°Real nice, ra. Real fucking nice.¡± He was pointing at me, practically spitting mad. ¡°You think screwing up my project changes anything? I¡¯m still an Ashford, bitch. I¡¯ll bounce back. But you? You¡¯ll always be nothing but my property!¡± He mmed the door so hard the whole wall shook. Whatever. Just a pathetic loser having a tantrum. Sophia could tell Jake was totally fucked, and her meal ticket was gone. She was freaking out. Now she was desperate as hell to hold onto Carson¨Cher only way to stay in this family. She started going full psycho, poisoning my kid against me even worse than before. That day, I had the kitchen make Carson¡¯s favorite dessert and brought it to his room myself. 13:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 12.1% Right outside his door, I heard Sophia¡¯s voice. ¡°Carson, honey, listen to me. You can never, ever eat anything that woman gives you. She hates us, and she might put poison in your food to hurt you.¡± I froze with the tray in my hands. ¡°Poison? Like the evil queen in Snow White?¡± My son¡¯s voice had that innocent, scared little kid sound. ¡°Yeah, sweetie.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice was all sugar and honey, but what she was saying was pure evil. ¡°So you stay far away from her, okay? Only me. I really love you.¡± When Sophia saw me standing there, she looked like she¡¯d been caught stealing for a split second, but then got all calm again. ¡°Oh, Miss Montgomery¡­ you really should knock first¡­¡± I ignored the bitch and walked straight over to Carson, set the bowl down on his table. ¡°Carson, honey, Mommy made this just for you. Try it.¡± Carson looked at Sophia all scared, backed away from me, shaking his head. ¡°Uh¨Cuh. Mama Sophia says I can¡¯t take stuff from strangers.¡± He didn¡¯t knock it over or anything, but that word-¡°strangers¡°-cut deeper than a knife. Sophia looked at me with this smug¨Cass smile, eyes full of ¡°got ya, bitch.¡± She¡¯d fucking done it- Turning my own kid against me. Making him think his real mom was the enemy. This time, I didn¡¯t just walk away like some beaten dog. I turned around, went to the corner, and pulled that tiny camera out from behind the books. Then walked right up to Sophia, holding it where she could see it. ¡°Everything you just said? It¡¯s all on here, bitch.¡± Sophia¡¯s face went white as a sheet. She stared at the camera like it was a bomb, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. ¡°You¡­ you set me up!¡± ¡°Takes one to know one.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Compared to the sick shit you¡¯ve been doing to my son, this is nothing.¡± I pocketed the camera, But this wasn¡¯t enough. I needed to expose this psycho in front of the whole damn family. And I didn¡¯t have to wait long for the perfect chance. 13-19 Forget the 20 Chapter 9 After Ryan took over the Pine Ridge mess, he handled it like a pro and brought in new investors. Grandfather couldn¡¯t shut up about how amazing Ryan was, so he called this big family meeting. Time to make it official¨CRyan was taking over everything from Jake. Meeting day, all the Ashford bigshots showed up. Jake sat there looking like death warmed over, like some prisoner waiting for his execution. Sophia was standing behind him, pale as hell and shaking like a leaf. Grandfather cleared his throat, about to make his big announcement. That¡¯s when I stood up. ¡°Grandpa, before you make this official, I think everyone needs to see something.¡± Every single person in that room was staring at me. Jake red at me like he wanted to murder me: ¡°ra, what kind of bullshit are you trying to pull now?!¡± I ignored his ass and handed the sh drive to Margaret. Soon, the massive TV screen lit up with my room¡¯s video footage. There was Sophia, spewing her poison at my little boy. ¡°¡­she didn¡¯t want you before, she threw you away like garbage¡­¡± ¡°¡­she hates us, she might put poison in your food¡­¡± ¡°¡­only Mama Sophia really loves you¡­¡± ¡°¡­Carson and Jake are going to be mine¡­¡± Every sick word echoed through that huge room, crystal fucking clear. Everyone in that room went pale as shit. Carson saw it too, staring at the screen all confused, then looking at Sophia like he didn¡¯t know who she was anymore. ¡°Mama Sophia¡­ why¡­ why did you lie to me?¡± Sophia¡¯s face went from white to green, her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees. ¡°No¡­ no, it¡¯s not what it looks like! Grandpa, Jake, let me exin! I just love Carson so much, I was scared someone would take him away!¡± She was babbling like a crazy person, Grandfather¡¯s face was darker than a storm cloud. Hell Yeah Forgot the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 12.8% The old man cared about one thing above everything else¨Chow his family¡¯s kids got raised. Hell, even his own sons had to stay in line. That¡¯s why he never actually kicked me out, even when he couldn¡¯t stand me. These people spent ten years testing my character¨Cyou think they don¡¯t give a damn about their own standards? Sophia just crossed a line you don¡¯t cross with him. I walked right up to Jake and stared him down. ¡°Still think she¡¯s such a great nanny?¡± He looked at me, his mouth opening and closing, but nothing came out. I turned to face Grandfather and gave him a little bow. ¡°Look, I know I¡¯m nobody. Just some poor girl who doesn¡¯t fit in here. But even trash like me knows you don¡¯t turn a kid against his own mom.¡± ¡°I did everything you wanted for ten years. Passed your twisted little test. And what¡¯d I get?¡± ¡°Lies. You took my son away. This crazy bitch poisoned his mind while you all just watched.¡± My voice wasn¡¯t loud, but every single word hit that room like a bomb. ¡°I¡¯m not here begging anyone for help.¡± I looked at Carson¨Cmy boy. ¡°I just need you to know something, baby. Mommy never left you. Ever.¡± Then I told him about the fireflies. ¡°Remember our old ce? Those summer nights when fireflies came inside? You loved them so much. I caught a whole jar for you. Made our room glow like stars.¡± That was our story. Just ours. He was so little then. Maybe he¡¯d remember. Maybe not. I looked at him and waited. Carson¨Cmy little boy¨Cjust stared at me with those big eyes filling up with tears. He pulled away from Sophia but didn¡¯t run to me either. Just stood there, scared and confused. I got it. Kid¡¯s whole world just got flipped upside down. The ¡°good mom¡± he trusted was a liar. The ¡°bad mom¡± he was scared of was telling him she loved him. 13:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 13.0% That¡¯s a lot for a little kid to handle. But I had time now. No rush. Forget the 21 That day, the whole Ashford family got hit by a fucking earthquake. Sophia got kicked out on the spot. She was bawling her eyes out on the way out, but nobody gave a damn. Grandfather stripped Jake of everything right there¨Cinheritance rights,pany position, the works and shipped off to some shitty branch office in ska. The Pine Ridge fuckup almost cost twenty lives. Plus being a shit father and cheating on his wife¨CJake was done for. With Ryan running things now, Jake would never crawl back from this. Before he left, he gave me this long, dead look. All the anger was gone. Just defeat. Maybe he finally figured out it wasn¡¯t just my ¡°betrayal¡± that destroyed him¨Cit was that cold¨Cass family system and his own arrogance. After the drama died down, Grandfather called me into his study. He looked at me with thisplicated expression. ¡°You¡¯re way smarter than I thought,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Our family fucked you over, I¡¯ll admit that. What do you want? Money? Status? Name it, the Ashfords will make it happen.¡± I looked at this powerful old man and shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you guys.¡± I took my son¡¯s hand¨Che was looking down, wouldn¡¯t meet my eyes. ¡°I just want the right to see Carson whenever I want. And Carson cane see me whenever he wants.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stop me from seeing my son. That¡¯s all.¡± I didn¡¯t ask for custody. Grandfather would never give it to me anyway. Ryan couldn¡¯t have kids of his own, so Carson would be raised as the only heir. He¡¯d have a better future with the Ashfords. Grandfather thought about it for a long time, his expression getting more and more conflicted. ¡°You¡¯re a good woman, ra. Carson¡¯s lucky to have a mom like you.¡± 13:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 13.4% Chapter 10 ¡°I agree. You can see Carson anytime.¡± Outside the study, Ryan was waiting. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smirking at me. ¡°So that¡¯s it? You¡¯re just walking away?¡± I looked at him sideways. ¡°Hell no. Just ¡®cause I don¡¯t want the old man¡¯s money doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want yours.¡± ¡°You helped me take down Jake, plus all that other stuff¡­ now you got the inheritance and everything. Asking for a million bucks isn¡¯t too much, right?¡± ¡°And you¡¯re gonna invest in my hometown too. We need better roads!¡± Ryan¡¯s face fell. ¡°You never said anything about investing! That wasn¡¯t part of the deal!¡± ¡°Well, if I told you our area¡¯s got way better resources than Pine Ridge¡­¡± ¡°What?! Are you serious? Okay, fine! Let¡¯s talk business first¡­¡± Before I left that day, Carson came to say goodbye. But he hid behind a big tree, just peeking his little head out. Still looking at me with suspicion and fear. But also¡­ maybe a little curiosity? I turned toward where my son was hiding and opened my arms. ¡°Carson, can I get a hug before I go?¡± For the longest time, nothing. Just this scared little kid peeking out from behind a tree. Then, real slow, he took a step toward me. Then another, When he finally ran into my arms, I held him like I¡¯d never let go. When I finally walked out those heavy front doors, the sun hit me just right. Felt warm and good, like it was washing away all the bullshit. Few yearster, my son was drinking soup I¡¯d been cooking for four hours, talking nonstop about the girl next door. I couldn¡¯t stop grinning, kept piling more food on his te. ¡°Mom, call Grandpa and tell him I¡¯m not going back today,¡± Carson ran to the bedroom, tried to hide under the nkets. ¡°Nope.¡± My voice was firm. ¡°You¡¯ve been here all summer. School starts tomorrow¨Cyou gotta go back.¡± 13:19 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 13.69% Carson pouted, giving me those puppy dog eyes just like when he was little. ¡°But Mom, the roads are all fixed now! It¡¯s super easy to get around. You could drive me to school.¡± I pulled out his packed suitcase. ¡°Next week I¡¯lle stay at the main house with you for a few days, okay? I got too much work here in town.¡± ¡°What do you want me to cook for you? I¡¯ll make it and bring it over.¡± Walking Carson to the edge of town, all the locals waved and said hi. ¡°Hey ra, Carson¡¯s heading back? Look at him, not crying this time¨Che¡¯s growing up!¡± ¡°ra, the irrigation project on the east side is done. Check it out when you get a chance¡­¡± ¡°ra, we might have budget for upgrading the power lines. I texted you the details¡­¡± ¡°Damn, Carson gets more handsome every time I see him. Kid¡¯s gonna be tall!¡± All this friendly chatter while Carson got in the car. He handed me a little ss jar with a firefly in it, looking all sad. ¡°Mom, I caught this one special for you. Took me forever.¡± ¡°And I want you toe see me soon! I want pancakes, curry shrimp, beef skewers¡­¡± Iughed and promised, then snuck in a kiss on his cheek. Gotta get my kisses in now. Once this kid hits his teens, he won¡¯t let me touch him! Forget the 22 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡°Mrs. Harper, Mr. Harper and I¨Cthere¡¯s really nothing between us. You have to believe me!¡± My husband¡¯s new obsession knelt at our mansion door, looking pitiful. And there he stood, with a tenderness I¡¯d never seen before. All of Manhattan knew Luke was a total yer and I was the long¨Csuffering wife who always looked the other way. So everyone expected me to swallow my pride and pretend nothing happened like before. But this time? I was done. I walked straight past her, got in my car, and drove to the family estate. Without hesitation, I pushed open Grandpa¡¯s study door. ¡°Grandpa, this arrangement we made¨Cit¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Set me free.¡± After all, EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS inpensation VS. ying a stupid housewife to a cheating bastard, even idiots know better, right? Every tabloid hack in Manhattan knows the deal- When any entertainment reporter¡¯s numbers are falling short for the month, they camp outside Harper Industries and wait for Luke Harper. He switches girlfriends every month like clockwork, and he¡¯s not exactly subtle about it. Easy money shots. Men, right? A little scandales with the territory. But his wife? She needs to keep up appearances. Maintain her reputation. You snap her husband¡¯stest fling, name your price, and she¡¯ll pay without blinking. But old habits die hard, and situations keep evolving. When the rookie paparazzi from New York Daily took his video to Luke Harper first and got sent straight back to me, I¡¯d just gotten home from the office. Our penthouse sits high above Central Park, with the entire Manhattan skyline stretching out below. The voice on my phone kept rambling, amateur but cocky, shooting for the moon. ¡°Mrs. Harper, it¡¯s only two hundred grand. That¡¯s like one handbag for you, right? Just two hundred K and your husband¡¯s mess disappears. Total bargain.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested, just call this number¡­¡± This paparazzi wasn¡¯t too bright. First time tailing, second time boldly knocking on Luke Harper¡¯s car window. Luke¡¯s cars are actually hard to recognize since he switches them constantly. Hundreds of cars in his garage, but that week he kept driving the same one. 13.20 Hell Yosh Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 14.1% In the video the paparazzi sent me, Luke rolled down his window. Some hot blonde sat in the passenger seat. Last month when I got those photos, that same seat held a rising starlet from LA. Luke pulled off his sunsses, revealing that annoyingly perfect face to the camera, then crooked his finger at the lens. When the guy got closer, Luke¡¯s voice was smooth as silk. ¡°First time, huh? Here¡¯s how it works, rookie. You get your shots, you take them to my wife. Try hitting me up and you¡¯ll get nothing.¡± ¡°Need my wife¡¯s number?¡± He grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled down some numbers, then tossed it into the paparazzi¡¯s chest. Then he nced at the woman beside him and clicked his tongue. ¡°Get out.¡± The woman leaned closer, whining. ¡°Luke, you said three days. It¡¯s only been a few hours¡­¡± Luke threw a credit card at her and hit the unlock button. ¡°Few hours and you already got us busted? Get out before I throw you out myself.¡± Forget the 23 Chapter 2 Finally, I closed the video and sat calmly at the dining table as the staff brought out dinner course by course. The grandfather clock in the foyer chimed eight times. I looked up at the antique clock Luke had brought me from Paris seven years ago, its pendulum swaying weakly. I was seventeen when I got into Columbia, eighteen when I met Luke Harper. Back then, he kept a low profile about everything except that face. He knew plenty but always yed dumb, constantly saying he¡¯d forgotten everything and needed me to teach him. Within two weeks, people who knew him started whispering to me. ¡°You think he¡¯s just another pretty face? That¡¯s the Harper Industries heir. His dad¡¯s running for city council.¡± Later, Luke left campus but kept showing up anyway, driving between Columbia and downtown Manhattan every single day just to see me. Those years were a rollercoaster of fights and making up, my heart opening and closing like a revolving door. At twenty¨Cfive, after all that back and forth and a hundred obstacles, I married Luke Harper. That wedding of the century still gets mentioned in magazines today. One small tabloid, desperate for attention, ran a headline so outrageous it overshadowed all the major papers. Great for clicks, terrible for respect. The next morning, Luke saw the paper over breakfast, then set his coffee mug right on top of it. Later I found out that grand wedding edition turned out to be that tabloid¡¯s final issue. Looking back at all those little moments, it¡¯s wild how deeply Luke and I used to love each other. But somehow we ended up like that old clock, too tired to even swing properly. The silent foyer suddenly came alive as the elevator numbers lit up, stopping at three before the doors slid open. Luke stepped out with his suit jacket draped over his arm, the elevator¡¯s harsh lighting doing absolutely nothing to diminish his sharp features. I nced over briefly, then focused back on my dinner. A minuteter, I heard his jacket hit the couch. Then that expensive cologne mixed with his body heat surrounded me instantly. Luke stood behind my chair, hands braced on either side of the table, basically trapping me in his arms. His voice was casual as ever. ¡°Evening, Mrs. Harper. Let¡¯s see what tonight¡¯s scandal is worth, shall we?¡± He grabbed my phone from the table, scrolling through the messages. 13:20 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 14.8% ¡°Two hundred grand? That¡¯s less than what you spend on dinner. People are gonna think I¡¯m going broke.¡± I set down my fork and straightened my back, keeping that half¨Cfist distance between us and his chest. Instead of responding, I changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m not approving Ruby Grant¡¯s application for Marketing Director. I¡¯m rejecting her resume.¡± Sure enough, the second he heard that name, Luke stepped back. That suffocating presence vanished instantly. He sat across from me, arms draped over the chair back, staring out at the city lights through the window. ¡°Her business is none of your concern.¡± Then Luke¡¯s gaze snapped back to me, chin tilted down. ¡°Or are you just jealous of her?¡± I stared straight into his eyes, searching for something that simply wasn¡¯t there anymore. Everyone knew Luke had been cycling through girlfriends for two years, but nobody realized it was all cover for Ruby Grant. Two years ago, Luke sent her abroad to get some fancy credentials, nning to parachute her into thepany when she returned. It wasn¡¯t personal, just business reality. Harper Industries had brutal hiring standards. First degree had to be from a top¨Cthirty global university, no exceptions. Ruby was a high school dropout who¡¯d worked retail at eighteen. Her overseas diploma was from some diploma mill, and even our diversity initiatives couldn¡¯t find a loophole for her. My voice stayed t. ¡°When I¡¯m discussing business, I keep personal feelings out of it.¡± Luke didn¡¯t respond, but after a moment, I heard a voice message ying from his phone. The voice was sickeningly sweet. ¡°Honey, I left my panties in your car. When can Ie get them?¡± Forget the 24 Chapter 3 The speaker volume seemed deliberately cranked up, each word echoing in my ears. Luke watched me while bringing the phone to his lips, his voicezy. ¡°Wrong number, sweetheart.¡± I studied his cold expression, trying to remember what he looked like when he used to love me. At first, Luke would still apologize and try to make things right. The gift he¡¯d had sent to Ruby Grant was ridiculously expensive and identally bumped me from a reservation I¡¯d made. The rich crowd is tiny, and word travels fast about everything. Luke raced home and handed over everything¨Chis phone, bank cards, passwords to eighteen different ounts. ¡°She did me a small favor. Alex picked out the gift, and I¡¯m gonna chew him out for it.¡± Just a simple exnation, and I believed him. No reason not to. But somehow, word got out about Luke and me having a huge fight. Then Ruby showed up on a rainy day, kneeling at our front door. ¡°Mrs. Harper, Luke and I¨Cthere¡¯s really nothing between us. You have to believe me.¡± The cover¨Cup just made it more suspicious. Anger clouds your judgment, so I missed the flicker of pain in Luke¡¯s eyes when he stood at that window, looking down at her. When a man feels protective of a woman, that¡¯s romance between two people. Add a third person, and it bes dangerous. But that wasn¡¯t even the worst part. The hardest days were already behind us. If I remembered right, today was November 27th. Just a few days left until my three¨Cyear agreement with his grandpa expired. I looked toward Luke, about to speak. Then his phone rang, and I caught fragments of the voice on the other end. I recognized Ruby¡¯s voice. ¡°The power¡¯s out at my ce. Everything¡¯s pitch ck. I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Stay put. I¡¯ming over.¡± Luke stood up, nced at me once, and I swallowed whatever I¡¯d been about to say. Without another word, he walked out. After Luke left, I drove to the Harper family estate. The Harper mansion was a century¨Cold Victorian, decorated with an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western antiques. Inside, Luke¡¯s mother sat on the sofa while a maid massaged her shoulders. 13:20 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 15.4% Chapter 3 She nced up when she heard mee in, then closed her eyes again. I didn¡¯t want to annoy her, so I went straight upstairs to the study. ¡°Grandpa,¡± I said carefully, ¡°the three years are up. I want to leave the Harper family.¡± Years ago, I¡¯d figured out that Luke only pretended to send Ruby away¨Che¡¯d actually sent her abroad to study. When I was in the hospital and his flight records showed he was still traveling between New York and Australia, so Ipletely gave up hope. That¡¯s when I went to grandpa. The Harper family was dealing with internal and external troubles at the time. He asked me to stay three more years. If Luke didn¡¯t change his ways in that time, he¡¯d let me leave the family. The old leather chair creaked as Grandpa opened his eyes to look at me. ¡°I thought three years would be enough time for you to get used to this life. Why do you still want to leave?¡± When I didn¡¯t answer, he sighed. ¡°You knew what you were getting into when you married into this family. Look at Melody. She was even more hot¨Cheaded than you back in the day, but she never let go of being a Harper. All those bastard kids couldn¡¯t touch her, and Luke is still our only legitimate heir.¡± Melody was Luke¡¯s mother, the woman who now spent her days meditating and chanting prayers. In her youth, she¡¯d been extraordinarily ruthless. ¡°You know what she relied on?¡± he asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My backing. As long as I support you, no one can take your position as Mrs. Harper. With me behind you, those other women can¡¯t touch you.¡± Forget the 25 Chapter 4 ¡°Look, I¡¯m not here to talk about your feelings. This is business. You¡¯ve been killing it these past few yearspany, family, everything. Breaking in someone new would be a pain in the ass. You leaving? Do the math yourself on whether that¡¯s smart.¡± If this was just business and not about feelings, it was hands down the best deal I¡¯d ever get. I poured him tea and said quietly, ¡°You know, if feelings weren¡¯t involved, I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here right now.¡± I¡¯d considered it before¨Ckeeping a tight grip on the wife¡¯s title while letting the others stay outside the Harper family gates forever. But I didn¡¯t marry Luke Harper to be Mrs. Harper. I became Mrs. Harper just because I married Luke Harper. Back then, I¡¯d pushed him away, saying he wasn¡¯t free to marry and had no business dating me. Luke frowned. ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m not free? I want to marry you, and I¡¯ve got ways to make it happen. Just because you don¡¯t see it doesn¡¯t mean you should run off and marry some other guy. What am I, a loser?¡± I didn¡¯t believe him. What brilliant n could get past all those obstacles? Later he stopped bringing it up and just gradually took over Harper Industries, slowly working his way into the family¡¯s inner circle. After graduation, I sessfully joined Harper Industries as an intern. During the day I trained at work, and at night Luke tutored me. I advanced incredibly fast. By the time marriage came up again, he had enough power in the Harper family that nobody dared object. He respected the old man, so the next day he pulled a stunt to wake Grandpa up to reality. ¡°That little brat, did he really think I was losing my mind?¡± ¡°Finding some pretty boy actor, holding hands and threatening to run off and get married¨Che thought that would scare me into giving my blessing. But I just yed along and let you two have your way. And now you¡¯re still not satisfied.¡± ¡°Now just a few yearster, you¡¯re making noise about divorce again.¡± ¡°Let me be clear¨Conce you leave the Harper family, I won¡¯t let youe back. Think carefully before you decide.¡± I kept my head down, the seven years of marriage shing by like a slideshow in my mind. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting three years to leave the Harper family.¡± He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Finish up whatever you¡¯re working on. Someone will contact you when the timees.¡± When I came downstairs, Luke¡¯s mother was still sitting on the sofa. I walked to the door, then turned back. ¡°I won¡¯t be around to celebrate with you anymore, so I hope you stay healthy.¡± After saying that, I turned and walked out. 13:21 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 16.1% The Harper mansion¡¯s living room was dimly lit, and Melody sat shrouded in darkness, staring straight ahead. All the light in the room seemed to follow that quickly departing figure out the door. She watched and watched, as if seeing a young Melody walking away. The maid bent down near her ear. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯ste. Time for bed.¡± The living room fell into darkness again, and Melody looked away. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When I got in the car, I remembered I needed to wrap up loose ends. I called the paparazzi that night to pick up his check in the morning, buying out all of today¡¯s Luke Harper scandal footage. Luke didn¡¯t text me again until a few dayster. After Ruby came back, he¡¯d been keeping a lower profile. Thinking about my deal with Grandpa, I had the driver make a detour to pick up Luke. When we arrived, the door was wide open with a bunch of people ying cards inside, Ruby among them. She¡¯d just won a hand, and the guy across from her was sucking up. ¡°Mrs. Harper¡¯s killing it tonight! You¡¯ve been wiping the floor with us all evening. I¡¯m about to lose my shirt here. Cut us some ck!¡± Ruby smiled and was about to respond. Then Luke looked up and saw me in the doorway. He took a drag of his cigarette and snapped, ¡°The woman standing in the doorway is your real Mrs. Harper. Are you blind or something? No wonder you¡¯ve been losing all night.¡± The guy spotted me and jumped up in a panic. ¡°Oh¡­ Mrs. Harper¡­¡± Ruby went pale when she saw me. Looking at this scene, I knew Luke had done it on purpose, Forget the 26 He always made sure I witnessed these moments, doing everything possible to push me toward divorce, yet refusing to actually divorce me himself. His reasoning was simple. ¡°She¡¯s young and naive. Fun to keep around, but who¡¯d seriously marry her? You¡¯re enough for Mrs. Harper.¡± I nced around the room, then left my driver behind with instructions to bring Luke hometer. After a polite nod, I turned and walked out. I¡¯d barely reached the door when Ruby blocked my path. The eighteen¨Cyear¨Cold girl from two years ago was only twenty now, still fresh¨Cfaced and lively. She was slightly breathless, her voice soft. ¡°Mrs. Harper, I¡¯m sorry. I never meant to wreck your marriage. I tried to leave, tried to forget, but I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t forget Luke. I love him so much, but please believe me¨CI honestly never wanted to destroy your family.¡± ¡°Luke and I¡­ we just met toote. If he¡¯d met me first, I would¡¯ve been Mrs. Harper¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, that came out wrong. Look, I¡¯m really trying to apologize here. If there¡¯s a next life, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make it right.¡± ¡°But in this life, I can¡¯t give Luke back to you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I looked her up and down. Two years ago, she could only afford thirty¨Cdor outfits. Now she was head¨Cto¨Ctoe in understated luxury brands, wearing shoes worth three years of her old retail sry. Plenty of girls get their Cindere moment. I used to be one. Now it was Ruby¡¯s turn. I didn¡¯t speak, didn¡¯t think she deserved my words. I wouldn¡¯t waste time trying to appeal to some mistress¡¯s morals or conscience. If she understood what morality meant, she wouldn¡¯t be so thrilled about being someone¡¯s kept woman. ¡°Just divorce Luke!¡± Her voice followed me. ¡°Set him free!¡± Meanwhile, inside the room, everyone exchanged nces. Someone finally worked up the nerve to address Luke¡¯s icy expression. ¡°Luke, aren¡¯t you gonna chase after your wife? When women get pissed, they talk divorce.¡± Luke stared at the photo of that two hundred thousand dor check on his phone, lost in thought. After a long pause, heughed. ¡°Divorce wouldn¡¯t be so bad. No strings attached, right?¡± Luke Harper was thest person in the Harper family to hear about Leah¡¯s divorce ns. When he got the news, he barely looked up at the messenger. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± His sister Sophia exaggerated dramatically. 13:21 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 16.8% Chapter 5 ¡°What kidding? Grandpa already agreed to it. Besides, you¡¯ve been making a mess of this house for two years just to get divorced, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If you ask me, good riddance. Men always get tired of their old wives eventually.¡± She leaned across the table, getting all conspiratorial. ¡°June¡¯s still waiting for you, you know. All these years and she never got married. If you divorce, maybe give her a shot?¡± Sophia had her heart set on who should be her sister¨Cinw¨CJune Cross¨Csince childhood, but then Leah came out of nowhere and ruined everything. The day Luke got married, she was so pissed she could barely fake a smile while handing over that wedding gift. Poor June had channeled all her heartbreak into ambition ever since, rejecting every man and turning into a total workaholic. Luke rubbed his temples and told her to get lost. Sophia grabbed her bag and clomped toward the door in her heels. On her way out, she ran straight into Ruby, who maybe had overheard their conversation because she still had a smile she hadn¡¯t quite wiped off her face yet. Sophia crossed her arms and grinned wickedly. ¡°Wow, that grin¡¯s so wide you look like a Venus flytrap about to eat someone. Even if Leah divorced him eighteen times, you¡¯d never get to be my sister¨Cinw.¡± Ruby didn¡¯t flinch, her tone staying sweet. ¡°Then who would? Your friend June? She seems even more delusional.¡± Sophia pped sarcastically. ¡°Typical homewrecker move¨Cshameless as theye. You¡¯re not even fit to shine June¡¯s shoes!¡± Forget the 27 Chapter 6 Ruby watched her storm out, her eyes calcting. Luke had sent her abroad to study, bought her an apartment, introduced her to high society life. And now he was divorcing Leah for her. First it was Leah, now it was her turn. If Leah could be Mrs. Harper, why couldn¡¯t she? Two years ago, she¡¯d knelt outside that mansion on the hilltop, staring at the luxury spread before her. Back then she¡¯d thought, someday those doors would open for her. But bing Mrs. Harper wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as she¡¯d imagined. After Grandpa agreed, I had no chance to negotiate the divorce with Luke directly. I knew he¡¯d gotten the news. I thought he¡¯de find me right away to hash things out. But days passed, and he stayed holed up in Vegas. Worst case scenario, thew had my back. After two years of separation, either spouse could file for divorce unterally without the other¡¯s consent. But I figured Luke and the Harper family wouldn¡¯t just let it slide like that. If he agreed right now, the divorce would be over in a heartbeat. So I kept waiting. Finally, he pushed through the front door again. Small talk was pointless. He cut straight to the chase. ¡°You walk away with nothing if we divorce. Is this just some tantrum?¡± Before our wedding, Grandpa had one demand¨Csign a prenup. If the marriage went south, I wouldn¡¯t get a penny. Luke refused, but Grandpa wouldn¡¯t budge either. He didn¡¯t trust Luke and absolutely wouldn¡¯t tie Harper Industries¡® massive interests to his personal feelings. Eventually, Lukepromised and used his own money to set up a trust fund for me. The trust belonged to me as pre marital property, containing cash, stocks, and real estate. After years of management and appreciation, it was now worth almost eight billion. Sure, eight billion was nothingpared to Harper Industries and the Harper family fortune. But back then, it was every liquid asset Luke could get his hands on after all the fighting. I didn¡¯t want his money originally. He¡¯dughed and told me, ¡°Money gives a woman more security than any man ever could.¡± 13.21 Hell Yeah Forget the Other Women My Smart House Was Cheating On Me!l 17.4% He¡¯d made an ufortable prediction. ¡°I might betray you someday, but money never will.¡± Married couples can be closest strangers, and no matter how much we¡¯d loved each other, it didn¡¯t stop us from being enemies now. I stared at him for a long time, remembering how crazy I¡¯d been back then. That first year, my obsession with emotional purity had driven me to say the most vicious things to him. I¡¯d told him to drop dead, to get hit by a truck and torn apart the next time he left the house. How dare he destroy my faith in love and still walk around so brazenly? At my lowest point, I¡¯d gotten in my car nning to take him down with me. If we all went to hell together, at least the torture would end. But in my lucid moments, I had only one thought. Thank God we never had kids. Thank God that baby never came. I looked at him now. We¡¯d said everything that needed saying. Only calm remained. ¡°You should thank me. You won¡¯t have to sneak around with women anymore.¡± Click. He lit a cigarette and studied me through the smoke. ¡°True. Ruby thanks you too, for making room for her. Really generous of you.¡± I ignored his sarcasm. ¡°It¡¯s happening in three days. I hope-¡± He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. ¡°Whatever.¡± After opening the door, he paused and looked back at me. ¡°Leah, don¡¯t regret this!¡± Forget the 28 Chapter 7 Luke didn¡¯t show up to court that day. An hourter, I walked out with the divorce decree and drove back to the penthouse. Thepany had some major deals brewing, so news of the divorce would stay under wraps for now. When I got home, there was an uninvited guest sitting in my living room. I frowned and called security. The guard exined sheepishly, ¡°She had Mr. Harper¡¯s ess card¡­¡± Ruby sat up straight and looked me in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m here for that enamel jewelry piece Luke bought at auctionst time.¡± She ran her hand over the leather sofa beneath her. ¡°He said it was for me, but you¡¯ve been hoarding it.¡± This penthouse was in my name. The day I decided on divorce, I¡¯d already thrown out all of Luke¡¯s stuff. The expensive items didn¡¯t get trashed¨Cprobably sent to his ce in the Hamptons. I didn¡¯t waste words on her. ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°Leah.¡± She dropped the formalities. ¡°We¡¯re both women here. I know exactly what you¡¯re thinking. Refusing to divorce for years, then suddenly filing¨Cyou¡¯re just ying hard to get, hoping your husband wille crawling back. Nobody¡¯s buying it.¡± I called out ¡°Grace!¡± and soon someone came downstairs. I nced at her, and her eyes lit up. She dropped her cleaning rag and immediately grabbed Ruby, dragging her toward the door. ¡°Ahh¨Cyou psycho!¡± Both Grace and Linda were Harper family veterans, originally brought over by Luke¡¯s mother from her own family. Linda was the calm, clever one. Grace was the enforcer. Together, they were his mother¡¯s right and left hands. Back when Luke¡¯s mother dealt with all those mistresses, Grace¡¯s hands had wed up plenty of homewrecker faces. When I joined the Harper family, his mother assigned Grace to me. Too bad I never bothered with the drama, so Grace hadn¡¯t had much to do these past few years. Today I¡¯d let her relive her glory days. From outside came Grace¡¯s booming voice tearing into her. ¡°You shameless little slut! Chasing after married men at your age¨Ceven when this city was full of kept women, none of them were stupid enough to show up at the wife¡¯s house. Your parents did a real shit job raising you¡­¡± English was limiting her creativity, so she switched to rapid¨Cfire Spanish, every word razor sharp. Maybe I¡¯d have her give Luke the same treatment someday. Ruby had built up a decent online following with a carefully crafted persona. In her blog posts, she was the struggling girl from the wrong side of the tracks who caught the eye of a powerful, wealthy man. Her mystery boyfriend loved her deeply¨Che was her savior, her lover, lifting her up from nothing. Clueless followers ate it up. ¡°Girl, you must be amazing for someone to love you like that.¡± She soaked up everypliment. ¡°He¡¯s teaching me about the world, about people and society, so that even if we don¡¯tst forever, I¡¯ll be able to take care of myself.¡± Spinning this fairy tale of a white knight and poor girl, like she was the real heroine of some romance novel. Forget the 29 Chapter 8 When I came to Manhattan at eighteen, I was full of hope and dreams of making it my home. But after a decade of ups and downs, I found myself missing where I came from. After wrapping up all the loose ends, I headed back to my hometown in California. Back when we got engaged, it wasn¡¯t just the Harper family who disapproved¨Cmy parents weren¡¯t thrilled either. Luke had flown back and forth through all four seasons,nding and taking off countless times, trying to convince them to trust him with their daughter. After visiting my parents, I set my sights on New York for the next chapter. If you don¡¯t keep moving, your brain dies. My education and experience wouldn¡¯t let me waste the rest of my life doing nothing. In my early days with the Harper family, I couldn¡¯t even hold a wine ss properly at formal dinners. Back then Luke would stand behind me, and his influence was enough to keep people fromughing at me. But I refused to be anyone¡¯s joke, and eventually I learned to hold my own with all those socialite wives. When I started mypany in San Francisco, I had no shame about using the Harper name and Luke¡¯s connections to get ahead and solve problems. With plenty of capital and contacts, I nailed down every detail within a month. Besides work, I also worked on myself. I had to admit that even though that marriage waspletely toxic, I still dealt with emotional bacsh after the divorce. Sometimes I¡¯d wake up in the middle of the night feeling like I was floating, with this hollow emptiness in my chest that left me ungrounded. During those seven years of marriage, especially thest three, I¡¯d been like an empty shell. Now I needed to slowly fill that shell back up¨Cboth the psychological void and the nk spaces in my life. I threw myself into reinventing myself through reading, traveling, and socializing, bing more like my old self again. Once you find the strength to lift yourself up, all those past struggles start looking like decorative touches. One day, my phone rang, and when I answered, the voice had a familiar ent. ¡°Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s me¨CSecretary Stone.¡± He was talking fast. ¡°Mr. Harper¡¯s drunk and insisting I call you to ask what kind of hangover medicine he should take. He says the wrong kind could kill him.¡± I could hear mumbling in the background. ¡°Tell her toe back¡­¡± I nced at the number. ¡°Secretary Stone-¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, go ahead. Oh right, Mr. Harper wants you toe back to Manhattan. When are youing back?¡± My voice was t. ¡°I¡¯ve been so busy I forgot to block you, Secretary Stone.¡± ¡°What-¡± Before he could finish, the line went dead. When he tried calling back, he realized he was blocked and deleted. Forget the 30 A few dayster, mysterious packages started showing up at my office. When I opened them, everything inside was ridiculously expensive. Harry Winston diamond nes, Herm¨¨s crocodile leather bags, and tons of designer jewelry. I¡¯d seen this kind of apology routine plenty of times before. Back then, he¡¯d send something romantic and I¡¯d give him an out, and we¡¯d both be happy. Now it just felt pathetic. I looked at thepany books, then turned around and sold all that stuff for operating capital. This went on for about two weeks before Luke showed up himself. At an investor dinner, he crashed the party uninvited, standing there like a bouncer while everyone scrambled to their feet to greet him. Eyes kept darting between Luke and me, but nobody dared bring up the divorce. Harper Industries had announced the divorce publicly, and the news had covered it multiple times. A few days ago, I¡¯d heard Mrs. White gossiping about all the drama. Nobody expected the Harper family¡¯s ns for a quiet divorce to get derailed by some little troublemaker. Turns out Ruby had heard about the divorce and immediately started posting photos with Luke online. Even though Luke was only half¨Cvisible from behind with his face blurred out, sharp¨Ceyed inte users figured it out anyway. Energizedizens divided up the work, analyzing Ruby¡¯s thousand¨Cplus posts, with detailed timelines spreading all over social media. She created burner ounts to fight back, but people just dug up more dirt on her. So she posted, ¡°He doesn¡¯t love his wife anyway. If you can¡¯t keep your man, whose fault is that?¡± Someone replied, ¡°LOL. He doesn¡¯t love his wife but he loves you? That ne you posted in March? It¡¯s literally made from scraps left over from the one his wife wore tost year¡¯s g. Such devoted love, right?¡± ¡°Money talks, I guess. Butst year Luke donated three million to the cathedral in his wife¡¯s name.¡± The fighting went on and on until I got tired of listening. Looking at Luke now, the divorce and cheating seemed to have zero effect on him. If anything, because of the online battle betweenizens and Ruby, his cheating had somehow be this romantic tale that proved his charm. Meanwhile Ruby, equally guilty, had been torn apart by the attacks. 12.21 10 40 Just like now¨Che was smiling like nothing had happened. Footsteps followed steadily behind me. I stopped. ¡°Just say what you want. I don¡¯t have time for games.¡± He set down his wine ss and said casually, ¡°You should see how the media¡¯s praising you, calling you so strong and principled. Everyone knows the Harper family produced this unbreakable woman. They praise you while tearing me down to nothing.¡± ¡°The day you left, Grace went off on me. Stood on the third floor and screamed at me for half an hour.¡± ¡°I figured after causing such a scene with the divorce and running away, with so many people sticking up for you, you¡¯d be over it by now.¡± ¡°So I came to bring you home.¡± Hearing those words, I realized I was furious, but facing him, my soul felt numb. I¡¯d gambled everything on a clean break, but to him it was just a tantrum that would blow over once I cooled down. For a split second, I suddenly understood everything. All these years with Luke, whether it was love or marriage¨Cmaybe from start to finish, I was the only one who treated it like a sacred vow, like everything that mattered. So when it all fell apart and crumbled, I was the only one getting destroyed. Luke had made the same vows in front of that priest, but he¡¯d probably never believed that love should be unwavering or marriage should mean absolute loyalty. Once I figured that out, I quickly turned away and wiped the tears I couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Divorcing you means Luke Harper and I have nothing to do with each other for the rest of our lives.¡± I pulled myself together and spoke clearly. ¡°You think divorce is a game, but I¡¯ve never used marriage as a way to throw tantrums. I¡¯m telling you¨CI don¡¯t regret it. Not now, not ever. I will never, ever regret it.¡± He grabbed my arm, like my anger didn¡¯t faze him at all, and said helplessly, ¡°Fine, I regret it, okay? I spoke too soon. These past two months without you, I¡¯m not used to it.¡± I¡¯d had enough. I raised my hand and pped him hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the tree lined path. Luke¡¯s head snapped to the side, and he touched the spot with his finger. ¡°Is that enough to cool you down? If not, hit me again.¡± ¡°Once you¡¯re over it,e back to Manhattan with me.¡± Forget the 31 Chapter 10 Who knew Luke would lose his mind like this, haunting me with his persistence. Every few days he¡¯d fly to New York, suddenly forgetting about his girlfriends and mistresses. Like without me around, he¡¯d lost all passion for his affairs¨Ceven cheating had lost its thrill. I ignored him and went ahead with my nned trip to Montana during my break. I was sick of the noise and chaos, tired of information overload. Sometimes you need nature to cleanse your soul. So I picked a cabin with wind and light, mountains andkes, and slow, peaceful time. Surprisingly, I ran into Sophia on this trip. She clearly hadn¡¯t expected it either. After two days of awkward encounters, she finally couldn¡¯t help but approach me. Though her opening line was pretty obnoxious. ¡°You look way better now that you¡¯ve divorced my brother.¡± I pulled my hat down over my face, my voice muffled. ¡°Not chasing after your friend June anymore?¡± She plopped down next to me,ining but excited. ¡°Did you know June doesn¡¯t even like men? She had a girlfriend this whole time and never told me.¡± ¡°I made myself look like an idiot for years thinking she liked Luke. How was I supposed to know I waspletely delusional?¡± Once she started talking, news just poured out of her nonstop. For the next two days, Sophia stuck to me like glue. I figured she was there to advocate for Luke. When I mentioned it, she waved me off. ¡°You¡¯re giving me way too much credit. If he can¡¯t win you back, that¡¯s on him. I¡¯m not getting involved.¡± But a few dayster, Luke showed up in Montana like some persistent ghost. Right in front of Sophia, I didn¡¯t hold back¨CI tore into him and walked away. Sophia patted his shoulder. ¡°Luke,¡± Luke looked away, forcing patience. ¡°What?¡± ¡°When you¡¯re sick, you go see a doctor,¡± she said pitifully. ¡°You don¡¯t fly to Montana to gawk at cows.¡± I had no intention of swearing off men for the rest of my life, and when work stress got too intense, I liked finding some pretty young guys to date. Jason was a neer at the entertainmentpany I invested in. He was sweet and gorgeous, so I made an exception and kept him around. When Luke heard I was dating someone, he flew to New York overnight. He stayedpletely calm, offering his verdict. ¡°Pretty boy, all talk.¡± Then he flew back to Manhattan. 13:22 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 20.1% Jason wasn¡¯t fazed. He leaned against my shoulder, ying innocent. ¡°He called me pretty and said I was smooth. But Leah, you like me exactly how I am, right?¡± Luke thought everyone else was clueless and only he saw clearly. ¡°Don¡¯t be naive. That twenty¨Cyear¨Cold just wants your money and connections. You seriously think he gives a shit about you?¡± How could I tell him that was actually perfect? I had so little genuine feeling left, love had vanishedpletely, and money was all I had to offer. These days, I was thrilled when men talked money and resources with me instead of love and romance. When he flew to New York again, he saw who was standing beside me now. This time he frowned slightly. ¡°New guy?¡± Jason was great except for his dishonesty. At first I thought he came from nothing, a clean te entering the entertainment world with no backing¨Cso pitiful that it made sense for me to support him. Butter I identally found out his family were New York royalty. This rich boy was slumming it in entertainment for fun while treating me like a sugar mama. How could I stand for that? The day I cut him off, he was still ying victim, soaked like a drowned rat. ¡°If I¡¯d told you I was rich, you wouldn¡¯t have looked at me twice.¡± That wasn¡¯t the point. Whatever the reason, people shouldn¡¯t start rtionships with lies. Compared to his drama and heartbreak, I was as calm as if I¡¯d missed some insignificant investment opportunity. There were plenty of pretty, obedient men out there. Lose one, and thousands more would take his ce. I nodded at Luke, very generous. ¡°Thest one wasn¡¯t well¨Cbehaved. This one¡¯s more obedient.¡± We could actually discuss this so peacefully, like the divorce and destruction were from another lifetime. Luke¡¯s expression rxed slightly, still making his calm assessment. ¡°Looks pretty but useless.¡± He had this confident look, like he was saying¨CLeah, y around all you want. You don¡¯t mean it. After what you went through with me, you can¡¯t seriously care about these losers. This rtionshipsted quite a while. Long enough that Luke kept asking, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you broken up yet?¡± Still with that same sinug, know it all attitude, like my dating life was just me acting out and I¡¯d get over it soon. I¡¯d had enough. ¡°Are you insane?¡± He waspletely shameless and guilt¨Cfree. ¡°Yeah, lovesick.¡± I didn¡¯t pay attention to his feelings. A divorced man stalking his ex¨Cwife like this was just embarrassing. her Women My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 20.4% Chapter 10 Sometimes he¡¯d call in the middle of the night, ruining my sleep just to ask when I wasing back to Manhattan. Maybe midnight makes people more honest¨Chis nighttime apologies seemed more genuine. Not like his fake daytime act. A few times his voice trembled as he said, word by word, ¡°Leah, I regret it.¡± Then the next day he¡¯d act like nothing happened. asionally I¡¯d get calls from his mother. Her tone was always t. ¡°Luke¡¯s hurt. Are youing to Manhattan to see him?¡± Before I could answer, she¡¯d continue talking to herself. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯te. He won¡¯t die.¡± I didn¡¯t care what happened in his life. My life was back on track¨Cmypany was growing, I had close friends and charming lovers. I wasn¡¯t losing sleep over anything anymore. For a long time after that, Luke and I maintained this weird bnce. He could fly to New York or go back to Manhattan whenever he wanted. I wouldn¡¯t interfere at all. I knew what he was waiting for. He was waiting for the day I¡¯d e to my senses¡± and return to his trap. But Luke¨Cpeople don¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Forget the 32 Chapter 11 Luke drove straight to the family estate after thepany g. He walked into the foyer, where the lighting was still dim, like some damp ce that never saw sunlight. He¡¯d never liked the old mansion. He preferred the penthouse they¡¯d lived in after marriage. After Leah sold it, he¡¯d bought it back, but somehow could never recapture that old feeling. For two years, he¡¯d flown back and forth between New York and Manhattan countless times, shamelessly ¡°checking up¡± on Leah. She was too free now. Sometimes she¡¯d just vanish without a trace, and he could search the whole world without finding her. Luke had been protecting Leah since she was eighteen. Back then she was so sweet, with those big eyes that looked at everyone so seriously and affectionately. Even when she threw tantrums, she was easy to win over. Sometimes she didn¡¯t even need winning over¨Cshe¡¯d talk herself down and hug his waist, warning him fiercely but harmlessly, ¡°Next time I won¡¯t forgive you so fast.¡± He¡¯d never realized that Leah was such a wild, free spirit. These past two years, she¡¯d avoided him like the gue but still sent his mother holiday greetings. When he couldn¡¯t find Leah, he¡¯de looking for Melody. He slouched against the sofa, head down, absent¨Cmindedly ying with the prayer beads in his hands. Melody had worn them smooth and beautiful. He didn¡¯t believe in any gods, so the beads were just toys to him. If Melody saw him doing this, she¡¯d probably frown at him disapprovingly. She¡¯d been giving him that look a lot since Leah left. But this time, Melody just sat down without saying anything. A wedding invitationy on the table, clearly not local style¨Cthe cover was so bright red it practically glowed, tacky as hell. Luke¡¯s eyes swept over the invitation, deciding to use it as a conversation starter. ¡°Whose wedding? Pretty fancy.¡± Melody looked at him in surprise. ¡°Leah¡¯s. She¡¯s getting married. You didn¡¯t know?¡± Luke¡¯s gaze froze. He bent forward and touched it¨Cjust a thin piece of paper that he didn¡¯t open for the longest time, keeping its contents hidden. Watching his expression, Melody suddenly understood and calmly took the invitation from his hands. ¡°I see. You weren¡¯t invited.¡± As she pulled it away, the invitation opened slightly, and Leah¡¯s name caught his eye. Melody walked to the stairs while Linda helped her up. From the second floor railing, she looked down. Luke still hadn¡¯t moved, trapped in that half light darkness. Linda couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for him. ¡°Why let things get to this point? Just yesterday he was telling me Leah had been much nicer to himtely. He said, ¡®Linda, Leah still cares about me.¡® Such a grown man, happy as a little kid.¡± Melody looked away and said quietly, ¡°You¡¯re wasting your sympathy on him. Leah¡¯s way over there minding her own business, but don¡¯t you see it? When Leah was dating around, you really think he was just sitting at home being the perfect ex¨Chusband?¡± 13:22 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 20.8% Chapter 11 Luke didn¡¯t move for ages, his limbs going numb. He¡¯d thought he and Leah had this unspoken understanding¨Cno matter how bad their fights got, deep down, neither would let anyone else in. So when they divorced, he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal. People break up and get back together all the time. So when she dated those boyfriends, he¡¯d always been smug and dismissive. Those men were just her entertainment. She¡¯d get bored ande back to her senses. In the end, divorced or remarried, he and Leah would be tangled up together for life. He thought he¡¯d have her forever, but now faced losing her permanently. Leah had somehow escaped that toxic marriage and love. While he stayed trapped in the delusion that she still loved him. How could she let love happen again? How could someone else rece him, erase her fear of marriage, and give her the courage to try again? The wedding invitation still glowed on the table, but felt further and further away. Like it was announcing Leah¡¯s happiness while mocking his pathetic state. He was starting to hate her now¨Clove turned to hate, his heart filled with dread. This kind of hatred burned through his chest, impossible to me or let go. It would haunt him for life, never letting him sleep peacefully again. Forget the 33 Chapter 1 I was softly reading a bedtime story to their autistic daughter when the CEO¡¯s first love came crashing through the door. Her eyes ping¨Cponged between us before she marched straight over. Just when I thought she was gonna scoop up her kid, she straight¨Cup smacked me across the face. ¡°You homewrecking bitch! I bounce for a couple years and you just swoop in¨Cbanging my husband, jacking my daughter!¡± ¡°Think you can be my stand¨Cin just ¡®cause you look kinda like me? Think you can steal my whole damn life!¡± I¡¯m clutching my burning cheek like¨Cwhat the actual hell? Stand¨Cin? Me? Isn¡¯t my job literally just being the therapist Mr. Harrison hired for his autistic kid? The sharp p scared the hell out of little Pearl, who¡¯d almost been asleep. She burst into tears with a loud wail. My professional instincts kicked in¨Cno time to argue with this crazy woman. I immediately scooped Pearl into my arms, whispering softly to calm her down. Pearl was diagnosed with autism from birth. She doesn¡¯t rely on anyone, doesn¡¯t care about anyone¨Cexcept when I hold her, she actually settles down. That¡¯s why Mr. Harrison pays me big bucks to be her full¨Ctime caregiver. Under my gentlefort, Pearl gradually calmed down. But the woman I¡¯d been ignoring? She was pissed. She lunged forward, trying to grab Pearl from my arms. ¡°I carried you for nine months! How can you depend on some knockoff when I¡¯m your real mom!¡± She was totally losing it, practically feral. Autistic kids are way more sensitive than regr kids, and Pearl¡¯s emotions started spiraling again. Now I was actually mad. Even if this woman really was Pearl¡¯s mom¨CHarrison¡¯s runaway first love¨CI wasn¡¯t having it. I dodged her grabby hands while holding Pearl, immediately hitting the room¡¯s panic button. 13:23 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 21.5% Chapter 1 Within seconds, the butler and Mr. Harrison came running. ¡°Mr. Harrison, someone¡¯s trying to hurt Pearl,¡± I called out loudly. Harrison¡¯s protective dad mode activated instantly. He rushed over to shield Pearl. But when he saw who it was, his eyes went red and his voice cracked. ¡°Kira¡­ you finally decided toe back¡­¡± Harrison¡¯s hands were literally shaking as he tried to bring Pearl over to Kira, wanting her to hold their kid. But Kira didn¡¯t even reach out. She just turned away looking all wounded. ¡°I don¡¯t have a daughter who turns on her own family like this.¡± ¡°And you! When you proposed, you swore you¡¯d only love me forever!¡± ¡°I¡¯m gone for six measly years¡­ and you rece me with some other woman who looks just like me!¡± Harrison nced uncertainly between Kira and me. Honestly had no clue what we had inmon besides, you know, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. ¡°You¡¯re still looking at her! Since you¡¯re picking her right in front of me, I¡¯m out!¡± Kira¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she bolted for the door. Harrison panicked. He shoved Pearl back into my arms and chased after her. From outside, I could hear Harrison exining: ¡°Babe, Evelyn¡¯s just the nanny I hired to take care of our kid.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not some recement! Now that you¡¯re back, can we just be a family again?¡± ¡°Babe¡­¡± After half an hour, Harrison led Kira back in by the hand. Kira smirked at me triumphantly. ¡°You¡¯re fired!¡± Before I could even respond, Harrison jumped in: ¡°Babe, didn¡¯t I just exin this to you? Our daughter can¡¯t function without her.¡± Kira¡¯s face did aplete 180, tears instantly welling up. ¡°Harrison, I¡¯m not mad at you. I mean, I was the one who ran off to study abroad, leaving you and our kid. I get why 13:23 Hell Yeah Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 21.7% Chapter 1 you found a recement.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m back now. Our daughter needs me, and so do you¡­¡± The waterworks started flowing. Harrison was torn. He knew damn well Pearl couldn¡¯t handle being without me, but he couldn¡¯t lose Kira either. After a beat, he turned to me: ¡°Evelyn, take the night off. You can head home.¡± I pointed to my swollen cheek. ¡°Your wife did this. Worker¡¯sp.¡± Harrison tapped his phone a few times. I checked mine and¨Choly shit. Dude just bought me a whole apartment in the most expensive part of town. I immediately handed Pearl over to Harrison and bowed respectfully. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± As I walked out, Kira stood there with her hands on her hips like she¡¯d just won the Super Bowl, chin up and everything. I was too busy thinking about my new apartment to care. Besides, after taking care of Pearl for so long, I hadn¡¯t had a proper break in forever. However, this middle of the night, and I was dead to the world in bed when my phone started ringing. Forget the 34 I figured it was Mr. Harrison calling to cancel, but when I squinted at my phone, it was actually my bestie Lily. The second I picked up, she went off like a freaking machine gun in my ear. ¡°Harrison¡¯s wife is absolutely unhinged!¡± ¡°She calls me at midnight saying their kid¡¯s having a breakdown, lies that you¡¯re MIA, begs me toe check on Pearl. I walk in and this psycho starts bawling that Harrison didn¡¯t just find one recement¨Capparently he found TWO!¡± ¡°I visit their house like twice a year, and always with YOU, but somehow I¡¯m some homewrecking recement? Make it make sense!¡± ¡°We look nothing alike! When I asked why she thinks I¡¯m a recement, guess what she said? Because we both have ¡®Lily¡® in our names. I literally can¡¯t even-¡± The string of F¨Cbombs that followed made me hold the phone away from my ear. Lily¡¯s actually an autism specialist¨Cshe¡¯s the one who got me this gig with Harrison. Unlike broke¨Cass me though, Lily¡¯s trust fund royalty. Like, makes the Harrisons look middle¨Css. ¡°Did she forget I was literally at their wedding? She seemed normal back then. What the hell happened?¡± ¡°I told that crazy bitch exactly where she could shove it before I left, but I feel bad for poor Pearl¡­¡± ¡°When I was leaving, she was just staring into space again. She¡¯d been doing so much better with you around all these years¡­¡® Lily sighed before warning me: ¡°Word is Kira bailed originally because she couldn¡¯t handle having an autistic kid.¡± ¡°He¡¯s gonna call you back for sure, but don¡¯t cave. Get tangled up with someone that batshit and you¡¯ll never get out.¡± Sure enough, thirty minutester Harrison called, sounding like he¡¯d been hit by a truck: ¡°Evelyn, I¡¯ll double your sry. Pleasee over now¨CPearl won¡¯t stop crying and I¡¯m at my wit¡¯s end.¡± Thinking about my current ten¨Cgrand monthly sry doubling to twenty, I gritted my teeth, threw on my jacket, and hauled ass over there. When I got to the Harrison house, I didn¡¯t hear Pearl crying. Instead, Kira was cooing all sweet: 13:23 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 22.19% Chapter 2 ¡°Baby, I told you¨CI¡¯m her real mommy. Of course she needs me most¡­¡± Then Kira spotted me in the doorway and her voice went shrill: ¡°Why the hell are you here again?!¡± ¡°I knew you hadn¡¯t given up! Still thirsty for my husband! But newssh¨Cnow that mama¡¯s home, there¡¯s no room for cheap knockoffs!¡± At 3 AM, the Harrison mansion was lit up like Times Square, with the butler and staff looking like they wanted to die. They were already pissed about Kira¡¯s drama keeping them up, and when they heard hertest crazy talk, a few couldn¡¯t keep poker faces. Kira caught them and went full Karen mode. She pointed at the butler and screeched: ¡°You think this fake¡¯s gonna rece me, so you¡¯re brown¨Cnosing Evelyn, right?¡± ¡°Did you tell this slut she was the first woman Harrison ever brought home?¡± ¡°ying matchmaker for their little romance!¡± The butler was done. Everyone knew Harrison had a wife and autistic kid. Women came through this house all the time¨Cfirst woman my ass. The butler kept quiet while Kira turned on Rosa, the housekeeper: ¡°And you! Did you tell this homewrecker that you hadn¡¯t seen Mr. Harrison smile like that in forever?¡± Rosa looked totally confused. Harrison Corp was crushing ittely, Pearl¡¯s condition was improving¨Cof course Harrison was in good spirits. It¡¯s 3 AM, nobody¡¯s sleeping, and while the staff had to suck it up, I was over it. ¡°Mr. Harrison, if you dragged me here at ass o¡¯clock for this shitshow, I¡¯m bouncing.¡± Harrison looked like death warmed over, rubbing his face: ¡°When I called you, Pearl really was losing it. But Kira managed to settle her down.¡± ¡°Sorry for the wild goose chase. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay you triple¨Cno, five times overtime.¡± Kira was hanging off Harrison¡¯s arm like a damn ko, giving me major stink¨Ceye. But when she heard about the overtime pay, she flipped: 13:23 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 22.49% ¡°Harrison, that¡¯s OUR money! I¡¯m not okay with-¡± I wasn¡¯t here for their Jerry Springer episode. My brain was stuck on Harrison saying Kira had gotten Pearl to sleep in minutes. Pearl¡¯s had insomnia from hell since birth. No way she¡¯d conk out that fast. I pushed past them and booked it to Pearl¡¯s room, gently tapping her tiny face: ¡°Pearl, wake up sweetie. Come on, wake up.¡± The kid waspletely out. Kira strutted in behind me, all smug: ¡°Evelyn, I get that you¡¯re salty. You thought you could y Harrison through my daughter.¡± ¡°But you forgot about that mother¨Cdaughter connection¡­¡± I jumped up and grabbed Kira¡¯s wrist, going full mama bear: ¡°What the fuck did you give her?¡± I scared the shit out of her, and she spilled: ¡°I¡­ I just gave her some Ambien¡­¡± Forget the 35 My eyes went blood red: ¡°She¡¯s not even six years old! How could you give a kid Ambien? I thought you were just crazy, but you¡¯re straight¨Cup evil!¡± Before Kira could say anything, I was already scooping up Pearl and running for the car: ¡°We need to get her to the ER, now!¡± Kira grabbed Harrison¡¯s hand, tears streaming: ¡°Baby, I just wanted her to sleep better¡­¡± But this time Harrison didn¡¯t even look at her. He peeled out, leaving her in the dust. Thank God we got to the hospital fast enough. They pumped Pearl¡¯s stomach and she was out of danger. She¡¯d need to stay for observation though. Looking at Pearl¡¯s pale face, Harrison¡¯s dark circles got even worse. He apologized profusely and begged me to stay at the hospital with her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll have a serious talk with Kira.¡± ¡°The kid¡¯s innocent. Please don¡¯t take out the adults¡® mess on Pearl.¡± Harrison was generous as always¨Che transferred another hundred grand. I got pumped up instantly: ¡°Mr. Harrison, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take care of Pearl like she¡¯s my own daughter!¡± I actually had a few peaceful days at the hospital. Lily called to gossip: ¡°Harrison and Kira made up again. Heard Harrison was ready to file for divorce, but Kira threatened to off herself, so no dice.¡± ¡°What the hell did Kira do to snap Harrison out of his lovesick haze?¡± I told Lily about the Ambien incident. Lilyunched into another colorful tirade about Kira¡¯s family tree. 13:23 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 22.8% Chapter 3 ¡°Just watch yourself. I heard the Harrisons are throwing some big party¨Csupposedly for Pearl¡¯s sixth birthday, but really to announce to high society that Mrs. Harrison¡¯s back.¡± ¡°And get this¨CKira¡¯s the one nning it.¡± I figured a therapist like me wouldn¡¯t be invited to some fancy Harrison party, so whatever. But the day of the party, Pearl wouldn¡¯t let go of my hand. She¡¯d always depended on me, and after being in the hospital at her most vulnerable with me by her side 24/7¡­ ¡°Come with us, Evelyn.¡± Harrison said it like it was settled. Kira was holding Harrison¡¯s other hand, looking like she wanted to murder me, but she didn¡¯t start shit like before. The party was all clinking sses and fake smiles. I spotted Lily and went over with Pearl in my arms: ¡°Looks like Harrison threatening divorce actually made Kira chill out a bit¡­¡± Before I could finish that sentence, Lily and I got jumped. Three or four guys in server uniforms whipped out steak knives from under tables, grabbed us, and pressed the des to our throats. Seriously? I¡¯m holding a kid here! Luckily Pearl wasn¡¯t scared¨Cjust staring around with those big round eyes. Everyone started screaming and running. Then I heard Kira¡¯s voice, all breathy and dramatic: ¡°Honey, save me!¡± Wait, she got grabbed too? While everyone else was stampeding toward the exits, Harrison pushed through the crowd, voice steady: ¡°What do you want? Name it¨Ccash, cars, helicopter?¡± ¡°Just let them go and it¡¯s yours. Don¡¯t hurt them!¡± The lead guy started cackling: ¡°Never thought the almighty Mr. Harrison would be begging me!¡± ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t want your money. I want your precious woman dead!¡± 13:23 C Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 23.0% Chapter 3 ¡°Pick one of the three¨Cshe lives, the other two die¡­¡± That made me, Lily, and Harrison all frown. Only Kira lost her shit: ¡°Honey, save me!¡± ¡°You promised you¡¯d protect me forever!¡± Lily was like: ¡°Excuse me, if you want Harrison¡¯s most beloved woman, why the hell did you grab ME?!¡± The guy sneered: ¡°Everyone knows you and Evelyn are recements. So what¡¯s it gonna be¨Cwill our Mr. Harrison pick his first love or one of his stand¨Cins?¡± ¡°This should be interesting¡­¡± Hearing that familiar recement bullshit, we all automatically looked at Kira. I mean, she¡¯s literally the only person who thinks Lily and I are stand¨Cins. Under three sets of eyes, Kira looked at Harrison all teary: ¡°Baby, you don¡¯t trust me either?¡± Harrison¡¯s mouth twitched, but before he could speak, the knife sliced across my cheek: ¡°Shut the hell up! Mr. Harrison, choose now!¡± My face was on fire, blood dripping instantly. The guy moved his knife to Lily¡¯s face: ¡°Take any longer and this pretty girl gets a makeover too.¡± Lily went ballistic with her usual creative cursing, then threatened: ¡°Harrison, if anything happens to me or Evelyn, I¡¯ll bankrupt your ass!¡± Pearl finally realized something was wrong and started wailing in my arms. Kira was still blubbering: ¡°Honey, save me!¡± The leader roared: ¡°Everyone shut up! Harrison, you got five seconds.¡± ¡°Five.¡± ¡°Four.¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°One.¡± 2 ¡°Wait!¡± Harrison shouted. ¡°I choose¡­¡± Forget the 36 ¡°I¡¯m not choosing anyone.¡± ¡°Your logic doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± Harrison stared the kidnappers down, dead serious: ¡°You said you¡¯re here to get revenge on me by killing the woman I love most.¡± ¡°But if I pick someone, that means she¡¯s the one I love most, right? Yet you¡¯re nning to let her go and kill the other two who supposedly matter less.¡± ¡°That goes against your whole n.¡± ¡°It should be whoever I pick, you kill¨CTHAT would be real revenge.¡± The kidnappers lookedpletely mind¨Cfucked, actually thinking through his logic. Even Kira stopped crying, tears just hanging there making her look ridiculous. ¡°Shut up! Since you won¡¯t choose, don¡¯t me me for getting brutal!¡± He raised the knife toward my throat. ¡°Evelyn!¡± Harrison screamed. Right before the de came down, cops burst through the doors: ¡°POLICE! Nobody move!¡± The fake kidnappers instantly let us go and scattered like roaches. But there¡¯s nowhere to run from the long arm of thew¨Cthey got tackled within seconds. Kira stood there frozen, looking totally shocked: ¡°Harrison, why did you call the police?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works in the novels! There aren¡¯t supposed to be cops¨Cyou were supposed to pick me¡­¡± The fake kidnappers snapped back to reality, pointing straight at Kira: ¡°She¡¯s the one behind this! We¡¯re just actors she hired¨Cshe said if we helped her put on this show, she¡¯d pay us ten grand each.¡± ¡°She told us she was Mrs. Harrison, that nothing would happen to us, and if it did, she¡¯d handle it.¡± 13:23 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 23.5% ¡°I thought this was some rich people roley shit. If I knew cops wereing, no way in hell would I have agreed!¡± All eyes turned to Kira, who went white as a sheet. She went full psycho: ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know you! You obviously have beef with Harrison and wanted to make him lose the woman he loves most¡­¡± The guy shot back: ¡°Lady, what are you talking about? I¡¯m just an extra from the film studios¨Cwhat beef would I have with some big shot CEO?¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re Harrison¡¯s business rival! Harrison destroyed yourpany, so you hate him!¡± Even the cops were like, seriously? They immediately cuffed Kira too, hauling her ass to the station. Now Kira was finally scared. She wed at Harrison¡¯s legs, sobbing: ¡°Baby, just call the police chief! Get them to let me go!¡± ¡°One phone call and this all goes away. I can¡¯t go to jail¨CI¡¯m your first love! I can¡¯t have a criminal record!¡± Harrison knelt down and pried her fingers off one by one, lookingpletely done: ¡°Kira, bribing cops is illegal.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t even know the police chief.¡± Kira¡¯s eyes went wide, total disbelief: ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You¡¯re a CEO! You¡¯ve got power, influence¨Cwhen you sneeze, the whole city shakes!¡± ¡°Some random police chief should be jumping at yourmand¡­¡± Lily, who¡¯d been helping stop my bleeding, finally lost it. She stood up, went through Kira¡¯s entire family tree with some choice words, then pointed right in Harrison¡¯s face: ¡°Harrison, when Kira first abandoned Pearl for being autistic, you came to me desperate for help.¡± ¡°I hooked you up with Evelyn, my smartest, most talented college friend.¡± ¡°She was way smarter than me¨Cif she wasn¡¯t stuck taking care of Pearl, she¡¯d be a way better specialist than I am by now.¡± ¡°You promised you¡¯d never screw Evelyn over, and this is how you treat her?¡± 13:24 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! Forget the 37 Lily pointed at the cut on my face and couldn¡¯t hold back¨Cshe went through Harrison¡¯s entire family tree again. I nodded immediately: ¡°Mr. Harrison, I was actually about to tell you¨Cthis job¡¯s way too dangerous. I¡¯m quitting.¡± I handed Pearl, who I¡¯d just calmed down, back to Harrison. The second Pearl left my arms, she started having another meltdown. Harrison aged like twenty years in that moment, his voicepletely shot: ¡°Evelyn, if it¡¯s about money, I can raise your sry. Look at her¨CPearl can¡¯t function without you.¡± ¡°Whatever you need, just name it. I¡¯ll make it happen, but please¡­ don¡¯t quit¡­¡± I¡¯d never seen the always¨Cin¨Ccontrol Mr. Harrison grovel like this before. More importantly, Pearl wasn¡¯t just any kid¨Cshe had autism. We¡¯d worked so hard to build trust, and if I just ghosted her now, would that really be fair? My brain was total soup. Before I could figure anything out, Kira went full psycho. When the cops weren¡¯t looking, she broke free and came at me screaming: ¡°You maniptive bitch! You actually got my husband on his knees begging you to stay!¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll never let you win! I¡¯m gonna mess up that face¨Clet¡¯s see how you seduce my husband with that knockoff look when it¡¯s all jacked up¡­¡± Of course Kira didn¡¯t get her shot. The cops body¨Cmmed her onto the floor immediately. Her face was twisted with pure crazy, still running her mouth. This time even Harrison was done with her. He just held his daughter, looked away, and let the cops haul Kira¡¯s ass out. Lily and I bounced, Next morning Harrison called to apologize and wired five million to my ount for medical bills. ¡°Evelyn, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°If¨Cand I mean if¨CI get my home situation under control, would you maybe consider helping me with Pearl again?¡± 13:24 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 24.2% Chapter 5 I didn¡¯t answer. Harrison¡¯s beat¨Cdown voice came through: ¡°Sorry, that was way out of line.¡± ¡°I owe you huge for all this shit. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just hit me up.¡± I kept it polite and agreed. Kira made bail after three days, which had Lily seeing red. But honestly, no real damage was done. I was the only casualty¨Cjust a scratch on my face¨Cand for five million bucks, I signed off on it. Lily was throwing air punches: ¡°If it were me, no fucking way would I settle. I¡¯d make sure that psycho bitch did hard time.¡± I sighed: ¡°This little nick barely counts as assault. Forget prison¨Cthey couldn¡¯t even hold her for a week.¡± ¡°Might as well bank that goodwill with Mr. Harrison. Plus, he just made me five million dors richer.¡± Kira might be certifiably insane, but her batshit breakdown got me paid. I just felt awful for Pearl. Even though Lily hooked her up with another specialist, word was it was going terribly. Seeing me all mopey, Lily pped my shoulder: ¡°Alright, I know what¡¯s eating you, but cut it out.¡± ¡°Life¡¯s gonna life. Some things are totally out of your hands.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the game n? Wannae work with me?¡± I shook my head: ¡°I¡¯m going back to school.¡± When I first took the Pearl gig, it wasn¡¯t just because Lily hooked me up¨CI was broke as hell. But now I was sitting pretty, so obviously I wanted to get back to my studies. What I didn¡¯t expect was walking into my advisor¡¯s office on day one of my PhD program and seeing someone I never thought I¡¯d run into again. Forget the 38 In just one week, Harrison looked like absolute hell. The bags under his eyes were one thing, but this CEO hadn¡¯t even bothered to shave¨Ctotally disheveled. Pearl in his arms looked even worse. The kid was already skinny, but now she was practically wasting away. My advisor introduced us: ¡°Evelyn, this is Harrison. He¡¯s funded most of ourb equipment, so he¡¯s basically your boss too.¡± I instinctively stepped back. All that drama with Kira had left me with serious PTSD¨Cseeing Harrison just reminded me of being treated like some recement. Harrison managed a weak smile: ¡°Evelyn, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not here to drag you back. It¡¯s just¡­¡± His eyes dropped to Pearl. Pearl was staring at me with those sunken eyes, reaching out for me to hold her. When I didn¡¯t move, her little face crumpled. She didn¡¯t make a sound, but tears just started streaming down. Those tears hit me right in the chest,pletely destroying my carefully built walls. I immediately took Pearl and started softlyforting her. ¡°Evelyn, I won¡¯t make youe back to the house.¡± ¡°I want to ce my daughter in yourb. You guys study autism anyway¨CI can¡¯t think of a better test subject than Pearl¡± ¡°You¡¯ve basically raised her from day one. Nobody knows her better than you do, and it¡¯ll help with your dissertation too.¡± I snapped my head up, staring at Harrison in disbelief. I couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d go this far. ¡°Do you have any idea what being a test subject means?¡± Harrison nodded seriously: ¡°I do.¡± ¡°But I also trust you. You¡¯d never do anything to hurt Pearl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already reaching out to international experts. I hear they¡¯ve got cutting¨Cedge research that could help with 13:24 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 24.8% autism.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll pay whatever it takes to buy their research data and donate it to you.¡± To me. Not the school, not my advisor. Me. My heart skipped. Facing a father who¡¯d do anything for his kid, I couldn¡¯t say no. I had no reason to say no. I agreed. Harrison basically made himself invisible to avoid causing me problems, and got Pearl three full¨Ctime caregivers. Word was he wanted to divorce Kira, but she wasn¡¯t having it. Every time Harrison brought up divorce, she¡¯d pull the ssic waterworks¨Ctantrum¨Csuicide threatbo. She even dragged Harrison¡¯s elderly parents back from their retirement home. She kept insisting Harrison had fallen for his recement and wanted to run away with me. ¡°Harrison, that homewrecking slut Evelyn has just blinded you temporarily. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure you see her true colors.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll realize I¡¯m the only person in this world who truly loves you!¡± The Harrison house was like a daily soap opera from hell. But then Harrison took Pearl back home. Just when I thought I was out of the whole mess, the news broke that Harrison Corp¡¯s productunch got hit with giarism usations and their stock tanked. Lily told me that after Kira¡¯s party stunt, Harrison had pissed off a lot of important people. This productunch was supposed to be his all¨Cor¨Cnothingeback. But a rivalpanyunched the exact same product a day earlier,plete with design concepts and original drafts. Now Harrison was looking at massivewsuits and total reputation destruction. Getting back on top would be nearly impossible. My heart dropped. Wait, was he broke now? What about my sry? While I was pacing around freaking out, my phone rang. It was the cops. ¡°Evelyn, get down to the Harrison Corp building rooftop, now!¡± Forget the 39 When I got to the rooftop, there were tons of people¨Ccops, firefighters, and a bunch of guys wearing headsets doing God knows what. Kira was sitting on the ledge holding Pearl, the kid¡¯s little legs dangling in the air. Harrison was standing nearby, looking panicked. The second he saw me, he shouted at Kira: ¡°Kira, Evelyn¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Pleasee down! Or at least give me the baby.¡± ¡°Pearl¡¯s six years old¨Cshe¡¯s heavy. You must be exhausted holding her. Let daddy take her, okay?¡± But Kirapletely ignored him, staring at me like a damn snake¨Ccold and venomous. ¡°Evelyn, you finally showed up.¡± ¡°This is all your fault! If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be living in hell right now!¡± I had no clue what she was talking about. Suddenly Kira lifted Pearl higher. There was nothing but empty air beneath them. If Kira let go, Pearl would hit the ground like a pancake. Everyone¡¯s faces went white. I knew Kira was certifiably insane. I carefully stepped closer, trying to keep her calm: ¡°You¡¯re right, Kira. It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯m the bad guy here.¡± ¡°But Pearl¡¯s your own flesh and blood. Please give her to Harrison¡­¡± Before I could finish, Kira threw a USB drive at us, her eyes full of pure malice: ¡°Here¡¯s the proof.¡± ¡°Evidence that Evelyn stole your product designs.¡± ¡°Harrison, Evelyn never loved you! She only got close to you to destroy you.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a corporate spy sent by yourpetitors!¡± ¡°How could she actually love you? I told you¨CI¡¯m the only person in this world who truly loves you.¡± 13:24 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 25.59% ¡°When I left after having Pearl, there was a reason¡­¡± Kira bit her lip, tears welling up: ¡°The truth is¡­ I have cancer¡­¡± She struggled with the words before finally screaming it out. For a moment, even the wind seemed to stop. But Kira was totally lost in her own soap opera, her voice all tragic: ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be a burden, so I had to leave quietly.¡± ¡°But I never imagined that while I was sacrificing everything for you, you¡¯d rece me with not one but TWO women¡­¡± ¡°Lily was bad enough¨Cat least she only shares part of my name, so your feelings for her couldn¡¯t be that deep.¡± ¡°But Evelyn was way over the line! You let her move into OUR home, let MY daughter call her mommy¡­¡± Feeling everyone¡¯s eyes on me, I had to interrupt: ¡°First of all, I¡¯m nobody¡¯s recement. I¡¯m a therapist hired specifically to help Pearl.¡± ¡°Second, Pearl has never called me mom. She¡¯s autistic¨Cshe hasn¡¯t spoken a single word yet.¡± ¡°Finally, I have zero reason to steal Harrison¡¯s business ns.¡± Right then, the cop checking the USB called out: ¡°Got it loaded.¡± Everyone turned to look at theputer screen. The footage was simple-¡°me¡± sneaking into Harrison¡¯s home office, going straight for documents on his desk, stuffing papers under my clothes, and leaving immediately. ¡°You all saw that, right? It¡¯s Evelyn¨Cshe¡¯s a corporate spy!¡± ¡°Arrest her ass right now!¡± ¡°Harrison, that bitch never gave a damn about you! Beat the shit out of her!¡± C Forget the 40 hapter 8 No matter how much Kira screamed her head off, nobody moved. Everyone just looked at her like she waspletely nuts. Kira started panicking when she noticed their expressions, suddenly realizing something was off. She pointed at me, losing it: ¡°Evelyn, what kind of spell did you put on these people? The evidence is right there, why are you all still protecting her?¡± I looked at her like she¡¯d lost her damn mind: ¡°Kira, what the hell is wrong with you?¡± ¡°You seriously brought this shitty AI video to the cops as evidence?¡± Kira shrieked: ¡°You¡¯re lying! This is security footage¨Cit can¡¯t be AI!¡± I was even more done, pointing at my body clipping through the wall: ¡°Since when do normal people walk through walls to break in? No keys, no doors¨Cjust phasing through solid matter?¡± ¡°And why does your ¡®security camera¡® have close¨Cups of documents?¡± ¡°Who the fuck writes ¡®TOP SECRET¡® in giant letters on confidential files?¡± There were so many plot holes, I didn¡¯t even know where to start. While Kira was distracted listening to me tear apart her fake evidence, the cops who¡¯d been waiting made their move. One officer grabbed Pearl¡¯s arm while another tackled Kira to the ground. Kira hit the concrete hard and got swarmed by police immediately. Pearl was finally safe. After the investigation, turns out Kira was the one who leaked Harrison¡¯s designs to thepetitor. The coffee shop security footage was crystal clear, even caught the audio, The rival exec asked: ¡°Isn¡¯t Harrison your husband? Aren¡¯t you worried that if he goes bankrupt, you¡¯ll lose everything too?¡± Kira didn¡¯t give a shit: ¡°Maybe when he¡¯s broke, he¡¯ll finally realize I¡¯m the only one who truly loves him and will stick by him no matter what.¡± The guyughed: ¡°If you love him so much, why did you run off overseas years ago?¡± 13:24 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 26.2% Kira¡¯s face twisted with rage: ¡°Because after Pearl was born, Harrison wasn¡¯tpletely obsessed with me anymore.¡± ¡°How dare he pay attention to another woman? Even if it¡¯s my own daughter!¡± ¡°I needed to teach Harrison a lesson¨Cthat his world should only have room for me.¡± ¡°But I never expected him to find recements.¡± ¡°This time I¡¯m really gonna teach him a lesson.¡± When Harrison learned the real reason Kira left all those years ago, itpletely broke him. This time, no matter how much Kira begged, Harrison ruthlessly divorced her and had her thrown in prison for corporate espionage. Even though Harrison Corp proved they weren¡¯t guilty of giarism, thepany was still badly damaged. Harrison pushed through the pressure and still bought that international autism research. And it actually worked! Pearl slowly got better and even said ¡°daddy¡± for the first time. Harrison was crying, gripping my hands all emotional: ¡°Evelyn, thank you. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lottely, and Pearl depends on you so much¡­ why don¡¯t you be her real mom?¡± He suddenly pulled out a ring and dropped to one knee: ¡°Will you marry me?¡± I yanked my hands away: ¡°Are you insane? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!¡± ¡°Just because nobody wants you doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m desperate!¡± Since Pearl was doing so much better anyway, I packed my bags that very night and got the hell out of there. Spending too much time around people who¡¯d been with Kira clearly messes with your head. Forget the 41 Chapter 1 Once again, I¡¯dnded Camden¡¯s precious little girlfriend in the hospital. This time, he didn¡¯t pull his usual routine¨Crushing back from whatever business trip to smooth¨Ctalk me into backing down and sweep everything under the rug. Instead, he FaceTimed me. ¡°Next month¡¯s her birthday. I promised I¡¯d marry her before I hit thirty.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been throwing your tantrums long enough, Sage.¡± Message received: quit screwing with them, time to divorce. I stared at the disaster zone that used to be our lovable living room¨Ca bitterugh bubbled up. ¡°Not happening, asshole!¡± I hung up the phone. Then went straight to that bitch¡¯s new restaurant and trashed the whole damn ce. You think you can just have your fun and walk away? Sorry babe, now sit back and enjoy MY fucking show! Camden Ashworth and I had been married for six years. He¡¯d been keeping his little pet for five of them. The whole thing was almostughable. Almost. We were Malibu royalty¨Cthe kind of power couple that ended up in Vanity Fair spreads about ¡°America¡¯s Most Influential Young Elite.¡± But barely one year into our fairy tale marriage, Camden cheated on me. And this chick? Three years older than him. A culinary school dropout running some hipster gastropub in Silver Lake. When I first found out, I¡¯d rolled up to her little farm¨Cto¨Ctable joint with my girls. We redecorated the ce with flying dishware. Quickly, Camden showed up. 13:25 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me!___ 26.8% But he didn¡¯t rush tofort his sobbing little side piece first. His eyes found me. Exhaustion. Disappointment. ¡°Sage, enough with the drama.¡± I couldn¡¯t process it. How was I losing to some wannabe food blogger with a nose piercing? ¡°I had this brutal acid reflux attack after that merger dinner. Thought I was dying. You were already crashed out from your girls¡® trip, didn¡¯t want to wake you¡­ She saw me hunched over in the parking lot. Brought me homemade bone soup. Stayed up making sure I was okay.¡± Something flickered in Camden¡¯s eyes that I hadn¡¯t seen since long before. ¡°First time anyone¡¯s made me soup.¡± Camden hadworked and d¨Chanded his way to the C¨Csuite. All those client dinners had turned his stomach into a battlefield. But seriously? He got swept away by bone soup? Our live¨Cin chef had been making him custom anti¨Cinmmatory smoothies every morning for years¨Crecipes I¡¯d gotten from that wellness guru in Tulum, the one with the six¨Cmonth waiting list. Six years of that, and it meant less than one jar of hipster soup from his side piece? Forget the 42 Chapter 2 By the time Camden¡¯s car pulled up, the restaurant looked like a reality show intervention gone wrong. tes and jars glittered across the reimed hardwood. He stood there processing the carnage for a solid ten seconds. Then he nodded to his security detail¨Cyeah, he traveled with bodyguards now like some Silicon Valley messiah¨Cand they cleared out my backup dancers. Without a word, he scooped up Vera from where she was having her breakdown in the corner and looked at me like I was something that had crawled out of TMZ¡¯sment section. ¡°Sage. What part of ¡®don¡¯t pull this shit¡® was unclear?¡± Oh, I¡¯d gotten the memo every single time I¡¯d made their little love story inconvenient. Every time I¡¯d forced him to do damage control on his double life. I gave them my best pageant smile. ¡°You better bring some actual consequences this time. Really sell it.¡± I gestured at the destruction like I was presenting a game show prize. ¡°Because every time you set up Princess here in some new venture, I¡¯m gonna redecorate. And next time? I¡¯m livestreaming it on TikTok. This whole neighborhood¡¯s gonna know her specialty isn¡¯t molecr gastronomy¨Cit¡¯s husband theft.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see how many foodie influencers want to cob with a homewrecker.¡± Vera¡¯s tears turned into full¨Cbody sobs. She buried her face in Camden¡¯s Herm¨¨s sweater. ¡°Watch yourself, Sage.¡± His voice could have sh¨Cfrozen Hell. ¡°I went after her. She¡¯spletely innocent. You want to me someone? me me.¡± Something about the way he said it¨Cso protective, so final¨Cmade me want tough and cry simultaneously. ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s make this about you then.¡± Before anyone could blink, I wound up and pped Camden across his perfectly chiseled face hard enough to leave a handprint. His head whipped sideways. He stayed frozen like a deer under the light. 13:25 Hell Yeah Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 27.5% I¡¯d actually stunned him. Probably the first time since prep school that anyone had touched the great Camden Ashworth without permission. When he finally looked back at me, his expression belonged in a morgue. ¡°Looks like you need a timeout in county lockup.¡± I watched him pull out his phone. He spoke to hiswyer in that same arctic CEO voice. File charges. Domestic violence. The works. My voice shook but I kept my chin up. ¡°Hope they¡¯ve got good Wi¨CFi. I¡¯ll be posting my side of the story!¡± He pocketed the phone and looked at me coldly. ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± Forget the 43 Chapter 3 My bestie Harper had to bail me out after three days in county. ¡°Girl, what the actual hell? I¡¯ve never seen Camdene for you this hard.¡± I stared out at the palm trees blurring past. ¡°His little chef¡¯s probably getting antsy. Wants him to stop wasting time on the legal wife.¡± Harper went quiet for a beat. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just having some midlife crisis thing? You know how tech bros get when they hit their Saturn return.¡± ¡°Harp, they¡¯ve been together five years. That¡¯s not a phase, that¡¯s a whole¨Cass rtionship.¡± She didn¡¯t have aeback for that. ¡°Look, everyone¡¯s meeting at Soho House tonight. Camden¡¯s gonna be there too. Maybe you guys can actually hash this out like grown¨Cups instead of whatever Jerry Springer nonsense this has be.¡± I told her I¡¯d rather get a root canal. She sighed like I was her most exhausting client. ¡°Sage, stop being such a stubborn bitch. What¡¯s your endgame here? Really?¡± That question hit different. Finally, she dragged me to West Hollywood anyway. The private dining room at Soho House had that dim, exclusive vibe where tech moguls went to pretend they were still cool. When we got there, the door was cracked open just enough for me to hear Camden holding court with his usual crew of venture capitalists and crypto bros. ¡°Dude, you actually had your wife arrested? That¡¯s some next¨Clevel rtionship drama right there.¡± ¡°Sage has been pulling this psycho ex routine for five straight years. Girl¡¯s got seriousmitment to the bit.¡± After a pause, someone actually defended me: ¡°Come on, Cam. Sage literally gave up her family¡¯s entire empire for you. Don¡¯t you think the restraining order¡¯s a bit much?¡± Camden was manspreading in one of those overpriced mid¨Ccentury chairs; ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m being generouspared to what I could do. One word from me and she¡¯d be cklisted from every country club between here and the Hamptons.¡± ¡°But seriously, bro, what¡¯s so special about this Vera girl? You and Sage have been ride¨Cor¨Cdie since Stanford. How do you just ghost fifteen years?¡± 13:25 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me!! 28.2% ¡°It¡¯splicated.¡± Camden opened his eyes and pulled out his vape. ¡°Sage is¡­ she¡¯s incredible. Like genuinely brilliant. Forbes 30 Under 30, Harvard MBA, can out¨Cnegotiate half the sharks on Sand Hill Road.¡± One of the crypto guys looked confused. ¡°So why are you trading down for some food blogger?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem.¡± Camden¡¯s voice got edge. ¡°Being with Sage is like being married to my LinkedIn profile. She keeps up with everything¨Chelicopter skiing in Aspen, Form One in Monaco, closing deals with Sequoia. Half the time she¡¯s better at my job than I am.¡± He blew out a cloud of vapor. ¡°I don¡¯t want a business partner with benefits. I want someone who makes me feel like a man, not like half of some power couple brand. Vera worries when I work toote. She actually cooks real food instead of ordering from Postmates. She cries when I get stressed instead of suggesting I pivot my mindset.¡± My blood turned to ice water. So that was my crime. Being too sessful. Too independent. Too¡­ much. God, what a fucking joke. I started to back away when his next words stopped me cold. ¡°Instead of ying therapist, why don¡¯t you help me convince her to sign the papers? This whole thing¡¯s getting embarrassing.¡± Forget the 44 Chapter 4 Vera¡¯s precious little restaurant reopened right on schedule¨CIt was Camden¡¯s thirtieth birthday gift to her. He wasn¡¯t taking any chances with round two. On grand reopening day, he had private security stationed around ourpound like I was some kind of domestic terrorist. Really? He was that paranoid I¡¯d crash his little celebration? I watched the guys in tactical gear patrolling our infinity pool area from my bedroom window. Honestly? Pathetic. Since I was apparently under house arrest, I figured I¡¯d catch up on the Netflix shows Harper kept texting me about. Around sunset, Camden burst through our bedroom doors like he was starring in his own action movie. He yanked me off the bed so hard I thought he¡¯d dislocated my shoulder. ¡°Are you literally incapable of staying in yourne?¡± His grip felt like it could snap my wrist. I couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°What¡¯s your damage now?¡± He let out this bitterugh, shoving me back onto bed and throwing his phone at me. ¡°Hope you¡¯re real proud of your handiwork.¡± I blinked myself awake and focused on the screen. TMZ headline: Tech Mogul¡¯s Sweetheart Restaurant Opening Turns Into Public Humiliation Nightmare The photos showed Vera¡¯s aesthetically pleasing storefront decorated with some truly inspired banners: ¡°Vera¡¯s Kitchen: We Serve Home Cooking AND Homewrecking!¡± ¡°Today¡¯s Special: Husband Poaching with a Side of Moral Bankruptcy!¡± ¡°Congrats on 30 Years of Life and 5 Years of Stealing! #Blessed Bae¡± Even with the names blurred out for legal reasons, you could practically feel the secondhand embarrassment radiating through the screen. Vera ran some exclusive reservation¨Conly concept that required a two¨Cmonth wait list. Camden had invited half of 13:25 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 28.9% Silicon Valley¡¯s elite to show support¨CVCs, tech founders, that crowd that treated restaurant openings like IPO This little stunt had humiliated them in front of everyone who could make or break a business in this town. No wonder he looked ready tomit murder. I massaged my aching wrist and met his re steadily. ¡°This has literally nothing to do with me.¡± Camden pressed his palms against his temples. ¡°The eventpany we traced said they got paid through Sterling Industries¡® corporate ount. If it wasn¡¯t you pulling the strings, then who?¡± Sterling Industries. My stomach dropped into my designer slides. It took me a hot minute to find my voice again. ¡°If you mean my family¡¯s Sterling Industries, then yeah, you¡¯re right. Definitely wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had ess to Sterling money in years, Camden. You know that better than anyone.¡± His expression shifted like he was buffering. Once upon a time, Camden and I hadn¡¯t just been equals. I¡¯d been so far out of his league we practically lived in different zip codes. I was Sterling Industries¡® crown princess¨Cdaddy¡¯s little heiress to a tech empire that had been acquiringpanies since before Google was a thing. Camden came from old Pasadena money, but his trust fund situation was shakier than a startup¡¯s first¨Cquarter projections. His dad basically pretended he didn¡¯t exist, All the family love went to his half¨Cbrother¨Cthe golden child from daddy¡¯s ¡°real love¡± second marriage. Mr. Ashworth had made it crystal clear at every charity g that the family business belonged to his favorite son. So I¡¯d worked my connections harder than a K¨CStreet lobbyist. Used every board seat, every country club rtionship, every favor Sterling Industries had umted over decades. I¡¯d even pushed for our strategic marriage alliance, giving the old bastard no choice but to acknowledge Camden as worthy of the family name. I¡¯d leveraged my inheritance to secure his. Then Dad died in that helicopter crash. I¡¯d beenpletely destroyed, barely functional, when my adopted brother Marcus¨Cthe charity case Dad had rescued from foster care¨Corchestrated a hostile takeover with the board of directors. They¡¯d frozen me outpletely. Not a single stock option, not even a golden parachute. Escorted out of Sterling Tower like I was some kind of corporate spy. Camden had been absolutely livid. ¡°That ungrateful piece of shit. After you basically raised him, how could he screw you over like this?¡± But Ashworth Holdings couldn¡¯t go toe¨Cto¨Ctoe with Sterling Industries. Nobody could. He¡¯d held me while I had my breakdown, making promises: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Sage. You¡¯ve got me. We¡¯ll build something even bigger.¡± Forget the 45 Our bedroom went dead silent. Camden¡¯s face was doing this thing where he cycled through about fifteen different emotions as the reality hit him. How he¡¯d built his empire on Sterling Industries¡® connections. How I¡¯d sacrificed my entire legacy to boost his career. How I¡¯d been left with absolutely nothing when the smoke cleared. Sterling Industries had gone fully international after the acquisition, with headquarters in London and Singapore now. Even if they wanted to get involved in small¨Cscale California drama¨Cwhich they definitely didn¡¯t¨Cthey were way too big to care about restaurant publicity stunts. Camden opened and closed his mouth. Then words finally came out. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been airing our dirtyundry all over social media for five years, Vera could¡¯ve stayed under the radar. She never asked to be some tabloid target.¡± I literally couldn¡¯t process what I was hearing. So this was somehow my fault too? For refusing to be the perfect trophy wife who smiled for the cameras while her husband yed house with his side piece? He¡¯dpletely betrayed our marriage, but I was supposed to handle it with grace and discretion when their husbands had ¡°rtion¡± with the other woman? I wasn¡¯t allowed to feel hurt. Wasn¡¯t allowed to be angry. And I definitely wasn¡¯t allowed to make it inconvenient for them. I stared at this stranger wearing my husband¡¯s face. When had the Stanford freshman who used to write me love letters turned into this narcissistic sociopath? Or maybe the red gs had always been there and I¡¯d been too busy being the perfect girlfriend to notice. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste copper, fighting to keep my voice level. ¡°You want me to handle this like your mom did? Just smile and wave while you keep your little girlfriend tucked away in her cute little restaurant?¡± ¡°And then what? Wait for you to knock her up so I can have aplete nervous breakdown and drive off Mulhond 13:26 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 29.5% Drive? Would thatplete your fantasy?¡± Myugh came out sounding unhinged. ¡°Congrattions, Camden. You¡¯ve be your father.¡± Camden¡¯s mother had been this ethereal, artistic woman¨Ca painter who¡¯d given up everything for love. His father and his secretary¨Cturned¨Csecond¨Cwife had systematically destroyed her until she¡¯d wrapped her car around a tree on highway. It was Camden¡¯s origin story¨Cand his father was the person he¡¯d spent his entire adult life trying not to be. The color drained from Camden¡¯s face. His pupils went pinpoint. ¡°You¡¯vepletely lost your fucking mind!¡± He kicked over chair so hard it shattered against the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely psychotic.¡± I¡¯d hit the bullseye. He was losing it because I¡¯d called out exactly what he was doing. I expected him topletely blow up. To finally drop the mask and show me who he really was underneath all that venture capitalist charm. Instead, he took several deep breaths. His expression smoothed into that familiar, calcted calm. ¡°Which is exactly why I¡¯m handling this differently.¡± Forget the 46 Chapter 6 I froze. ¡°I¡¯m not keeping my woman in the shadows anymore. And I sure as hell won¡¯t let my kid grow up a bastard.¡± ¡°The divorce papers will be here in a few days.¡± His mouth twisted into a cold smile. ¡°You¡¯ve had your fun, Sage. Time to sign.¡± He grabbed his suitcase and headed for the door, mming it so hard the walls shook. This time he was really moving out to the suburbs. To her ce. Vera must be over the moon right about now. Sure enough, that night my phone lit up with a photo and voice messages. There she was in some slutty slip dress, posed next to Camden while he slept. Even in the dim light, his face was crystal clear. ¡°Thanks for letting me babysit your husband, Mrs. Ashworth.¡± ¡°God, how long has Camden been holding out? He absolutely wrecked me tonight.¡± Then her voice dripped with venom: ¡°Sage, where¡¯s your self¨Crespect? Just sign the damn papers already. Have some dignity for once.¡± Dignity? Rich,ing from her. I texted back: [Bitch.] Then I pulled out my burner phone and recorded every pathetic word, The next day at lunch rush, my guy rolled up to Vera¡¯s boutique on a beat¨Cup bike with speakers sting her moaning voice messages for the whole street to hear. Vera looked like she¡¯d been hit by a truck. Then the stares started, and shepletely lost it¨Cscreaming, crying, trying to rip the speakers off while I watched from across the street, When Camden¡¯s Bentley came screeching up, I was already walking away. Camden showed up that night looking like he wanted to strangle me. 13:26 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 30.2% Instead, he just stood there staring for the longest time. Finally: ¡°Marcus is back in town.¡± My blood turned to ice. He leaned over my chair, caging me in. ¡°You don¡¯t want things to get ugly, do you, Sage?¡± His eyes bored into mine. ¡°For old time¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll protect you. Marcus won¡¯t touch you while I¡¯m around.¡± He straightened up. ¡°All you have to do is show up at tomorrow¡¯s press conference and set the record straight about Vera and me.¡± ¡°Your little stunts have been killing our stock price, and now she¡¯s too scared to leave her apartment.¡± I looked up. ¡°Set what straight?¡± Like he was discussing the weather: ¡°Tell them Vera¡¯s your half¨Csister¨Cdad¡¯s long¨Clost daughter. Say you got her the job as my assistant. Makes perfect sense I¡¯d look out for my wife¡¯s family.¡± ¡°Just a few words. Easy enough.¡± I wanted to puke. But I nodded. ¡°Fine.¡± He looked surprised I¡¯d caved so fast, but didn¡¯t question it. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you tomorrow¡ª¡± His phone rang. Vera, of course. ¡°Camden, it¡¯s thundering! I¡¯m so scared, pleasee over¡­¡± ¡°1 He nced at me, then melted into the phone: ¡°On my way, baby,¡± Grabbed his jacket and paused at the door: ¡°Car will pick you up at nine, I¡¯ll text you the speech¨Cmemorize it.¡± Chapter 7 Forget the 47 Chapter 7 The press conference was packed. Camden and Vera were already there when I arrived. She strutted over in some hideous pink power suit, waving a script in my face. ¡°Here¡¯s your lines, sister. Camden wrote this specially for you, so practice hard.¡± She emphasized ¡°practice¡± like it was a threat, eyes full of smugness. Obviously she¡¯d already read what was in there. I nced at her without a word and took the script. A staffer came over to tell Camden all the reporters and VIP guests had arrived. Camden nodded, then extended his hand to escort me in. I quickly stepped aside to avoid his touch and walked ahead alone. His hand fell empty and his face went dark. Seeing this, Vera immediately tried to take his arm, but he gently pushed her away: ¡°Watch yourself. Know your ce.¡± She pouted but could only trail behind him. The second I stepped inside, reporters swarmed: ¡°Mrs. Ashworth, Mr. Ashworth says you have severe hysteria¨Cthat you keep imagining women around him are his mistresses. Is this true?¡± ¡°Mrs. Ashworth, is Miss Season really your father¡¯s long¨Clost daughter¨Cyour and Mr. Sterling¡¯s sister?¡± ¡°Mrs. Ashworth, are the rumors true that you and your sister are sharing one husband?¡± ¡°Does Mr. Sterling know about this? What¡¯s his take?¡± I had hysteria? Nice creative writing, Camden. I smiled and held up a small sh drive. ¡°Don¡¯t rush¨CI¡¯ll answer everything in just a moment.¡± Dead silence. Everyone waiting with bated breath. ¡°Sister, you came so prepared?¡± 13:26 Hell Yeah Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 30.9% Vera smirked, leaning close to whisper in my car: ¡°Perform well, and maybe if I¡¯m in a good mood, I¡¯ll let Camden spend tonight at your ce.¡± Next to her, Camden was staring at me with calcting eyes, thinking God knows what. I raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that could kill. I walked to theputer and opened up my overnight project. ¡°Everyone¡¯s questions,¡± I turned to face the crowd, ¡°are all answered right here.¡± The screen lit up. The video started ying automatically. But there was nothing about any ¡°rification.¡± Just yesterday¡¯s full recording of Camden demanding I ¡°consider the big picture,¡± plus years and years of Vera¡¯s calcted, disgusting voice messages and intimate videos she¡¯d sent to torment me. Censored, of course. One second of dead silence. Then pure chaos¨Ccameras shing like strobe lights, reporters going absolutely feral trying to capture the story of the century. Vera let out an ear¨Csplitting shriek, face draining white: ¡°You fucking bitch, Sage!¡± She swung at me. I dodged and backhanded her so hard she went flying. ¡°The bitch is right there on screen, sweetie.¡± She was shaking with rage, couldn¡¯t catch her breath, and literally passed out cold. ¡°Security! Are you all braindead? Turn it off! NOW!¡± Camden finally snapped out of his shock, face purple with rage, veins bulging on his forehead. He got Vera taken care of, then whipped around looking for me. ¡°SAGE!¡± Pure venom in his voice, eyes like ck ice. But I¡¯d already yanked out the USB drive and bolted. I strolled casually to the exit, about to push through when I collided with a wall of suited executives. I stepped aside automatically, then heard the venue manager start groveling: ¡°Mr. Sterling! What brings you here, sir? 13:26 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! ¡ª 31.1% The conference room is that way.¡± I looked up in shock. Right there in the center of that power parade was my brother Marcus, looking like he owned the world¨Cwhich he basically did. I dropped my head and tried to slip past unnoticed. But his voice cut through the air: ¡°Not gonna say hello when you see your brother, sis?¡± At the exact same moment, Camden¡¯s voice exploded behind me: ¡°Sage, get your ass over here!¡± Forget the 48 I didn¡¯t look back. Seeing me ignore himpletely, Camden lost his shit and came charging over. ¡°Sage, you fucking-¡± His eyes moved past me to Marcus standing there. Words died in his throat. He looked between Marcus¡¯s ice¨Ccold expression and me, quickly switching gears with a politician¡¯s smile: ¡°Mr. Sterling, so sorry about my wife¡¯s behavior.¡± I almostughed out loud. Camden squeezed my hand tighter¨Ca clear warning that he was barely holding back his rage. Like I gave a damn. I was about to wrench free when Vera came stumbling out, having just woken up. She immediately zeroed in on Camden holding my hand. New grudges piling on old ones, she pointed at me and exploded: ¡°Sage, you bitch! How dare you y me like that! I hope you fucking-¡± ¡°Mr. Ashworth.¡± Before she could finish cursing me out, Marcus spoke up. He looked at Vera like she was roadkill. His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but every person there heard him crystal clear: ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t control the people around you, bringing any kind of trash to a business venue. Embarrassing.¡± ¡°Looks like our partnership needs a serious review.¡± It hit Camden like a p across the face. His face went beet red instantly. Everyone there was trying not tough. They all got the message loud and clear¨CMarcus was calling Camden¡¯s taste in women absolute garbage, saying he wasn¡¯t worth doing business with. 13:26 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 31.5% Vera was too stupid to know who she was dealing with and got right in his face: ¡°Who the hell do you think you are, talking to Camden like that!¡± Camden¡¯s face went dark. He spun around and roared at her: ¡°This isn¡¯t your ce to speak¨Cshut your mouth!¡± Vera froze like he¡¯d pped her. Camden took a deep breath and waved over the manager: ¡°What are you standing around for? Escort Mr. Sterling to the venue!¡± He turned back, trying to smooth things over: ¡°Mr. Sterling, she doesn¡¯t know any better-¡± Marcus let out a coldugh, walked right past us, and kept going. Camden had beenpletely humiliated and furiously dropped my hand. Eyes like ice: ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done. If it weren¡¯t for you, why would I have to take that kind of shit from Marcus?¡± His logic was simple as always: Marcus looked down on me, so naturally he wouldn¡¯t give Camden any respect either. Camden started to chase after the Sterling Industries crew, but Vera grabbed his sleeve: ¡°Camden, do you think I embarrassed you?¡± He wanted to shake her off, but seeing her about to cry, he swallowed his anger and softened his voice: ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. We¡¯ll talk at home.¡± I was too disgusted to watch their nauseating little drama anymore. I got the hell out of there. Chapter 9 Forget the 49 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Harper brought over the divorce papers. She let out a heavy sigh: ¡°You two grew up together¨Chow did ite to this?¡± I didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Jesus, Camden spent so much time and effort trying to win you over back then¨Cthe whole world could see how crazy he was about you. Why doesn¡¯t he treasure what he has?¡± I let out a bitterugh and said nothing, just tossed the papers straight into the trash. Same as always. Harper looked stunned, then asked carefully: ¡°Do you still love him?¡± ¡°Love him? Hell no.¡± I sneered. ¡°Then why won¡¯t you sign?¡± Iughed coldly, looking at her: ¡°Guess how much money he¡¯s nning to buy me off with.¡± Harper rubbed her chin: ¡°With Camden¡¯s current worth, he wouldn¡¯t shortchange you, right?¡± I was quiet for a moment. ¡°One million.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Harper shot up from the couch. ¡°Is he paying off a panhandler?¡± She caught herself, realizing how that sounded: ¡°I mean¨Che basically built his whole empire on you, on Sterling Industries connections. If I remember right, just the resources andworks your family gave him, openly and behind the scenes, had to be worth billions. And he¡¯s offering one million? Has he lost his damn mind or have I gone deaf?¡± Tears blurred my vision. Yeah. This was his way of stomping on whatever dignity I had left. How could I possibly sign? How could I just roll over and take it? Actually, the first time he brought up divorce, the terms weren¡¯t nearly this harsh. Maybe he felt guilty, or maybe he still had a shred of conscience left¨Che¡¯d volunteered to split the stock holdings, properties, and cars. But that very night, Vera provoked me again. I¡¯ve never been one to take shit lying down. 13:26 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 22.20% I hit back even harder. That¡¯s when he lost his temper for the first time: ¡°Sage, are you trying to back me into a corner?¡± ¡°Since you look down on Vera so much, think she¡¯s so beneath you, then you don¡¯t deserve anything better either. You can be ¡®trash¡® right along with her!¡± I pped him hard across the face. The look he gave me was pure poison. Every year after that, he¡¯d have someone deliver divorce papers to me. The property settlement section always said the same thing: one million. Every single time, I¡¯d tear them to shreds right in front of him. Until this time. His eyes held nothing but ice: ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste on your games anymore.¡± ¡°Sage, I¡¯ve put up with your tantrums all these years purely out of old feelings. Otherwise I¡¯ve got plenty of ways to deal with you. You think¡­ you¡¯re still the high¨Cand¨Cmighty Sterling princess?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sign? I¡¯ve got ways to make you sign.¡± ¡°You know I never bluff.¡± Forget the 50 Chapter 10 Shortly after Harper left, I grabbed my purse to get some fresh air. The moment I opened the door, several bodyguards in ck suits were standing there waiting. ¡°Miss, Mr. Sterling requests your presence.¡± Looking at this setup, I knew I didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. The coffee shop had been cleared outpletely. Marcus sat alone by the window, sunlight softening his sharp features just slightly. He pushed atte across the table toward me, his tone casually familiar. ¡°Your favorite. Three sugars.¡± I didn¡¯t touch it, just watched him quietly. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask me here for a family reunion.¡± After all, he despised me. Otherwise, why would he have stabbed me in the back? My mind drifted back to that day years ago. When he¡¯d ruthlessly cut me out of everything. I¡¯d demanded to know why, practically screaming at him. Even though we weren¡¯t blood rtives, I¡¯d treated him like my little brother for years. When Dad first brought him home and the other family members bullied and mocked him, I was the one who stood between him and them, every single time. I couldn¡¯t understand it. He¡¯d stood in what used to be Dad¡¯s office, silhouetted against the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows. ¡°There¡¯s no deep reason. Winners and losers, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Sage, just focus on being Mrs. Ashworth. Don¡¯t worry¨Cevery penny of the dowry Dad promised you will be honored. But the Sterling Industries shares¡­ those stay here.¡± His expression had been so indifferent. 13:26 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 32.99% Chapter 10 I couldn¡¯t read him at all. I just felt 33.19% I didn¡¯t even bother rolling my eyes at him. I just turned and walked out. Behind me, I could hear Camden¡¯s voice¨Capologizing profusely to Marcus in the most servile tone, then cursing me out. I kept my eyes down. From what I knew, Ashworth Holdings had been having problems with several key projectstely. They desperately needed an injection of capital to stay afloat. And Sterling Industries was returning to the domestic market, nning to break into medical equipment manufacturing. It was the perfect opportunity for Ashworth Holdings. I nced back. Camden, who was always so arrogant with me, was practically bowing and scraping, more obsequious than I¡¯d ever seen him. Across from him sat that young, aristocratic man, chin slightly raised, maintaining his usual cool distance. As if sensing my gaze, Marcus suddenly looked over at me. He blinked once and smiled. I looked away. The car window rolled up. Cutting off the viewpletely. Forget the 51 Chapter 11 Ashworth Holdings was buzzing with activitytely. Several stalled major projects had suddenly resumed. Word around thepany was that Sterling Industries had provided crucial funding¨Cessentially bing Ashworth¡¯s ¡°lifeline.¡± Thenter, I heard that Marcus had exploded at someone during a business dinner for mentioning his ¡°adopted sister¡°-me¨Cby name. Apparently his dislike for me had reached new heights. Sure enough, Camden came home the very next night. He didn¡¯t even take off his shoes before rushing over with a new divorce agreement. ¡°Just sign it.¡± Iughed coldly. ¡°Take your garbage and get out.¡± He frowned but then rxed his expression. Unusually, he didn¡¯t lose his temper. Instead, he tried to exin: ¡°Ashworth Holdings is at a critical juncture right now. If we divorce, it gives the outside world closure. It¡¯s better for both of us.¡± ¡°Oh, how well Ashworth Holdings does is my problem because¡­?¡± ¡°How is it not your problem?¡± He paused, finally remembering all those humiliating divorce agreements from before. He softened his tone: ¡°If you agree, I¡¯ll give you 8% of the shares.¡± I looked up at him, my lips curling sarcastically. ¡°Wow, Mr. Ashworth is so desperate to bring his beauty home that he¡¯s willing to part with such generous terms. Must really be in a hurry.¡± Though this was still nowhere near the 25% stake he¡¯d promised me during our most romantic period. ¡°Sage, I don¡¯t want to argue about this. I¡¯d advise you to quit while you¡¯re ahead.¡± Camden¡¯s expression darkened, his tone bing harsh: ¡°If you won¡¯t sign, I can keep dragging this out. Either way, I don¡¯t lose anything.¡± I wasn¡¯t angry. I smiled and nodded. ¡°Fine.¡± 13:27 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 33.6% His expression rxed. ¡°But.¡± I changed course. His brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t want the shares.¡± I said calmly, ¡°I want thatnd on the West Side.¡± ¡°The West Side?¡± Camden looked at me like I¡¯d lost my mind. ¡°What do you want that wastnd for?¡± That property had been abandoned for years due to unclear ownership and other legal issues that had killed the development ns. To him, it was just a non¨Cperforming asset he couldn¡¯t liquidate. Remembering my former business acumen, he grew suspicious: ¡°Even if you sold thatnd, you wouldn¡¯t get nearly enough money to run apany.¡± He studied me suspiciously, clearly thinking I had some hidden agenda. ¡°It was part of my dowry from Dad.¡± I met his eyes and spoke each word clearly. He froze. He remembered now. Thatnd had been part of my dowry. It had once been incredibly hot property with unlimited potential. Years ago, when Camden¡¯s poor decision¨Cmaking had led to a cash crisis at Ashworth Holdings, I¡¯d mortgaged thatnd to help him weather the storm. Later, when the project was shelved and property values crashed overnight, he¡¯d casually bought it back as our ¡°anniversary gift.¡± A worthless piece of wastnd in exchange for 8% of valuablepany shares¨Cit was an incredibly good deal no you looked at it. matter how Camden thought for a few seconds, then nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Deal.¡± 13:27 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 33.89% Soon enough, thewyer brought over a new agreement. The moment I finished signing, Camden snatched the papers and bolted for the door, afraid I¡¯d change my mind if he stayed another second. Watching his retreating figure, I smiled silently. Ha. Camden would never know what he¡¯d just given up. I set down the pen and walked to the window. I thought back to what Marcus had said that day. ¡°Want to make him pay? Help me get that West Side property back.¡± ¡°That worthlessnd?¡± ¡°They¡¯re nning to build the new city subcenter there. The most high¨Cendmercialplex will be anchored on that site.¡± ¡°Why would you think I¡¯d agree to help you?¡± ¡°It belonged to Dad.¡± His tone had been matter¨Cof¨Cfact. ¡°Once it¡¯s back in my hands, it belongs to the Sterling family again.¡± Forget the 52 Chapter 12 Camden and I had barely finished getting our divorce papers when he immediately announced his engagement to Vera. He managed to marry her just before her thirtieth birthday. Keeping his promise to her. Their wedding was an extravagant affair. Practically every important person in the city showed up. During this period, thanks to the deep partnership with Sterling Industries, Ashworth Holdings had be the industry¡¯s darling. Among the guests were those betting on Ashworth¡¯s bright future, as well as those showing respect to Sterling Industries. And I had prepared a very special wedding gift. They were having Vera¡¯s dream garden wedding. Which made things perfect for me. My rented helicopter just had to circle overhead during the ceremony, making sure everyone could clearly read the banner: ¡°Congrattions to Mr. Ashworth and Soup Girl on your union!¡± With the helicopter in the air, the security team waspletely helpless. They could only stand there fuming. Camden¡¯s face was ck as thunder throughout the ceremony, while Vera kept her eyes red and tears barely in check. After the ceremony, as everyone was moving inside for dinner, Camden¡¯s executive assistant came running through the crowd, screaming: ¡°Mr. Ashworth, we have a crisis!¡± ¡°Sterling Industries, Carter Corporation, and Zane Holdings have all simultaneously announced they¡¯re pulling their investments. We¡¯ve already paid massive upfront costs on several core projects¨Cthere¡¯s no way to cover this gap. The market¡¯s already reacting and our stock price is in free fall¡­¡± The assistant was practically crying: ¡°Several major shareholders are dumping their stock to cut their losses, and someone¡¯s aggressively buying up all our scattered shares on the market. Our team can¡¯t keep up with the pace!¡± ¡°What?¡± 13:27 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 34.29% Camden looked like he¡¯d been struck by lightning, frozen in ce. It wasn¡¯t until Vera approached him, confused, calling his name, that he snapped back to reality. He shoved her away without a word of exnation and ran toward Ashworth Holdings like a madman, stumbling as he went. I stood on the hotel¡¯s top floor, looking down at the chaos of the ruined wedding below. I smiled softly. My phone rang. It was Marcus. ¡°Sister, everything¡¯s ready.¡± I hummed in acknowledgment. ¡°Ashworth Holdings needs new ownership.¡± He paused, his voice gaining a note of warmth: ¡°Sister. Wee home.¡± Yes. Marcus and I had reconciled long ago. Everything that happened after the coffee shop meeting was part of our n. And everything Marcus had done was actually fulfilling Dad¡¯s final wishes. Dad had never approved of Camden. He¡¯d seen right through the coldness beneath that passionate facade. He used to say: ¡°A man who didn¡¯t shed a single tear when his own mother died¨Chow much genuine feeling could he really have? Sage, he¡¯s not right for you.¡± But I¡¯d been too much in love then, too blind. Dad had no choice but to support Camden as much as possible and provide me with a generous dowry, hoping I¡¯d have enough leverage in the Ashworth family. The day Dad died, I was on a business trip in another city. Marcus was the one with him at the end. Wee Cheating On Mel 34.59% Dad had gripped Marcus¡¯s hand with all his remaining strength. ¡°Marcus, you have to protect Sterling Industries for me. It¡¯s your sister¡¯s¡­ strongest foundation¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t watch over that Camden boy for her anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m most afraid that our family empire will just feed his ambitions and end up¡­ devouring my daughterpletely¡­¡± His eyes lost focus for a moment, then suddenly sharpened as he stared at Marcus: ¡°You remember this¡­¡± ¡°If that boy treats her well and your sister is happy, then help them quietly from the shadows. Let her live in peace and joy.¡± ¡°But if¡­¡± ¡°If she¡¯s wronged, you must bring her home in style. Let her be the carefree Sterling heiress again!¡± Tears streamed down my face. Dad had always seen more clearly and thought further ahead than I had. Marcus leaned against the doorframe, his gaze settling on my red¨Crimmed eyes, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips: ¡°Dad said you were a hopeless romantic who needed to learn some hard lessons.¡± I red at him without any real anger. ¡°Get lost!¡± I¡¯d fallen for Camden because he¡¯d once saved me. When I was little, I¡¯d almost been kidnapped by human traffickers. Camden had rushed in without hesitation, fighting desperately to protect me. His hands had been cut deeply in the struggle¨Che still had the scars. That teenager¡¯s reckless devotion had stayed with me forever. Who could have known that the seemingly pure boy who¡¯d been willing to risk his life for me was already rotten to the core? Forget the 53 Camden sat in his office like a deted balloon. In just one month, he¡¯d plummeted from the clouds into the mud. The mass exodus of the board of directors had left himpletely powerless. Then, one after another, his core projects imploded. Shareholders banded together to sue him, and the astronomical damage ims left him gasping for air. He¡¯d liquidated everything he could, even painfully sold off portions of his shares, but it was all just a drop in the bucket. Ashworth Holdings was now an empty shell. Without a capital injection, bankruptcy was imminent. Meanwhile, I stood with city leaders on that West Sidend, participating in the ribbon¨Ccutting ceremony for the new development project. Media coverage was everywhere. The grand spectacle made it impossible for Camden to miss what he¡¯d given up. Hepletely lost his mind. ¡°Sage, you knew all along? You and that ungrateful bastard conspired against me?¡± He cornered me outside the Sterling Industries building, his voice hoarse like a trapped animal. ¡°Who are you calling an ungrateful bastard?¡± Marcus askedzily. He walked up calmly from behind me, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. Camden looked at our harmonious stance, He froze for a moment, He wasn¡¯tpletely stupid¨Che¡¯d finally pieced together part of the truth. ¡°Marcus, you¡¯ve been coveting mypany all along!¡± Camden¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he swung his fist and charged at us. House Was Cheating On Mel 34.9% Chapter 13 We didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger. The nearby bodyguards had already tackled him to the ground. ¡°Sage, you¡¯re nothing but a woman Camden discarded. What¡¯s there to be so smug about?!¡± Vera lunged at me, her face twisted with jealousy. Marcus kicked her away with one foot. She hit the ground hard, her head bleeding. ¡°Waaah, I¡¯m calling the police, I¡¯m suing you¡­¡± Veray on the ground wailing. Sterling Industries¡® assistant stepped forward with a practiced smile: ¡°Miss, we acted in self¨Cdefense. If we really want to get technical, you and Mr. Ashworth are guilty of disturbing the peace. You might have to spend a few days locked up.¡± Vera was speechless. She could only get up resentfully, crying as she tried to help Camden off the ground. He shoved her away. ¡°Get lost!¡± Before the elevator doors closed, I saw Camden¡¯s face contorted with rage. ¡°All you do is cry! Besides making that stupid soup, what else can you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already stressed enough¨Ccan you stop causing me more problems?¡± His hysterical outburst showed not a trace of love. I almost wanted tough. Warm soup had suddenly be a w? So quickly, he was tired of ordinary, simple life again? Forget the 54 Camden was having a very bad timetely. Ashworth Holdings was in medical equipment, but for years he¡¯d been nning to expand into service industries. When the West Side projectunched, several of Ashworth¡¯s smaller projects copsed like dominoes. He was forced to sell even more shares to generate cash flow. And those shares had already been quietly acquired by my people. When I walked into the Ashworth Holdings board meeting with my team, Camden lookedpletely bewildered. After he realized what was happening, his voice shook with fury. ¡°It was you¡­ you¡¯ve been nning this? You calcted all of this?¡± I smiled slightly. ¡°Mr. Ashworth, don¡¯t let us keep you.¡± He refused to leave, but the security guards physically ¡°escorted¡± him out. He no longer even qualified to attend board meetings. Moreover, many projects during his tenure had involved regtory vitions, and the board was preparing to pursue his personal liability. Not wanting to be arrested, he had to grit his teeth and sell his remaining shares to barely cover the shortfall. He slunk away from Ashworth Holdings. But with his personality, how could he possibly give up? He convinced Vera to sell her private restaurant, hoping to make aeback. The restaurant was in the city center, so it was worth quite a bit. But his business acumen had always been mediocre. He¡¯d previously relied entirely on the Sterling family tree to sail smoothly. He¡¯d mistakenly thought it was his own ability, Now, having lost all support, Sterling Industries didn¡¯t even need to intervene. 13:27 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 35.6% A few blind investments and he¡¯d lost everything. This time, Vera had had enough. 100 She¡¯d lived in luxury for so many years¨Chow could she tolerate hardship? With her good looks, she quickly found another ¡°sugar daddy¡± to clinch and wanted to leave. Camden refused, feeling betrayed. During their violent argument, Vera stabbed him, and he lost a kidney. While he was hospitalized, I had someone deliver Vera¡¯s background file to him. Vera was a graduate of some socialite training program, skilled in manipting men. Starting at sixteen, she¡¯d moved between different men until she was twenty¨Cfive and met Camden¨Cfinally securing her biggest sugar daddy. Camden immediately coughed up blood and passed out from rage. When he woke up, he was determined to prosecute Vera and make sure she rotted in prison. After Vera was imprisoned, Camden came looking for me several times. Each time, security threw him out. He couldn¡¯t even touch the hem of my clothing. Forget the 55 Chapter 15 One day, I was out for a walk when Camden managed to corner me. ¡°Sage, can we talk?¡± He had dark circles under his eyes, looking haggard and worn down¨Cnothing like his former polished self. I said tly, ¡°Talk about what? If you want to confess your sins, don¡¯t bother.¡± The words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. All he could manage was a bitter smile: ¡°Yes, I brought all this on myself. We used to be so good together, I worked so hard to marry you, but I¡­ I was possessed, falling for that kind of woman¡­¡± ¡°I understand now that I¡¯ve always loved you in my heart. I was just¡­ just because you were too excellent, I was scared, felt inferior, afraid that someday you¡¯d leave, so I¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± I cut him off. My tone was calm. ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying all this now? Besides, I don¡¯t care what the truth is, and don¡¯t expect me to be magnanimous and forgive you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even worthy of shining my shoes now. Do you understand that, Camden?¡± His face went white as paper instantly. His current repentance wasn¡¯t sincere either. He probably regretted not divorcing me sooner, not discovering the value of thatnd, giving Marcus and me the opportunity to join forces and utterly destroy him. That was him¨Cselfish to the bone. The day construction officially began on the West Side, Camden was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. It turned out that after Ashworth Holdings copsed, Vera had used his identity to take out massive online loans. Under the daily pressure from debt collectors, he¡¯d snapped. Screaming ¡°I¡¯m President Ashworth, I have plenty of money!¡± he¡¯d lost control and stabbed one of the collectors. Of course, the illegal lending ring was arrested along with him. Coincidentally, the police had been investigating this ring for a long time butcked leads. Now, thanks to Camden¡¯s stabbing, they¡¯d been uprootedpletely. 13:27 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 36.2% Chapter 15 This was probably the only useful thing he¡¯d ever done. On my end, I personally oversaw the West Side project. It became my first impressive achievement since my return. Working together with Marcus, Sterling Industries¡® momentum both domestically and internationally grew stronger and stronger. One day, the sunlight was particrly beautiful. I stood in my father¡¯s former office, looking down at the city¡¯s bustling neon lights. Marcus walked in and ced atte with three sugars on my desk. ¡°Sister, there¡¯s a charity g tonight. You need to represent the Sterling family.¡± Outside the window, the sunlight was brilliant. I picked up my coffee and took a small sip. ¡°Alright.¡± Forget the 56 Chapter 1 During the new semester of my senior year, I prepared my resume early and got ready for internships. But on the day of my interview, the interviewer opened my resume and his face immediately darkened. ¡°Are you kidding me? Didn¡¯t you say you had no ns to get pregnant anytime soon?¡± I waspletely confused, then shocked to discover my resume had been reced with a prenatal exam report. I desperately tried to exin. But the interviewer still kicked me out without mercy. ¡°What we value most at thispany is integrity. I¡¯ve seen plenty of employees like you who lie about pregnancy to scam maternity leave after their probation period. Please see yourself out!¡± I thought back carefully and only remembered my roommate Sage Campbell messing with my briefcase before I left this morning. So I stormed back to the dorm, furious. When my roommates saw me return, they immediately came over asking about the interview results. Only Sage looked guilty as shey on her bed. This confirmed my suspicions even more. The next second, I found my actual resume on her desk. With the evidence right there, I confronted her directly. ¡°Sage Campbell, I knew it was you! Why the hell did you switch out my resume with some pregnancy test report? I¡¯m not even pregnant! Do you realize I got kicked out before I could even say a word because of your stupid stunt?¡± Sage paused, then kept apologizing. ¡°Maya, I¡¯m sorry, okay? I was just messing around with you! I had no idea it would blow up like this. Chill out.¡± Hearing this bullshit made me want to puke. Before this, I had already passed the initial screening. Today¡¯s second round only had three candidates. The other two didn¡¯t have better experience or credentials than me. Overall, my chances of getting the offer were extremely high. Sage¡¯s casual ¡°sorry¡±pletely destroyed my internship ns! 13:28 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 36.9% Chapter 1 I was furious. ¡°Sage Campbell, what¡¯s wrong with you? What kind of joke is that? You obviously did this to sabotage me on purpose! What did I ever do to you?¡± Hearing this, Sage¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Maya, why are you being so mean? I was literally just joking around! Besides, you could¡¯ve totally just emailed them your resume right there on the spot. It¡¯s not my fault you can¡¯t think on your feet. Why are you putting this all on me? God, if I knew you were gonna be such a drama queen about it, I never would¡¯ve done it.¡± I was so angry I almostughed at her twisted logic. ¡°Sage Campbell, what kind of bullshit reasoning is that?¡± I couldn¡¯t take it anymore and yanked her off the bed, pping her hard across the face. ¡°You¡­ how dare you hit me¡­ waaaah¡­¡± Sage pointed at me angrily. I sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t get mad! I was just ying a joke on you. Don¡¯t be such a poor sport!¡± Even though seeing Sage get what she deserved felt satisfying, it still didn¡¯t ease the rage in my heart. Just then, my boyfriend Leo Stark called me. In that moment, I felt overwhelmed with grievance. I said pitifully, ¡°Leo, I failed the interview.¡± Leoforted me gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Maya. There will be other opportunities. Why don¡¯t youe with me to a dinner tonight? Just to take your mind off things. One of our club¡¯s junior members passed her interview and is treating everyone to celebrate. Come join us.¡± The club Leo mentioned was one he founded during college. He always brought me to various activities. And the club members were always friendly to me too. Even though I wasn¡¯t in the mood for this kind of thing, I didn¡¯t want to be a downer, so I agreed. But I never expected that Leo¡¯s ¡°junior member¡± would turn out to be Sage Campbell. I¡¯d been so busy with my thesis and resumetely that Leo and I barely saw each other. I had heard Sage mention joining some club before, but I didn¡¯t know the details. When Sage walked in, she sweetly greeted Leo. ¡°Leo, thank you for referring me! Otherwise, I never would¡¯ve had a chance to get into Ster Group.¡± Forget the 57 In that moment, my blood was absolutely boiling. Ster Group was one of thepanies I¡¯d applied to. The only reason I applied there was because Leo got a job there after graduation. But Leo never told me he had referral spots avable. I immediately demanded, ¡°Sage, you got into Ster?¡± Before Sage could even answer, Leo jumped in to exin. ¡°Maya, don¡¯t be so dramatic about this. I wanted you to toughen up and do it yourself, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t hook you up with the referral. But Sage? She¡¯s in my club, so of course I¡¯m gonna look out for her first.¡± Pure rage shot straight to my head. Sage nodded and said, ¡°Maya, I know you¡¯re upset about failing your interview, but we¡¯re roommates. I hope you can genuinely be happy for me and we can clear up this misunderstanding between us.¡± Then Sage handed me a drink. But I couldn¡¯t stand her fake¨Cass act anymore and shoved the ss away. I barely used any force, but Sage somehow fell back into her chair, spilling wine all over her clothes. Leo immediately took off his suit jacket and carefully draped it over Sage¡¯s shoulders, then scolded me. ¡°Maya, what the hell are you doing? Once you get into the real world, you¡¯ll face way worse setbacks than this. If you¡¯re gonna take out your anger on other people over something this small, how are you ever gonna survive out there?¡± Sage quickly said, ¡°Leo, don¡¯t be mad at Maya. She¡¯s already in a bad mood from failing her interview. It¡¯s my fault for adding fuel to the fire. You should gofort Maya.¡± But as she said this, she clutched Leo¡¯s jacket even tighter. At this point I wasn¡¯t gonna give Sage any face whatsoever. I said coldly, ¡°Sage Campbell, isn¡¯t the direct reason I failed my interview because of YOU? If you hadn¡¯t deliberately switched out my resume, how would I have failed? And now you have the nerve to sit here ying innocent? Right now, immediately, apologize to me!¡± Seeing how serious I¡¯d gotten, Sage went pale with fear. 13:28 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 37.6% Chapter 2 She shrank behind Leo, barely daring to breathe. ¡°Leo Stark, get out of my way!¡± I said each word deliberately. ¡°Get this straight¨CI¡¯M your girlfriend!¡± Leo patted my shoulder and said, ¡°Maya, so this is what you¡¯re mad about?¡± I was stunned. Wait, did Leo already know about this? One of the other club members spoke up. ¡°Maya, we all owe you an apology for this.¡± Leo paused, then slowly said, ¡°During our club retreat, we were ying truth or dare, and Sage lost. I actually came up with this stupid idea. It was just supposed to be a harmless prank. Maya, I had no idea it would turn out like this. If you¡¯re gonna me anyone, me me.¡± I stared at Leo withplete disbelief. Leo added, ¡°Come on, Sage is just a girl too. Why can¡¯t you girls just get along instead of tearing each other down?¡± Ha. Iughed coldly. ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll sue Sage Campbell ording to thew, and you can take the me for her too. Oh wait, in your case, this would be considered incitement tomit a crime, making you an essory. Don¡¯t worry, neither you nor Sage is getting away with this.¡± Leo didn¡¯t expect me to get this serious and waspletely speechless. Sage panicked too. She quickly said, ¡°Maya, how can you be so aggressive? I haven¡¯t even graduated college yet, and you want to give me a criminal record? That would ruin the rest of my life!¡± Forget the 58 I said coldly, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s okay when you mess with me, but when I mess with you, suddenly I¡¯m being aggressive? Double standards much?¡± Leo snapped back angrily, ¡°Maya Thompson, I already exined everything to you! What more do you want? Why have you be like this? You¡¯re so vindictive and vicious now. You never used to be this way!¡± Ha. Even the nicest people can be pushed over the edge. Since Leo thinks I¡¯m vicious, then I¡¯ll be vicious all the way. I had zero interest in finishing this dinner. I stormed out, mming the door behind me. Normally, Leo would immediately chase after me. But by the time I reached my dorm building, there was still no one behind me. Bitter tears slid down my cheeks. I couldn¡¯t understand why Leo was suddenly taking Sage¡¯s side unconditionally. But whatever¨Cif I can¡¯t figure something out, I just won¡¯t think about it. Tonight, Leo had seriously crossed my bottom line. I would never forgive him again. I immediately pulled out my phone and texted Leo that we were breaking up. Then I took a cab to Leo¡¯s apartment to get all my stuff, determined to cut ties forever. But when I got to Leo¡¯s apartment, I was surprised to see the lights were on. Had Leo alreadye home? I walked up suspiciously, Through the door, I could hear Sage and Leo talking. ¡°Sage, I¡¯m sorry about what happened tonight. I wanted to throw you the perfect celebration dinner, but it turned into such a mess!¡± 13:28 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 38.3% Chapter 3 Sage sniffled as she spoke. ¡°Leo, it¡¯s okay. None of this was your fault. I should thank you for letting me stay here tonight. Otherwise, going back to the dorm, I really wouldn¡¯t know how to face Maya.¡± My blood instantly started boiling again. No wonder Leo hadn¡¯t even replied to my breakup text¨Che was too busy taking care of his precious girl! Then Leo continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sage. Maya has a bad temper, and I¡¯m afraid she might do something to hurt you in her rage. If you ever need it in the future, you can stay at my apartment anytime. It¡¯s close to thepany, so it¡¯s convenient formuting.¡± I quickly snuck over to the balcony and quietly pointed my phone¡¯s camera through the window. Then I heard Sage say, ¡°Leo, could you please check my ankle? When Maya pushed me earlier, my ankle really hurt. I think I might have twisted it.¡± In the frame, Leo casually ced Sage¡¯s foot on hisp and examined it carefully. Suddenly, Sage looked down, and the two of them locked eyes¨Cit was like watching some cheesy romantic drama. The atmosphere immediately turned intimate. ¡°Leo,¡± Sage said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m really grateful to you, and I want to repay you properly¡­¡± Then she actually leaned in and kissed Leo on the lips. To myplete dismay, Leo didn¡¯t push her away. Instead, he picked up Sage and carried her to the bedroom. I never would have imagined that my boyfriend of three years would betray me today. Whatever. I should have seen thising. Nothing¡¯s more exciting than catching cheaters in the act. I hid my phone camera in my pocket, then entered the passcode and walked into the apartment. Hearing themotion, Leo came out of the bedroom irritated. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to just leave the delivery at the door? Why are youing into our ce?¡± The next second, Leo froze. Right then, Leo¡¯s delivery order from a pharmacy also arrived. He rushed over to grab the bag, saying, ¡°Maya, Sage got hurt, so I ordered her some pain relief medicine.¡± But I had already seen the word ¡°condoms¡± on the order. Chapter 4 Forget the 59 Chapter 4 Sage also stumbled out of the bedroom with her clothes all disheveled. She put on an innocent face and said, ¡°Maya, please don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I was just too scared to go back to the dorm, especially since you pped me earlier today. My face is still hurting¡­¡± Iughed coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t disturb you two. I already told Leo we¡¯re breaking up. I¡¯m just here to get my stuff.¡± Then I walked straight into the bedroom. Suddenly, Sage grabbed my pocket and demanded, ¡°Maya, were you secretly filming us?¡± Before I could react, she snatched my phone away. Sage immediately started going through my photo gallery. I grabbed my phone back and yelled, ¡°Get lost! You have no right to look at my phone.¡± Sage immediately shot Leo a pleading look. ¡°Leo, she took photos of us, and just now we were¡­¡± She was too embarrassed to continue. Leo panicked when he heard this. He stepped forward to block me and said, ¡°Maya, since you insist on breaking up, fine, I won¡¯t argue. But let¡¯s end this civilly¨Cyou have to delete those photos.¡± ¡°Is this how you ask people for favors?¡± I shot back. ¡°If you don¡¯t want people to know, don¡¯t do it in the first ce. Should I be the one apologizing to you guys for interrupting your fun?¡± Leo frowned deeply. ¡°Maya, I just made a mistake that all men make. Are you nning to post those photos and ruin my reputation? Delete them now, or you¡¯re not leaving here tonight.¡± Then Leo forcibly grabbed my phone. But I¡¯d already locked the screen, and after Leo tried several times, the phone gotpletely locked. Sage came up with an idea. ¡°Leo, why don¡¯t we just smash the phone? As long as she can¡¯t get the photos out, we¡¯re good.¡± Leo agreed. I rushed forward to stop them. ¡°No! There¡¯s a lot of important stuff on that phone. Leo, don¡¯t break it!¡± 13:28 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 38.9% Chapter 4 Every time I got a new phone, I¡¯d transfer all my photos and chat records to it. That included thest voice message from my beloved grandmother. If the phone was gone, everything would be gone. During our struggle, Leo lost his patience and kicked me to the ground. Then he mmed my phone hard onto the floor without hesitation. I crawled forward desperately, but Sage grabbed my hair. She wasn¡¯t pretending anymore and showed her truly vicious smile. ¡°Maya Thompson, look at you now! Time for me to return that p!¡± Leo encouraged her. ¡°That¡¯s right, Sage. This is how you should be¨Cdon¡¯t start trouble, but if someone messes with you, you mess with them right back. That way, no one will dare bully you!¡± Sage then put all her strength into pping me several times. Still not satisfied, she started wing at me like a maniac. Sage lowered her voice and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Truth is, I¡¯m just jealous of you. Why do you get such a great boyfriend? Why can you find jobs so easily? Why are you better than me at everything? But now, all of this belongs to
  1. me. Ha!¡±
I felt searing pain in my temples. My hearing was getting fuzzy. Suddenly, Leo¡¯s phone rang, and after answering he said to Sage, ¡°Alright Sage, that¡¯s enough. Get yourself cleaned up and I¡¯ll take you to sign the contract with Thompson Group. Time to show you how the big leagues work. Thompson¡¯s the top dog in this city¨Cnail this deal and I¡¯m looking at a promotion to department manager.¡± Sage nodded. No one cared about me lying there with blood all over my mouth. Before leaving, Leo said withplete disgust, ¡°Maya Thompson, clean yourself up and then get the hell out of my ce. From now on, we¡¯re done for good. Stop stalking us¨Cafter all, you have no proof we beat you up. Actually, you¡¯re the one who broke into someone¡¯s home in the middle of the night. We were just defending ourselves.¡± I struggled to get up and crawled toward my phone, Luckily, it still turned on. But the screen waspletely shattered and white. Thank god I had set up an emergency contact feature. 13:29 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 39.1% I called my dad with shaking hands. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t rush into signing that contract with Stere save me¡­¡± THE Forget the 60 Chapter 5 When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed. Dad was sitting beside me looking worried, and the moment he saw I was awake, he immediately asked, ¡°Sweetheart, who beat you up like this?¡± I felt a ringing in my ears and couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying clearly. After gesturing for a while, I found out I had a perforated eardrum from the beating and needed time to recover. Soon after, a nurse brought me a temporary hearing aid so I couldmunicate somewhat normally. Suddenly, Dad¡¯s phone rang. Leo¡¯s voice came through from the other end. He sounded all sucking up as he spoke, ¡°Mr. Thompson, when can youe sign the contract? We waited for you for hours yesterday. Did you have some emergency? Is there anything we can help you with?¡± My dad replied impatiently, ¡°Like I told you, my daughter¡¯s in the hospital right now. We¡¯ll talk about the contract in a few days.¡± Then Dad hung up directly. That¡¯s right¨Cmy dad is the chairman of Thompson Group. But since starting college, I¡¯d been determined to make it on my own, so I never told anyone about my family background. Knowing Leo the way I do, he¡¯d definitely seize this opportunity with both hands. Back in college, just to get a spot in somepetition, he worked his ass off for our professor for half a month straight. So this time Leo would probably show up with fruit baskets, running to every hospital in the city just to make a good impression on my dad. I was curious to see how Leo would react when he found out the truth. Sure enough, just as I predicted, two hourster my hospital room door was pushed open. Leo and Sage burst in, both sweating and out of breath. When they saw it was me in the room, Sage couldn¡¯t help but sneer, ¡°Maya Thompson, what are you doing here? Talk about bad luck! This is Chairman Thompson¡¯s private hospital from Thompson Group¨Chow can you afford to get treatment here?¡± 13:29 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 39.69% Chapter 5 Leo immediately became suspicious. He demanded, ¡°Maya Thompson, did you steal money from me? You¡¯re the only one who knows where I keep my savings! I¡¯m warning you¨Chowever much you stole, pay it back right now. We¡¯re not together anymore, so you have no right to spend my money.¡± I said helplessly, ¡°Leo, have you lost your mind? You guys beat me up so badly¨Cwhere would I get the strength to steal your money?¡± Sage added, ¡°Leo, I don¡¯t buy it. Maya never spends much money normally¨Cshe¡¯s obviously from some basic middle¨Css family. How the hell could she afford a fancy private hospital like this? Better safe than sorry, you should totally search her. Would be such a bummer if she blew through all your cash.¡± Leo immediately moved forward to forcibly search me. I backed away quickly. ¡°Stay away from me! I told you I didn¡¯t touch any of your stuff. If you don¡¯t believe me, go home and check for yourself, you psycho!¡± During our struggle, Leo actually yanked out my IV needle. Dark red blood ran down the back of my hand. I was in agony and yelled angrily, ¡°Leo Stark, get the hell away from me! You maniac!¡± But Leo didn¡¯t care and started searching me anyway. At that critical moment, Dad finally came back. He hurled his thermos straight at Leo¡¯s head and bellowed, ¡°Get your filthy hands off my daughter!¡± Leo yelped in pain and turned around furiously. But when he saw Dad¡¯s face, his whole spine curved in submission. ¡°Mr¡­ Mr. Thompson, what a coincidence running into you here!¡± Forget the 61 I said pitifully, ¡°Dad, please get a nurse for me. My IV got ripped out.¡± In that moment, Leo waspletely stunned. He couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Dad? Mr. Thompson is your dad?¡± I shot back, ¡°What? Do I need to report to you who my parents are? Besides, think about what myst name is.¡± Right then, Leo and Sage¡¯s faces went deathly pale. Soon after, Dad came back with a nurse. Then he red at them furiously. ¡°Who are you two? Who said you coulde in here? Security! Get over here and escort them to the police station!¡± Leo quickly tried to exin. ¡°Mr. Thompson, there¡¯s been a misunderstanding! I¡¯m Maya¡¯s boyfriend! I came to visit her. Look, I even brought you gift!¡± Leo held up the fruit basket he¡¯d prepared earlier. I ruthlessly exposed him. ¡°Leo Stark, we already broke up. And about your savings ount¨Cnow do you believe me? I wouldn¡¯t stoop so low as to steal your measly money.¡± Leo immediately started ying the victim. He came over all apologetic and exined, ¡°Maya, I was wrong. I felt so guilty about yesterday that I rushed over to apologize to you first thing.¡± Then he said to Dad, ¡°Mr. Thompson, Maya and I had a little spat recently, and I¡¯m sorry for worrying you. This is all my fault.¡± Hearing this bullshit made me absolutely sick. I said coldly, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t believe a word he says. Yesterday, he and Sage Campbell are the ones who beat me up like this.¡± Leo immediately exined, ¡°Mr. Thompson, Maya is the girl I love most¨Chow could I bear to hurt her? Yesterday¡¯s incident had nothing to do with me.¡± When Sage heard this, she panicked and said angrily, ¡°Leo Stark, what the hell do you mean? Weren¡¯t you the one who hit her first? You¡¯re the one who encouraged me to p her back, that¡¯s why I did it. Now that you¡¯re facing Mr. Thompson, you want to pin everything on me?¡± Leo said calmly, ¡°Sage, what are you talking about? I brought you here today to apologize to Maya. Besides, those scratch marks on Maya¡¯s neck would definitely have your DNA on them. If you deny it, Maya can get a forensic exam 13:29 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 40.3% Chapter 6 right now. In front of Mr. Thompson, you better apologize to Maya immediately.¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Sage was so angry she was grinding her teeth. She stepped forward and pped Leo hard across the face, yelling, ¡°Leo Stark, are you even a man? How can you throw me under the bus at a time like this? I was so blind!¡± Watching these two turn on each other like rabid dogs almost made meugh out loud. Someone like Leo who only cares about profit would never let emotions get in the way. But neither of them was getting away with this. I¡¯d already contacted thepany¡¯s programmer to help me recover my phone. Now, everything on the phone had been sessfully restored. Including the entire video of Leo and Sage assaulting me. I showed the video directly to Dad and said, ¡°Dad, I want the bestwyer. I don¡¯t want to let either of them off the hook.¡± In that moment, Leopletely lost it. His legs gave out and he copsed to the floor. ¡°Maya,¡± Leo grabbed my hand desperately and said, ¡°I was wrong, Maya. Please forgive me just this once. I was fooled by Sage¡¯s fake innocent act, so I got confused and hurt you. I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t call the police. Let¡¯s start over!¡± Sage came over and pleaded with me. ¡°Maya, we¡¯ve been roommates for three whole years. You don¡¯t need to be so ruthless, do you? I promise you, after graduation I¡¯ll leave this city and never appear in your life again!¡± Forget the 62 I have to say, these two flipped on each other so fast they could win Oscars for their performances. I coldly pushed their hands away and said, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not some saint. You guys beat me so badly that my eardrum got perforated. If my dad hadn¡¯t gotten to me in time, I probably would¡¯ve gone permanently deaf. You think you can just sweep all of that under the rug with a casual ¡®sorry¡®?¡± ¡°And you,¡± I looked down at Leo coldly, ¡°if I¡¯d known you were such a piece of shit, I never would¡¯ve wasted three years of my youth on you. Stop begging me¨Cyou¡¯d be better off figuring out how to get yourself awyer.¡± Dad called the CEO of Ster Group directly and said firmly, ¡°I need you to send two different people to work with me, or we can just call off this partnership entirely.¡± Leo waspletely devastated. After all, this job was the pinnacle he¡¯d fought tooth and nail to reach, and it was Leo¡¯s biggest source of pride. But with one sentence from my dad, it all went up in smoke. But he brought this all on himself. Leo was practically ready to get on his knees for my dad. ¡°Mr. Thompson, I was wrong! I¡¯m begging you, please put in a good word for me. I really can¡¯t lose this job. What you¡¯re doing is basically cklisting me from the entire industry!¡± Dad said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re a young man with terrible character who did this to my daughter. I¡¯m sure your work ethic is just as worthless. Consider this me helping yourpany weed out bad employees.¡± Ten minutester, Leo got a call from his department manager. Furious screaming came through the phone. ¡°Leo Stark! I gave you this golden opportunity because I thought you had what it takes, and this is how you screw me over?¡± Leo didn¡¯t dare even breathe loudly and just kept apologizing. The department manager said impatiently, ¡°You know what? Don¡¯t even show your face at work tomorrow. If we lose the Thompson Group deal because of your bullshit, you¡¯re gonna pay back every single dor we lose!¡± Then he hung up. Since Sage was Leo¡¯s referral intern, she got the boot too. Leo desperately said to me, ¡°Maya, you can see I¡¯ve already paid the price. Just let me off the hook this once, please. I¡¯m begging you¨Cmy mom¡¯s health is terrible and I¡¯ve got a younger brother¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t be bothered and just turned off my hearing aid, cutting out all external sound. Then Dad had security drag these two incredibly annoying people out and hand them over to the police. 13:29 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 40 99% The next day, I¡¯d recovered pretty well. The police called me to the station to give my statement. When I got to the police station, Leo was naive enough to think I was there to bail him out. He said excitedly, ¡°Maya, I knew it! You¡¯re not that heartless. This was all Sage seducing me¨Cyou have to make sure yourwyer gives her the harshest sentence. She¡¯s the one who ruined our love!¡± I said mockingly, ¡°Leo Stark, you¡¯re absolutely disgusting. I saw everything that night¨Cyou were the one who couldn¡¯t wait to carry Sage into the bedroom. You were the one who was desperate, weren¡¯t you? Once a cheater, always a cheater. Leo, don¡¯t expect me to forgive you with some smooth talk.¡± Then I told the police everything that happened from start to finish. A few dayster, the court held its first hearing. After deliberation, Leo and Sage were convicted of assault and sentenced to two years in prison, plus they had to pay all my medical expenses. I was staying in a luxury private room at a private hospital, using the best imported medicine, costing over thirty thousand dors a day. Even when Leo emptied his entire savings ount, it only covered half the bill. Don¡¯t even get me started on Sage¨Cshe couldn¡¯t even scrape together a thousand bucks. The rest they¡¯d have to work off doing hardbor in prison. Forget the 63 After dealing with all that mess, I let out a huge sigh of relief. After this whole ordeal, Dad was no longerfortable letting me live on my own and basically forced me to stay at thepany. But I still decided to start from the bottom and work my way up, gaining experience so I could help Dad out in the future. Half a monthter, I was at my desk handling some paperwork when my team leader rushed over frantically. ¡°Maya, this is bad! You need to get out there¨Cthere¡¯s some crazy woman looking for you¡­¡± I went outpletely confused. I saw a woman standing in thepany lobby, holding hands with a little boy. This woman started screaming without even knowing the full story. ¡°Maya Thompson, you piece of trash, get out here! You ruined my son¡¯s future while you¡¯re hiding in here living it up. Come out here! Give me back my son! You destroyed my family!¡± Seeing this scene, I started to piece things together. This woman had to be Leo¡¯s mother. He¡¯d mentioned before that his mom was getting older. And that little boy must be his younger brother. But some things you just can¡¯t avoid. Today I¡¯d set the record straight with the Stark family once and for all, so they¡¯d stop bothering me. I paused for a moment, then stepped forward. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Maya Thompson, and I can exin everything to you right now. Half a month ago, your son cheated on me and worked with his mistress to beat me so badly that my eardrum was perforated. I sued Leo ording to thew. If your son Leo was innocent, the court wouldn¡¯t have ruled against him.¡± The woman said furiously, ¡°Ha! Who knows what kind of dirty tricks you rich people pull behind the scenes? My son just hit you a little and you threw him in prison¨Cyou¡¯ve ruined his whole life! Are you trying to drive me to suicide? I don¡¯t care¨Ctoday you have to pay me a hundred thousand dors, or how are my younger son and I supposed to survive?¡± I never expected that after dealing with Leo the demon, I¡¯d have to face his demon mother. 13:29 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 41.6% Turns out Leo¡¯s mom wasn¡¯t here to seek justice for him at all¨Cshe was here for money. It seemed like she chose to make a scene at mypany because she was banking on me not wanting to make this public and being forced topromise. But I was thinking clearly. This time it was a hundred thousand¨Cnext time it might be a million or even more. So I absolutely would not give in. I said coldly, ¡°How about this¨Cyou sue me. If thew says I owe youpensation, I¡¯ll pay you double.¡± The woman said through gritted teeth, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to mess around with you! Bottom line¨Cif you don¡¯t pay up today, I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Then Leo¡¯s mom actually pulled her little son down to lie on the lobby floor. Leo¡¯s mom¡¯s eyes darted around sneakily as she pulled out her phone and started a livestream. She seemed to think this trashy behavior would get support from inte users. But I just smiled slightly. I was just wondering how to break this deadlock, and now Leo¡¯s mom was basically digging her own grave. Soon, Leo¡¯s mom pointed the camera at me and started crying dramatically. ¡°Everyone watching, please remember this evil woman! My son dated her for three years and ended up in prison. Now I¡¯m just here asking for a littlepensation and she¡¯s humiliating me like this. Please help me get justice!¡± Tons of clueless inte users flooded into the livestream to help Leo¡¯s mom get her so¨Ccalled justice. But I wasn¡¯t panicking at all. I calmly pulled out my phone and contacted mywyer. Leo¡¯s mom¡¯s current behavior vited my image rights and constituted nder and false usations. She would have to pay for her actions. Soon, police arrived and legally escorted Leo¡¯s mom away. Leo¡¯s mom cursed through gritted teeth. ¡°You ungrateful bitch! How could you do this to me? Just you wait¨CI¡¯m going to kill you!¡± She had no idea she was about to face legal consequences. I looked at the helpless little boy beside her and felt a bit sorry for him. Throughout this whole thing, the kid had been dragged along against his will. 13.29 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 41.8% His values hadn¡¯t even fully developed yet and he was experiencing all this¨Cit was really pitiful. So I contacted thepany¡¯s charitable foundation to provide assistance for the little boy. The little boy looked at me nkly, then suddenly said, ¡°Lady, thank you. I know mom and my brother did wrong things. I want to say sorry to you for them.¡± I paused and said, ¡°You¡¯re just a kid¨Cyou don¡¯t need to apologize for the adults. Just focus on your studies.¡± After that, my life finally returned to peace. Forget the 64 Chapter 1 The day I found out I was pregnant, my sugar daddy ke Hartwell dumped me. ¡°Three mil. Take it and go.¡± I caught the bank card and wrinkled my nose. ¡°That¡¯s IT?¡± That won¡¯t even cover private school, I thought, but hey¨Cfree money. ¡°Fine, make it five million,¡± he said, like I was buying a damn Honda. I grabbed my Birkin bags and practically skipped out the door. BEST. BREAKUP. EVER. A monthter, cruising past Rodeo Drive in my BMW, I spotted the WILDEST thing. ke Hartwell¨Cin a DoorDash uniform, delivering takeout. ¡°Yo, what the hell, ke? You on Undercover Boss or something?¡± ke looked me up and down, then let out this heavy sigh. ¡°I¡¯m broke, Raven. Lost everything. Kicked you out because¡­ well, figured you¡¯d ghost me anyway once you found out I was poor.¡± I almost felt bad for him. ALMOST. ¡°What about Madison? Your perfect little princess?¡± His whole face went soft and gooey. ¡°She came back. Said she¡¯d love me even if we had to live in a cardboard box.¡± I pped on my sunsses. ¡°Aw, how sweet. Hope y¡¯all get your Disney ending.¡± Then I drove offughing my ass off. Poor ke had no clue I was pregnant with his heir¨Cor that his whole ¡°broke boy¡± act was about to BLOW UP in his face. Three things in life scare the shit outta me: Being broke. Being dead. 10:45 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman My Smart House Was Cheating On Mel 42.39% Being alive AND broke. I¡¯m doing 70 down Wilshire when ke on his little scooter actually catches up. ¡°What¡¯s your deal? Don¡¯t tell me you want that cash back!¡± Dude followed me for like ten blocks. Had to pull over and roll my window down just to cuss him out. ¡°Nah, nah, you got it twisted.¡± ke¡¯s pretty¨Cboy face is dripping sweat under that helmet, looking all nervous and shit. ¡°Just wondering¡­ you good on money?¡± That¡¯s when I chilled out a bit. ¡°I¡¯m managing.¡± ¡°1 Those two years with ke, he never held back on spoiling me. Back in the day, five mil would¡¯ve been like six months of shopping money. ¡°Just managing?¡± ke repeated, looking worried. ¡°So¡­ you gonna find another guy?¡± I rolled my eyes so hard they practically popped out. ¡°ke, instead of stalking your ex¡¯s dating life, maybe worry about your delivery getting cold.¡± With that, I rolled that window up and peeled out. This time, ke didn¡¯t follow. Back home, my girl Piper hit me up: [OMG the DoorDash guy who brought my Chipotle was BLAKE HARTWELL] [The same ke who bought you that closet full of Birkin bags??] [Is this some kind of social experiment shit?] I texted back: [Nah he¡¯s actually broke lol. We splitst month, now he¡¯s delivering tacos to pay for his princess] Piper: [Damn.] [That¡¯s actually kinda romantic tho] Piper grew up rough¨Cdad bounced when she was little, mom¡¯s on disability, never went to college. Been hustling at 10:45 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 42.4% Chapter 1 Starbucks just to survive. I¡¯ve been helping her out these past couple years. End of our convo, I tried to Venmo her five grand. She sent it right back. [Thanks babe but Inded this sales gig! Starting next month pulling in six figures!] I smiled and didn¡¯t push it. After all, I got this little bundle of joy to worry about. After that, I didn¡¯t see ke around. Used my savings to snag this sick penthouse in Beverly Hills. Got a wealth manager to handle my investments. Mostly stayed home, barely ordered out. One day,ing back from my OB appointment, I spotted some tea. ke¡¯s princess¨CMadison Wells¨Csliding into the back of a Maybach. My nosy ass couldn¡¯t resist, so I tailed her in my BMW. Watched that car roll straight into this bougie ass mansion neighborhood in Malibu. Oh snap. Was ke getting yed? I was living for this drama, so I camped out until evening when that Maybach finally rolled back out. Followed it again. This time it stopped in downtown LA. Madison hopped out, then grabbed an Uber. So I followed that too. This time it ended up at some trashy apartmentplex in the hood. Madison got out and went inside, Pretty sure this shithole was where she and ke were crashing now. Total downgrade from his old mansion in the Hills. Was Cheating On Me! 42.6% Chapter 1 Whole ce smelled like piss and regret. At 12:30 AM, a delivery scooter pulled up. ¡°ke,¡± I called out, leaning against my ride. ¡°Raven?¡± He looked shocked as hell. ¡°How¡¯d you know where I live?¡± Instead of answering, I dropped a hint: ¡°Maybe treat Madison better, yeah?¡± But he totally missed it, holding up a greasy bag: ¡°I treat Maddie amazing! Whenever customers don¡¯t pick up their orders, I bring the leftovers home.¡± I stared at the soggy burgers in his bag. Then at him. Looked at this fool like he¡¯d lost his damn mind. ¡°You know what, never mind.¡± Iughed and got the hell outta there. Poverty had straight¨Cup scrambled ke¡¯s brain. Better keep my distance before it rubbed off on my baby. But I never expected that even though I stayed out of their drama, Madison woulde knocking at MY door and immediately demand I give the money back. ¡°ke¡¯s living like a bum while you¡¯re out here stunting.¡± She walked right into my penthouse without taking her nasty shoes off, plopped on my white leather couch, looking around. ¡°He gave you five mil before everything went to shit, right?¡± ¡°You know how deep in debt he is?¡± ¡°If you had ANY conscience, you¡¯d give it back.¡± Didn¡¯t waste time arguing. I called ke straight up: ¡°Did you send Madison to shake me down for cash?¡± Forget the 65 Chapter 2 Dead silence on the other end. When he finally spoke, his voice was low: ¡°Maddie came to see you? I had no clue.¡± ¡°Where you at? I¡¯lle grab her right now.¡± When ke showed up, still rocking that delivery uniform, he actually asked for shoe covers. I¡¯m like forget it, just get her ass out. But he goes: ¡°You¡¯re super neat. I should probably cover up.¡± Madison saw this and let out the coldestugh. ¡°Don¡¯t even bother. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Walking past him, she got all emotional: ¡°ke, when youe home and crash on the bed in your nasty work clothes, when you leave your crusty socks everywhere¨Cyou ever think about ME the way you think about Raven?!¡± With that, she ran off crying. I stood there with my arms crossed, staring at ke. After forever, I sighed: ¡°Look, whatever¡¯s going on, you really gotta work on basic hygiene.¡± But ke just gave me this weird,plicated smile. ¡°Thing is, Raven, I¡¯m so burnt outtely. Can¡¯t keep up with all that stuff.¡± I nodded. This is exactly why being poor terrifies me. Even someone as smooth and polished as ke¨Conce the money dried up, dude became a total slob. But something about his whole act felt¡­ weird. Probably just pregnancy hormones making me paranoid. Next day, I Venmo¡¯d ke twenty grand. Note: [Don¡¯t make this a habit] Being soft was gonna bankrupt me. Ve Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 43.0% Chapter 2 If I kept feeling sorry for everyone, who was gonna feel sorry for this baby mama? After sending it, checking my bank bnce finally let me sleep. But ever since ke found my address, random DoorDash orders started showing up. Sometimes groceries¨Corganic everything from Whole Foods. Sometimes desserts from that fancy bakery in Wello. Sometimes Starbucks runs. Sometimes full meals¨Csushi from Nobu, steaks from Ruth¡¯s Chris, even In¨CN¨COut. Nothing crazy expensive, but all my favorite spots. If ke hadn¡¯t texted each time saying he ordered it, I would¡¯ve thought someone was trying to poison me. Figured he was just saying thanks for the twenty grand. So I ate everything. While munching, I¡¯d rub my bump: ¡°This is from daddy, little one~¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be picky. Daddy¡¯s broke right now.¡± ¡°Just deal. Tomorrow mama¡¯s taking you somewhere fancy.¡± But when I actually sat in that Michelin star restaurant in Bel Air, eating the chef¡¯s bougie creations, I kept picturing ke across from me in his Tom Ford suit, all proud showing off some Tiffany diamond ne. When we first hooked up, I knew ke had this girl he couldn¡¯t get over. His college obsession¨CMadison Wells. But he never sealed the deal with her. So he went full workaholic mode instead. And used some serious bling to lock me down. Guess I was just thirsty as hell. Grew up in some nowhere town in Wyoming, made it to LA, almost got trafficked by some sketchy modeling agency. Job hunting was brutal¨Cmet every kind of creep and con artist. 10.15 Hell Yeab Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 43.2% So when ke opened that jewelry box and goes, ¡°Raven, be with me,¡± I didn¡¯t even hesitate. When I found Madison¡¯s photo hidden in his desk, it barely stung. Madison and I don¡¯t really look alike. Just got that same vibe. What was I really losing anyway? Nothing major. I still had money, designer bags, closets full of gorgeous clothes. Hot, loaded sugar daddy who treated me like a queen¨Cwhat more could a girl want? So when ke¡¯s princess came crawling back, I took that five mil and bounced without looking back. Can¡¯t be too greedy. I¡¯d already gotten more in twenty¨Cfour years than I ever thought possible growing up As for true love? Nah. That¡¯s not for girls like me. broke. I sniffled while shoving expensive caviar in my mouth, telling the waiter, ¡°Keep iting.¡± Right after finishing, my phone rang. ¡°Hi! Your boyfriend¨Cke something¨Cgot hit by a car doing deliveries. Can youe to Cedars¨CSinai?¡± ting On Me! Forget the 66 When I got there, ke was chilling in bed looking totally fine. Seeing me, he lit up. ¡°Raven, you came.¡± I checked him out head to toe. Only saw this tiny bandage on his ankle smaller than a Band¨CAid. ¡°If I¡¯d waited any longer, would this have healed already?¡± ke scratched his head sheepishly. ¡°My bad, Raven. I totally cked out and the medics just¡­ they face¨Cunlocked my phone and called you. Didn¡¯t even ask or anything.¡± I put my hands on my hips. ¡°Why not call Madison? She¡¯s your girl now!¡± I was pissed. Just ate a huge dinner, then raced over here and ran upstairs. Got a stitch in my side and everything. And I¡¯m PREGNANT! ke¡¯s smile faded, looking bitter as he exined: ¡°You¡¯re still listed as ¡®Baby¡® in my phone.¡± I took a deep breath and kept my mouth shut. Heading out with my purse, I bumped into Madison rushing in. She saw me and just smirked, but didn¡¯t talk shit. Instead, she walked me to the hospital exit. About to get in my car when she stood on the steps looking down at me: ¡°Raven, real talk. Is ke¡­ like, bad in bed?¡± What the FUCK? I instinctively touched my belly. Had ke¡¯s bedroom game gone to shit along with everything else? Nah, that couldn¡¯t be right. I remembered those abs, those arms, that chest. And how he acted all gentleman in public but was a total freak in private, like he had unlimited stamina. I was curious as hell, but put on this knowing look like ¡°girl, FINALLY you get it.¡± Was Cheating On Me! 43.6% ¡°With Viagra, maybe three minutes if we¡¯re lucky.¡± My voice was all tired and defeated. Madison stared at me like I¡¯d grown a second head. I leaned in: ¡°So I seriously don¡¯t get what you see in him.¡± ¡°Sure, he¡¯s fine as hell, but dude¡¯s useless where it counts.¡± ¡°And yeah, maybe he¡¯ll bounce back someday, but right now he can barely feed himself.¡± I patted her shoulder. ¡°Sorry girl. Wrong timing.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Madison¡¯s face changed as she smacked my hand away. ¡°You¡¯re so basic.¡± I pressed my lips together, studied her expression, then waved as I turned away. ¡°You¡¯re the ssy one. Good luck with all that.¡± I drove around the block then snuck back. Getting dark, Madison came out, walked to the street, and got in that Maybach. Followed again. Same routine¨Cstraight to those Malibu mansions. She didn¡¯t leave till way past midnight. Now I was 100% sure ke was getting cheated on. Some weird impulse made me go back to the hospital. Dude was knocked out cold. I sat by his bed and started feeling him up. The more I touched, the more his body heated up. And Mr. Happy down there was very cooperatively saluting. I felt relieved but even more confused. Just as I¡¯m pulling back to leave, my wrist got grabbed. This low, rough voice came out of the darkness: ¡°Raven, you got me hard as hell and now you¡¯re just gonna bounce?¡± Was Cheating On Me! 43.8% Chapter 3 I looked up into those dark, unreadable eyes. 44.1% Forget the 67 Chapter 4 I froze, and before I could say anything, ke yanked me into his arms. Holding me tight, he used his good leg to flip us, pinning me down. I freaked, covering my belly with one hand, pushing him with the other: ¡°ke, you pervert! You¡¯re such a fucking cheater!¡± I meant he had a girlfriend but was still trying to hook up with his ex. But he just propped himself up on one arm above me andughed like I was crazy. ¡°Me? A cheater? There¡¯s no more faithful guy on the than me.¡± ¡°Then get OFF!¡± I held my arm against his chest like a shield. But he wasn¡¯t budging. Instead, he stared at me with those puppy dog eyes that could melt steel, looking me up and down. Even worse, he touched my face, then slid his hand down to squeeze my waist. I was terrified, then heard him frown and go ¡°hmm¡± above me. ¡°Have I been sending too much food? You feel thicker.¡± My heart raced as I covered my three¨Cmonth bump, blinking nervously. ¡°Thick? You¡¯re just jealous I¡¯m living my best life.¡± I looked at ke¡¯s face that had gotten way thinner, his already sharp jaw even more defined. I pushed hard and sat up. ¡°Okay, now I know your junk still works, so I¡¯m not worried.¡± ¡°Thought maybe I¡¯d broken you these past two years.¡± ke leaned back on his hands, giving me this soft smile that made my skin crawl. Right as I¡¯m getting up, he wrapped his arms around me from behind. ¡°What¡¯s your PROBLEM??¡± 10-35 Hell Yeah Fovent the Other Woman Mo Smart House Was Cheating On Wel Did NOT want to get busted in some cheating scandal! I was about to elbow his ribs. ke gently blocked my hit, arms around my waist, chin on my shoulder. His voice was deep and heavy: ¡°Raven, how much cash you got left? How long¡¯s it gonnast?¡± Soon as I heard that, I saw red. So he WAS trying to get more money! ¡°ke! You think five mil is some crazy amount?!¡± I was furious. ¡°I know it¡¯s not,¡± ke sounded all innocent, ¡°that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking how long you got.¡± I rolled my eyes and lied on purpose: ¡°Maybe two months!¡± God, just saying it made me wanna cry. I gotta raise this kid solo on that money for eighteen years. Buy them a house, a car, pay for college. Can¡¯t let my baby end up like me¨Ctotal trailer trash. Plus I might lose more cash being soft¨Chearted about baby daddy. ¡°So,¡± ke¡¯s arms tightened around my waist, ¡°before the money runs out¡­ don¡¯t go find someone else, okay?¡± His serious, almost begging tone caught me off guard. ¡°Are you nuts?¡± I turned to re at him. Dude was way too controlling. ke touched my face, smiling sadly: ¡°These next two months, don¡¯t hold back on yourself. Eat good, buy whatever. Promise me?¡± Was he for real? Like I¡¯d ever deprive myself. Maybe his pitiful expression got to me, so I sighed and patted his hand jokingly: ¡°Rx. Being spoiled rotten is literally my specialty.¡± 10:45 Hell Yeah. Forget the Other Woman. My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 44.5% ke raised his eyebrows and shook his head with augh. I jumped up, grabbed my purse, and got the hell out. ke stayed in that hospital for like two whole weeks. I seriously didn¡¯t get it. That tiny bandage on his ankle wasn¡¯t even as wide as a tampon. How the fuck was he acting like he had a broken leg? But my stupid ass kept worrying and sneaking back to check on him. Every single time, Madison was there ying nurse. I¡¯d lean against the doorframe watching her spoon¨Cfeed him homemade chicken soup. ke would look up at her after every bite, grinning like an idiot. He¡¯d grab her hand and go: ¡°Maddie, I¡¯m sorry you gotta deal with all this crap.¡± ¡°Once I get my shit together, I¡¯ll totally make it up to you, I promise.¡± From their little heart¨Cto¨Cheart, I found out Madison had actually hit up her parents for money to cover their living expenses. Madison¡¯s family wasn¡¯t rich either¨Cjust regr middle¨Css folks with normal jobs. Madison sighed and squeezed his hand back. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m not here for your money.¡± ssic princess behavior. Thinking about it, I actually kinda understood why Madison might be stepping out. ke was a total deadbeat¨Cdrowning in debt, broke as hell, making empty promises, and apparently trash in bed too. No wonder Madison needed some excitement on the side. I shook my head and left the hospital. Decided I was done meddling in their drama. They could y their weird games without me. Besides, ke only had Madison now. If he found out she was cheating, he might totally lose it and do something stupid. House Was Cheating On Me! 44.6% Next few weeks, I went back to living my best pregnant life. Piper had been crazy busy with her new sales job, always texting me about the psycho clients she dealt with. Seeing me stuck at home all the time, she¡¯d drag me out on weekends and kept pushing me to make new friends. I licked my ice cream cone, staring at the sky without answering. Lately I¡¯d been feeling superzy, plus I had this empty feeling in my chest. ¡°Oh, BTW, mypany¡¯s having this huge client event next week. Five¨Cstar hotel, fancy catering, and we can all bring plus¨Cones. Wannae?¡± Piper was all persuasive, saying everyone got goodie bags. Probably had gold jewelry or expensive skincare shit. Life¡¯s too short not to have fun. I finished my cone and nodded. ¡°Hell yeah.¡± Forget the 68 Chapter 5 That day, I went all out¨Cdid my makeup, threw on a ck mini dress I hadn¡¯t worn in forever. My barely¨Cshowing bump was hidden under the loose fabric. Nobody could tell I was pregnant. In the hotel ballroom, I was sitting at this fancy round table, feeling kinda dizzy from all the rich food. Then Piper¡¯s boss¨Cthis tall, gorgeous guy in a designer suit¨Cwalked straight over to me. Piper immediately stood up. ¡°Oh, hi Mr. Sterling.¡± This Sterling dude smoothly took Raven¡¯s seat and turned to me: ¡°I¡¯m Caleb Sterling. Been watching you all night. Mind if I get to know you better?¡± I covered my food baby belly and tried to suck it in. Caleb had one hand casually on the table, showing off this silver watch. Patek Philippe. Limited edition. I swallowed hard and looked at Piper. She was standing next to Caleb looking shocked, then started making encouraging faces at me. I looked back at the hot¨Cass Caleb and smiled. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m Raven Mitchell. Nice to meet you.¡± Caleb¡¯s long fingers tapped the table, that polite smile never leaving his face. ¡°You free this afternoon, Raven? I¡¯m hosting a little get¨Ctogether at my private estate up in the hills. Wannae?¡± Seeing me hesitate, Caleb nced up at Piper. ¡°She¡¯s your friend, right? She cane too.¡± Piper¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°I cane?¡± Right then, Caleb¡¯s assistant walked over with these fancy gift bags for me and Raven. I opened mine¨Cbeautiful box with a solid 100¨Cgram gold bar. Plus a whole La Mer skincare set. ¡°Little wee gift,¡± Caleb said in this smooth voice. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Cheating On Mal ¡°Mind? Are you kidding?¡± I immediately closed the box and stood up. ¡°Mr. Sterling, you¡¯re way too generous. Definitely hit me up for more of these events.¡± Caleb¡¯s smile got bigger. Me and Piper followed him out of the hotel¡¯s fancy lobby. A Maybach pulled up just as some delivery guy walked over. Obviously there to deliver someone¡¯s order. ¡°Raven?¡± ke frowned and called my name. He walked up to me and Caleb, giving me this intense look. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two?¡± ke was the same height as Caleb, just as good¨Clooking. But standing there in his delivery uniform next to Caleb in his custom suit, he looked kinda pathetic. I coughed and avoided eye contact. Just as I was about to exin, an arm slid around my waist and pulled me closer. It was Caleb. My back tensed up as I heard Caleb chuckle softly. ¡°ke Hartwell, you know this lovelydy?¡± Now I was the one shocked. They KNEW each other?? ke didn¡¯t say anything, just stared at Caleb with those clear eyes. In the weird tension, some theories started forming in my head based on all the sketchy shit that¡¯d been happening. Right then, ke reached out and grabbed my wrist. ¡°Raven, don¡¯t go with him.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I jerked my hand away on purpose. ¡°You¡¯re broke as hell and now you¡¯re gonna tell me I can¡¯t find another sugar daddy?¡± Caleb looked surprised at how blunt I was being. Me Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 45.2% Chapter 5 I kept going: ¡°You got time to worry about me? Go check on your precious princess who¡¯s ¡®suffering¡® with you.¡± When I said that, ke¡¯s dead eyes flickered with something. He frowned hard and made this annoyed sound. ¡°Whatever. Not my problem anymore.¡± Then he walked around us and headed into the hotel with his delivery bag. I moved closer to Caleb. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mr. Sterling.¡± Caleb smirked and opened the car door like a gentleman. Before getting in, I caught a glimpse of the license te. Yep. Same Maybach that¡¯d been picking up Madison and going to those Malibu mansions. Forget the 69 Me and Piper spent the whole day at Caleb¡¯s private estate in the hills, scared as shit but trying to y it cool. When it was time to leave, some ¡°emergency¡± came up. ¡°Sorry, but the forest service is doing an emergency closure. Looks like youdies will have to stay at the estate for a few days.¡± I acted all disappointed and nodded, making him think I bought his bullshit. ¡°Oh well, Mr. Sterling, I¡¯m gonna be real with you¨CI¡¯m spoiled as fuck. I want the best suite.¡± ¡°King¨Csize bed minimum with Egyptian cotton sheets.¡± ¡°And food? I don¡¯t eat shitty food. Get me a chef who knows what they¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Everything better be fresh, flown in every day. I don¡¯t eat old crap.¡± ¡°Oh, and I get bored fast. You got all this stuff here¨Cgames, horses, pools. I want entertainment every single day. You cool with that?¡± Piper was behind me looking like her brain had melted. Right then she really believed I¡¯d beenpletely spoiled by the rich lifestyle. The more I talked, the bigger Caleb¡¯s smile got. ¡°Yeah, totally.¡± He nodded. ¡°You got it.¡± After Caleb left, I quickly sent ke a text. Then deleted it and turned off my phone. Few dayster, my phone mysteriously ¡°disappeared.¡± Caleb had someone bring me a brand¨Cnew iPhone when he found out. The next couple weeks were chill and luxurious. And Caleb never showed his face. The whole mountain was crawling with security guards and vehicles. I just went with the flow, eating, drinking, and living it up every day. In just two weeks, I gained ten pounds. But Piper was getting restless. 15.606 That night, she came to my room looking all nervous. ¡°Raven¡­¡± she said quietly, not looking at me. ¡°I gotta confess something.¡± I pulled off my gold face mask and sighed. ¡°Spill it.¡± Piper bit her lip. ¡°Caleb fucking paid me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I dragged you to that whole thing. So he could trick you intoing up here.¡± I squinted at her. Piper¡¯s head dropped even lower. ¡°Do you know WHY he wanted me to do that?¡± I crossed my arms and leaned back. ¡°I thought he wanted to make you his sugar baby.¡± Then she looked down again. ¡°I figured since ke went broke, you might be struggling. So I said yes.¡± I blinked hard. Look at that. Such a caring bestie. Ugh. I shook my head in frustration. ¡°Now you¡¯re finally seeing he¡¯s up to some shady shit?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She scratched her head. ¡°He¡¯s kept you locked up here forever and hasn¡¯t even tried to get in your room. Something¡¯s definitely off.¡± Seeing my mysterious expression, she scooted closer and asked curiously: ¡°Raven, you figured something out already, didn¡¯t you?¡± I let out a deep sigh. ¡°Just guessing. Give it a few more days and we¡¯ll see if I¡¯m right.¡± Turns out, I was totally right. Forget the 70 Chapter 7 A weekter, I¡¯d just finished breakfast and was about to take a nap on my king¨Csize bed. Suddenly, there was a bunch of noise andmotion from halfway down the mountain¨Cvoices shouting and sirens going off. My heart started racing just as someone mmed through my suite door. I scrambled to hide on the balcony. ¡°Nobody here?¡± ¡°Mr. Sterling said she¡¯s usually napping right now, never goes out. Keep looking!¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t grab her, the Hartwell family¡¯s gonna destroy us.¡± The Hartwell family? Damn, ke wasn¡¯t just some startup guy¨Che had a whole dynasty backing him up? So I was definitely being held hostage. But the day I figured it out, ke caught my hint when I acted all gold¨Cdigger in front of Caleb. He only showed like 10% of how much he cared, then walked away. Made Caleb rx and think he could test me longer by keeping me trapped up here. Probably gave ke time to n his counterattack. Though I had no clue what he was plotting. I just knew that after we ¡°broke up,¡± he¡¯d been testing Madison too. Acting cheap, dirty, bad in bed¨Cand Madison stuck by him through all of it. Plus Madison kept getting picked up by Caleb¡¯s Maybach. She was probably Caleb¡¯s spy, nted next to ke to steal information or something. All the weird shit finally made sense. I was breathing hard. The guys inside were still tearing my room apart looking for me. I looked down. The balcony was like a story and a half up, with bushes and shit below. If I was careful and slid along the roof edge, I could probably make it without getting hurt, right? I covered my slightly round belly and made a decision. Only strong kids deserve to be my baby! I stood up and was about to climb over the railing when sounds of fighting came from inside. Then the balcony door flew open. My heart was pounding like crazy. I didn¡¯t dare turn around, just swung one leg over the railing. Two strong arms wrapped around me from behind and pulled me back, along with a shout: ¡°Raven!¡± I gasped and nearly cried with relief. ke spun me around and gripped my shoulders, panic in his eyes as he checked me over. ¡°Are you insane?! You were gonna jump?!¡± He finally wasn¡¯t wearing that delivery uniform. ck button¨Cdown instead, hair styled to the side, showing off his handsome face. Right now, those eyes were staring deep into mine. ¡°Waaahhhhh-¡± I started bawling, threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. ¡°ke, I didn¡¯t want them to catch me.¡± ¡°Crazy girl.¡± He stroked my hair andughed, then scooped me up. Walking toward the room, he lifted me a bit. ¡°What¡¯ve you been eating, you little pig?¡± I pouted in his arms. ¡°Just the basics. Nothing as good as the DoorDash you kept sending me.¡± 46.5% ke raised an eyebrow. ¡°The basics? You nearly bankrupted the guy.¡± Knowing he was exaggerating, I didn¡¯t argue. Snuggled into his neck and whispered: ¡°ke, I¡¯m having a baby.¡± Forget the 71 Chapter 8 He stopped walking, froze for a few seconds, then looked at me with this mix of shock and joy: ¡°Raven? When¡¯d you find out?¡± My finger traced circles on his exposed corbone. ¡°That¡¯s why I bounced so fast when you dumped me. I needed your money to raise our kid.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want our baby growing up trash like me. I wanna raise them right, make them sessful. That takes serious cash.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not mad, are you?¡± I smiled sweetly. ke pressed his forehead to mine, his voice serious: ¡°Raven, do you realize how dangerous this was? You should¡¯ve told me right away.¡± ¡°How could I tell you? YOU¡¯RE the one who kicked me out!¡± I red at him and leaned on his shoulder. ke took a deep breath, and held me closer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Raven. I had my reasons. I¡¯ll exin everything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need to exin. I get it.¡± Smart cookie like me already figured out the whole situation. ke chuckled and kept carrying me downstairs. ¡°Oh yeah? Tell me why I did it then.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I looked up at his sharp jawline. ¡°Caleb¡¯s your business enemy, right?¡± ke looked impressed and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Good. Keep going.¡± ¡°You went broke because he screwed you over somehow?¡± I pushed his face away. ¡°Quit looking at me like I¡¯m some genius. You¡¯re from the Hartwell family, you got backup. Caleb nted Madison next to you for some reason, right?¡± ke¡¯s eyes crinkled as he smiled bigger and bigger. He looked at me with total admiration. ¡°That¡¯s my girl.¡± I lifted my chin proudly. ¡°Two years with you, I picked up a thing or two.¡± ke was in such a good mood, carrying me out of the estate to this fountain area. A bunch of guys in matching outfits were standing by some cars. ¡°Boss,¡± one of them walked up, looking all serious. ¡°Caleb got away, but we got Madison in custody.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± ke nodded. ¡°Let the cops handle the rest. I already gave all my evidence to thewyers.¡± ke got me in the car, then got in next to me. He leaned close, fingers on the back of my neck, foreheads touching mine. ¡°Raven, you¡¯re not trash.¡± He took my hand. ¡°You¡¯re brilliant. You just never had anyone to back you up, so you spent all your time just trying to make it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never gonna let you struggle like that again.¡± His kiss was hot and wet on my fingers. ¡°I got you. Forever.¡± Within a month, Caleb got arrested for corporate espionage and fraud. Madison got off with probation since she cooperated and provided evidence. Seeing the news, I calcted the timeline. It really hadn¡¯t been more than two months since I felt ke up in that hospital room. ¡°Babe, you don¡¯t know how scared I was,¡± ke said that night, holding me tight. ¡°I was terrified that after two months, when your money ran out, someone else would steal you away.¡± I was half asleep and mumbled: ¡°¡­I¡¯m not that kind of person¡­¡± He held me tighter, breathing against my neck. ¡°Seeing you with Caleb? Damn near gave me a heart attack.¡± ¡°Good thing you said all that bitchy stuff to clue me in. I was about to lose my shit and blow everything just to grab We Cheating On Me! 47.2% you.¡± Iughed and woke uppletely. During the day, ke was this smooth, sophisticated business heir. At night, he turned into a clingy teddy bear. When I was five months pregnant, me and ke had this huge, over¨Cthe¨Ctop wedding. When he lifted my veil for the kiss, he picked me up and kissed me like his life depended on it. Everyone was like, ¡°Girl, you must¡¯ve done something right in a past life.¡± But ke? He¡¯d always go, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m the one who got stupid lucky.¡± Thing is, love isn¡¯t some crazy hard thing to find. It¡¯s right there. People just don¡¯t see it. You put yourself out there, really love someone? Yeah, ites back to you. ?????? Forget the 72 ¡°Gabriel, are you seriously nning to keep lying to Elena forever? She¡¯s been working as a waitress during the day and driving for rideshare at night just to pay off your debts.¡± ¡°Last week she got soaked in the rain and ran a fever of 102 degrees, but she still wouldn¡¯t go to the hospital because of the money. How can you stand watching her suffer like this?¡± My husband Gabriel¡¯s voice carried irritation as he replied. ¡°Vera had my kid, and since I can¡¯t marry her, the least I can do is give her everything I¡¯ve got. As for Elena, I¡¯ll stick around and take care of her for life ¨C think of it as making up for what I did.¡± I stood there frozen outside our door, listening to every damn word. Still holding my shitty paycheck, stomach full of stale gas station bread. Silent tears ran down my face. So all the money I¡¯d made by destroying my health, all those dark circles from barely eating and working myself to death ¨C hell, it was ALL just so he could set up his side piece with the good life. In his whole perfectly nned future, there was NEVER any damn room for me! After hearing those words, my chest felt like it was being carved up by a rusty dull knife, each breath tasting of blood. When Gabriel¡¯spany went belly up and his business partner screwed him over by taking all the cash, debt collectors were at our door throwing red paint everywhere. He was curled up on the ground with his head in his hands, saying he wanted to kill himself. That¡¯s when I started working as a waitress during the day, running a night market stall, then driving rideshare after that ¨C all just to pay off his debts. During the scorching summer heat, I handed out flyers in 104¨Cdegree weather, my peeling sunburned back sticky with sweat. He held my hands and promised, ¡°Once I get back on my feet, I¡¯ll make sure you live the good life.¡± For five years, I bought discounted expired vegetables from the supermarket, boiling them over and over to get rid of the smell, while I gnawed on rock¨Chard bread. He said starting his business needed cash flow, so I secretly transferred all my savings into his ount. I wouldn¡¯t even buy myself a $2.99 T¨Cshirt. My shopping bag suddenly crashed to the ground with a loud rustle. Half a bag of rice mixed with wilted vegetables spilled out, the rotten leaves still stained with mud from when I¡¯d bargained with vendors. To save fifty cents, I¡¯d argued with that stall owner for ten minutes. He Cmart Uouse Was Cheating On Me! 47.7% Chapter 1 Sharp, tearing pain suddenly shot through my lower back. I slid down the wall to sit on the ground as blood drops seeped through my pants, staining the concrete with dark spots. Gabriel heard the noise and rushed out of the house, his pupils contracting when he saw the blood. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± I grabbed his pant leg through gritted teeth, my voice shaking with pain. ¡°Quick¡­ get me to the hospital. I think the baby¡¯sing.¡± Gabriel frantically pulled out his phone to call for an ambnce, and his fingers kept trembling over the keypad. When they loaded me onto the stretcher, he stood in the hallway doorway looking relieved, like he¡¯d just dropped off some heavy burden. In the delivery room, I woke up from the arguing family next to me after the anesthesia wore off. A nurse stood by my bed holding a bill, ¡°Mrs. Hayes, your husband only paid the deposit. The rest of the fees need to be settled today.¡± I dragged my IV¨Cattached hand over to the nurses¡® station. From the end of the hallway came Gabriel¡¯s gentle voice. ¡°Get the kid into the best school, the best sses. If you need more money, I¡¯ll transfer it to you.¡± My heart clenched tight. I leaned against the wall and peered around the corner to see Gabriel looking tenderly at a mother and child in front of him. The diamond bracelet dangling from Vera¡¯s wrist was the ¡°client gift¡± he¡¯d mentionedst week. That kid¡¯s outfit cost more than my monthly sry. Meanwhile, my baby was wrapped in rough hospital clothes, his little face red and irritated from the coarse fabric. I tried to force a smile, but tears came first. So all my life savings I¡¯d gambled on helping him, all that blood money I¡¯d saved up while enduring pain ¨C it was just funding his other family. Gabriel¡¯s idea of ¡°getting back on his feet¡± NEVER included sharing any of it with me! 48.0% Forget the 73 I dragged my exhausted body to pay the hospital bill with thest bit of money I had on me. When I got back to the room, Gabriel was sitting by the bed ying on his phone. He looked up and frowned. ¡°You just gave birth and you¡¯re already running around? Are you trying to kill yourself?¡± That irritated look was nothing like the gentle man I¡¯d just seen in the hallway. It reminded me of when I first found out I was pregnant ¨C he¡¯d stared at the ultrasound and sneered. ¡°Get rid of it. Kids are too expensive right now.¡± Back then I was stupid enough to think things would get better once his business picked up. So I worked as a waitress during the day, washed dishes at restaurants at night, juggling multiple jobs. I even squeezed prenatal checkups into my lunch breaks. Now I finally got it. He wasn¡¯t worried about affording a kid ¨C he was worried my baby would take away what belonged to Vera and her child. I covered the needle marks on my hand and gave him a fake smile. ¡°Have you thought of a name for the baby?¡± Gabriel¡¯s fingers paused on his phone screen, not even bothering to look up. ¡°Haven¡¯t thought about it. Just pick whatever.¡± I stared at the ceiling andughed. Last week I¡¯d seen his notebook in the car with over thirty names circled in red pen, with notes like ¡°Vera says this one has good meaning.¡± He remembered every single thought that woman had. But for the baby I¡¯d nearly died giving birth to, he said just pick whatever. My fingers typed ¡°divorce papers¡± into my phone and sent it to thewyer I¡¯d already contacted. Late that night, I went to get hot water from the utility room and heard sticky breathing sounds from the fire exit. ¡°There are cameras everywhere here. If we get caught¡­¡± Gabriel¡¯s voice was full of suppressed excitement. 19 206 Vera giggled, her fingernail tracing his throat. ¡°So what? She¡¯s stuck in bed and can¡¯t move. Even if she saw us, what could she do?¡± ¡°Tell me, between her and me, who understands you better?¡± Gabriel¡¯s voice was sweet as honey. ¡°You, of course. She doesn¡¯t have half your charm.¡± My hands shook as I held the hot water, steam fogging up my sses and burning the corners of my eyes. So all thosete nights when he came home smelling like strange perfume ¨C that was evidence of their affair! When I got back to the room, I saw a dark figure hunched over my baby¡¯s crib. I rushed over and pulled him away¨Cit was Vera¡¯s son. ¡°What are you doing!¡± He shook off my hand, his eyes full of hate. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you sick freak, and this little bastard too! You stole my daddy! I want you both dead!¡± He lunged at me, biting and scratching my arm. Before I could push him away, he crashed into the bed frame with a loud thud, then clutched his forehead and started wailing. When Gabriel burst in, he saw the kid crying and me protecting the baby¡¯s crib. The p across my face was so hard I could hear my teeth chattering. ¡°Elena! You can¡¯t even deal with a little kid? What¡¯s wrong with you!¡± I held my burning cheek and looked at him. ¡°Is this really what you think of me?¡± Panic shed in Gabriel¡¯s eyes and his lips moved slightly. Then Vera ran in with her clothes disheveled, the red marks on her neck especially obvious under the harsh hospital lights. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for bringing Lucas here.¡± She hugged her crying child while wiping away tears. ¡°He just wanted to see his little brother. How could this happen?¡± The boy immediately screamed ¡°She called me an unwanted bastard and pushed me!¡± I grabbed Gabriel¡¯s arm desperately. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± My nails dug into his skin. Gabriel jerked his hand away, his face cold as ice. ¡°Enough! He¡¯s only four years old ¨C you think he¡¯d lie?¡± Forget the 74 Chapter 3 Gabriel picked up that boy and walked out without even ncing at my crying baby in my arms. He never showed up again until my discharge day. Standing at the hospital entrance trying to g down a taxi, even the starting fare made me hesitate. My wallet had three coins left ¨C money that another patient¡¯s family had slipped me. I called Gabriel asking him to transfer me some cash. ¡°No money?¡± His voice was full of irritation. ¡°You know how tight things are at home right now. Figure it out yourself.¡± Through the ss window of a restaurant just fifty feet from the hospital entrance, I could see the three of them sitting around a table sharing cake. Gabriel was wiping cream off Vera¡¯s mouth while the kid clutched a balloon and jumped into his arms. The warm yellow light stretched their shadows long across the floor, like a perfect family portrait. My baby suddenly started crying. I patted his back and turned away, every step feeling like walking on broken ss. When I pushed open the wooden door to our rental, the hinges let out a harsh screech. The wall calendar was still stuck on the day I went to the hospital. The bloodstains on the floor had turned dark brown, mixed with dust and hardened into crusty chunks that smelled like rust when you got close. I didn¡¯t even have the energy to guess where Gabriel had been these past few days or who he¡¯d been with. After putting the baby in his bouncer, I dragged my five¨Cstitch wound down to scrub the floor. When the disinfectant soaked through the gauze, the pain made everything go ck. This tiny 100¨Csquare¨Cfoot room where you¡¯d bump into furniture just turning around had drained every ounce of my strength. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯d been asleep when the sound of the door opening woke me. Gabriel was standing by the bed holding a bag with cartoon prints on it. ¡°Clothes for the kid.¡± He handed me the bag, his voice deliberately gentle. I touched the soft cotton fabric and froze. The carefully stitched cor still smelled like sunshine, and for a moment I thought he¡¯d finally remembered he had a flesh¨Cand¨Cblood child. Then my fingers found a milk stain on the sleeve that wouldn¡¯t wash out. That crusty spot felt like a needle, bursting my fantasy wide open. These were clearly old clothes that had been worn for a long time. On Mel 49.0% My phone screen suddenly lit up with a photo from Vera. She was wearing a new tinum bracelet while her kid was dressed in a luxury outfit. The background showed the VIP lounge of some high¨Cend boutique. ¡°Gabriel was worried my son might feel left outpared to other kids, so he booked the whole floor just for us to shop. Picked me up some new jewelry too while we were there.¡± ¡°What you¡¯re holding are my son¡¯s old clothes. We were going to donate them to charity, but he said not to waste them.¡± ¡°Some people are just born to live off other people¡¯s leftovers.¡± My hands shook violently as I clutched those clothes. He could humiliate me all he wanted, but how could he treat a newborn baby like this? I threw the clothes right at his face. ¡°Even if I have to dig through trash, I won¡¯t dress my kid in someone else¡¯s hand¨Cme¨Cdowns!¡± Panic shed in his eyes before his face darkened. ¡°Money¡¯s tight right now. Having clothes at all should be enough.¡± He reached out to hug me, softening his voice. ¡°Once next month¡¯s project paymentes in, I¡¯ll buy the kid the best stuff. Just be patient.¡± I turned away without saying anything. Those promises woven from lies had frozen solid during countless cold night The next morning, I pulled out a wooden box from under the bed. Inside were the gold nes and bracelets that grandma and mom had left me. If thendlord wasn¡¯t pushing for rent, I would never touch these things. But I needed to take my child and leave, and that meant having money for travel and somewhere to stay. 49.39% Forget the 75 The next morning, I went to the jewelry store and ran right into them. The sales clerk was showing them gold bracelets while Vera rested her fingers on Gabriel¡¯s hand, smiling sweetly. ¡°I want this one ¨C the heaviest one. It¡¯s gorgeous.¡± Another clerk nced at my faded jacket with obvious disdain. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we don¡¯t buy back old jewelry here. If you¡¯re looking to sell, try the pawn shop at the end of the alley.¡± Cold sweat broke out in my palms as I gripped the wooden box. When Gabriel turned around, the smile on his face froze instantly. Vera had already linked arms with him and walked over, showing off the gold bracelet on her wrist. ¡°Oh, so sorry! I was going to pick one out for you too, but I didn¡¯t want you to think it was too expensive.¡± Gabriel avoided my eyes and said stiffly: ¡°I had a good monthmission¨Cwise. I was actually nning to¡­ buy you a gold ring.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± I clutched the box tighter and turned to leave. ¡°You two take your time shopping.¡± I went to an old established pawn shop instead and sold all the jewelry from the wooden box, putting every cent into my own bank ount. Walking past a print shop, I made three copies of divorce papers. After reading through the agreement, a breeze crept in through the window cracks, making me shiver, but it also bles away thest trace of attachment I had. Back at our tiny rental, the small table was set with delicious food ¨C all my favoritefort foods. Gabriel was wearing the apron I¡¯d mended for him, just bringing thest te of honey zed chicken to the table. When he saw mee in, he immediately rushed over to take my bag. ¡°What took you so long? The food¡¯s getting cold.¡± After I put the baby to sleep, I quietly sat at the table and picked up my fork. Gabriel ced a piece of chicken in my bowl, his voice unusually warm. ¡°Thepany¡¯s sending me on a business trip next week. I¡¯ll be gone about two weeks, but I¡¯ll bring you back something nice.¡± Then he pulled a small jewelry box from the drawer. Inside was a silver cross ne. ¡°I bought this for the kid. This month¡¯s bonus wasn¡¯t much, so it¡¯ll have to do for now. Once I get promoted to 49.7% department manager at year¨Cend, I¡¯ll get the baby a gold one right away and buy you a gold ring too.¡± Gabriel sounded so sincere. If I hadn¡¯t caught him buying Vera the most expensive gold bracelet in the store this morning, I might have actually believed this bted show of affection. I looked up at him, my fork frozen mid¨Cair. ¡°Is thepany really sending you on business, or are you going on vacation with Vera?¡± Gabriel¡¯s soup spoon crashed onto the table with a loud ng, his face instantly darkening. ¡°What the hell are you talking about? It¡¯s just a business trip ¨C why are you dragging Vera into this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sitting at home all day with nothing to do, so your mind¡¯s going to weird ces!¡± He grabbed his jacket from the chair and stormed out, mming the old wooden door so hard it shook the whole ce. I stared at the gradually cooling food on the table, then pulled out the divorce papers from the drawer. Carefully, I signed my name at the bottom and ced the agreement under his regr coffee mug. After packing up all my things, I held my baby and got on the bus back to my hometown. Two weekster, Gabriel came home humming a tune, carrying a bag with duty¨Cfree shop logos. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back!¡± The empty room echoed only with the sound of wind blowing the curtains. All my clothes had vanished from the closet, the baby¡¯s crib was gone too, leaving just faint impressions on the mattress. Gabriel¡¯s shopping bag hit the floor with a thud. He immediately pulled out his phone to call me, but the calls wouldn¡¯t go through. Suddenly, he spotted the divorce papers under his coffee mug, and his whole hand started shaking uncontrobly. Forget the 76 On the third day back in my hometown, I stood under the old oak tree at the vige entrance holding my baby, looking at the distant mountains. For the first time, I felt truly at peace. Grandma¡¯s old house was run¨Cdown, but with some cleaning it was livable. I put the baby in a wicker basket and started clearing the dust¨Ccovered furniture. When Aunt Martha from the vige walked by, she peeked into the basket. ¡°Elena, honey, what¡¯s going on here¡­¡± ¡°Got divorced.¡± I wiped the sweat from my forehead, surprised by how calm I sounded. Aunt Martha opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but finally just sighed. ¡°If you need anything, just ask. Nobody in this vige is gonna let you and the baby struggle.¡± I nodded, feeling warmth spread through my chest. Nobody here would ask why I got divorced, nobody would look at me with pity or judgment, and nobody would tell me women should just grit their teeth and bear it. On the fifth evening, I was hanging diapers in the yard when I suddenly heard urgent footsteps. Gabriel appeared at the gate, his hair a mess and his eyes bloodshot like he hadn¡¯t slept in days. ¡°Elena!¡± He pushed through the gate and rushed in. ¡°How could you just disappear like that? The baby¡¯s so young ¨C have you thought about what this means?¡± I didn¡¯t turn around, just kept hanging the diaper in my hands. ¡°What this means? Like what?¡± ¡°What can a woman do on her own with a baby?¡± His voice was panicked ¡°Come back home. Let¡¯s talk this through. We can work everything out.¡± I turned to face him, my voice as calm as if I was talking about the weather. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to work out. Sign the papers and we¡¯ll make it official.¡± Gabriel¡¯s face went white as a sheet. ¡°You¡¯re serious about this?¡± ¡°More serious than you ever were about Vera.¡± I picked up my baby from his basket as he started to wake up. ¡°You need to leave. You¡¯re not wee here.¡± Gabriel rushed over trying to hold the baby, but I stepped back. ¡°Don¡¯t touch him.¡± 50.3% ¡°That¡¯s MY son!¡± Gabriel¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me from seeing him!¡± ¡°Your son?¡± Iughed bitterly. ¡°From pregnancy to birth, when did you ever treat him like your son? Did you hold him once in the hospital? Did you even give him a name?¡± Gabriel opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t get any words out. Old Pete from the vige heard themotion and walked over, frowning when he saw Gabriel ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your business in our vige?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Elena¡¯s husband.¡± Gabriel rushed to exin. ¡°Husband?¡± Pete looked him up and down. ¡°Elena said she got divorced. So what husband? You here to start trouble? ¡®Cause we don¡¯t put up with that kind of nonsense around here.¡± A few more neighbors gradually gathered around, all looking at Gabriel suspiciously. Gabriel realized he was in a bad spot and softened his tone. ¡°Elena, I know I messed up. I really know I was wrong. Come back with me. I swear I¡¯ll never let you down again.¡± Looking at the panic in his eyes, I felt absolutely nothing. This man I¡¯d once been willing to sacrifice everything for was now just a stranger putting on a fake show to save face. ¡°Gabriel, you know what?¡± I gently rubbed my baby¡¯s back. ¡°I used to think if I just tried hard enough, if I just held on love.¡± long enough, someday I¡¯d earn your ¡°Now I finally get it. Your heart was never with me. All my effort was just a one¨Cwoman show.¡± The sun was setting, casting orange light across the yard and stretching our shadows long across the ground. Gabriel just stood there, opening his mouth but unable to say anything. He finally understood that once some things are lost, they can never be found again. Forget the 77 Chapter 6 Gabriel checked into the vige¡¯s little motel and started hanging around outside my gate every day, but I never let him in. On the seventh morning, I took the baby to the health clinic for his shots. When I got back, I found a bunch of stuff piled up in my yard ¨C imported form, a high¨Cend stroller, and a pile of fancy baby supplies. Aunt Martha was standing by my gate looking worried. ¡°Elena, honey, that man said he bought all this stuff for the baby. I didn¡¯t let him in the yard ¨C just left everything by the gate.¡± Looking at all those expensive items, I felt nothing but bitter irony. Where was he when I actually needed this stuff? When I was worried sick about paying for a few dors¡® worth of medicine, he was buying Vera gold bracelets. ¡°Aunt Martha, could you get some of the younger folks to help move all this to themunity center? See if any families there need it.¡± I headed into the house with my baby. ¡°We don¡¯t need any of it.¡± That evening, Gabriel came back, and this time he brought Vera with him. Vera was dressed in an expensive trench coat with full makeup,pletely out of ce in our simple mountain vige. She was holding onto Gabriel¡¯s arm with this fake smile stered on her face. ¡°Elena, you¡¯ve got Gabriel all wrong.¡± Vera¡¯s voice sounded so sincere. ¡°We¡¯re just friends. My son needs a father figure, and Gabriel¡¯s just helping us out of sympathy.¡± I stood at my gate holding my baby, calmly watching her little performance. ¡°See, we came all this way just to clear up the misunderstanding.¡± Vera patted the little boy beside her. ¡°Lucas, say h¨¬ to the nicedy.¡± That four¨Cyear¨Cold kid hid behind Vera, ring at me with pure hostility in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not misunderstanding anything.¡± My voice was t. ¡°Whatever your rtionship is, that¡¯s none of my business. I just want to live peacefully. Please stop bothering me.¡± Gabriel got flustered. ¡°Elena, let me exin¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any exnations.¡± I cut him off ¡°You should go back to your woman and kid instead of wasting time here.¡± Vera¡¯s face changed instantly, but she quickly put the smile back on. ¡°Elena, that¡¯s going too far. Gabriel came here out of kindness to check on you and the baby. How can you treat him like this?¡± 51.09 Looking at her carefully made¨Cup face, I remembered how she¡¯d looked running into the hospital room with her clothes all messed up, and I couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Ms. Sinir, you¡¯re quite the actress, but I¡¯m not your audience.¡± My voice was quiet but every word was crystal clear. ¡°You already got everything you wanted from him. What more do you need? My gratitude?¡± Vera¡¯s face darkenedpletely as she dropped the fake sweetness. ¡°Who do you think you are? Some useless housewife who can¡¯t do anything but drag people down?¡± Gabriel tugged at her arm. ¡°Vera, that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Why should I stop?¡± Vera shook off his hand ¡°She¡¯s the one who can¡¯t get her act together ¨C whose fault is that? Gabriel, you¡¯ve got a good thing going now. Why would you throw it all away for her?¡± Old Pete heard the arguing and walked over, frowning at the group. ¡°If you¡¯re here to cause trouble, you can get the hell out! We don¡¯t want your kind in our vige!¡± Other vigers started gathering too. Seeing Vera¡¯s fancy clothes and hearing what she¡¯d just said, they all looked disgusted. ¡°Just go.¡± I said to Gabriel. ¡°Take your woman with you before she embarrasses herself any more.¡± 51.3% Forget the 78 Chapter 7 Gabriel looked at the hostile stares from the vigers, then at my quiet baby in my arms, and pain shed in his eyes. The day after Gabriel and his crew left, I got a call from the courthouse saying he¡¯d filed for divorce mediation and was fighting for custody. I let out a bitterugh. How thoughtful of him. At the county legal aid center, thewyer pushed up his sses after hearing my story. ¡°Property division shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but custody is the main issue. Courts usually consider financial stability, and he definitely has the advantage there.¡± ¡°But do you have any favorable evidence? Something that proves he¡¯s got character issues?¡± I pulled a USB drive from my bag. ¡°This has Vera¡¯s chat records and photos she sent me, plus copies of the hospital security footage.¡± Thewyer plugged the drive into hisputer. After a few minutes, he frowned deeply. ¡°This stuff definitely helps your case, but it¡¯s not enough. You need more evidence to prove he¡¯s unfit to raise a child.¡± After getting back to the vige, I started reaching out to old neighbors and friends to gather evidence of Gabriel¡¯s cheating. Surprisingly, lots of people contacted me first, saying they¡¯d been disgusted by Gabriel¡¯s behavior for ages and were willing to testify in court. Mrs. Stone, who used to praise Gabriel to my face, now told me, ¡°Elena, honey, I wanted to warn you for the longest time. That man¡¯s no good. We¡¯re all behind you raising that baby on your own.¡± The day before the hearing, Gabriel came back, this time alone. ¡°Elena, do we really have to drag this through court?¡± He sat on the stone by my gate looking exhausted. ¡°The kid needs aplete family.¡± I was washing clothes in the yard and didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Byplete family, you mean you, Vera, and her son?¡± Gabriel was quiet for a long time, then said ¡°I admit I screwed up a lot of things. Can you give me another chance?¡± ¡°Another chance?¡± I stopped what I was doing and looked at him. ¡°You want me toe back with the baby and go back to walking on eggshells every day, watching you three y happy family while my kid and I are like two extra pieces of furniture.¡± Wes Cheating On Me! 51.7% Gabriel¡¯s face turned ugly. ¡°I never¡­¡± ¡°Whether you done talking.¡± did or not, you know the truth.¡± I squatted back down to wash clothes. ¡°See you in court tomorrow. I¡¯m The next day¡¯s hearing went smoothly. Gabriel¡¯swyer was definitely professional, arguing for custody based on financial stability and living conditions. But when Vera¡¯s chat records and photos were presented as evidence, the judge¡¯s expression clearly darkened. Even more damning was the hospital security footage that clearly showed Gabriel and Vera¡¯s intimate behavior in the hallway while I was giving birth. Gabriel sat in the defendant¡¯s chair, his face white as paper. Hiswyer tried to exin, but with solid evidence, any defense looked pathetic. Finally, the judge awarded custody to me, ordered Gabriel to pay child support, and denied him visitation rights until the child reached adulthood. Walking out of the courthouse, I stood on the steps holding my baby, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds, feelingpletely free for the first time. When Gabriel walked past me, he paused. ¡°Elena, I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t turn around or say anything. Some people, once you lose them, you should never look back. 52.0% Forget the 79 Three months after winning the case, I opened a small shop in the vige selling daily necessities and snacks, Business was pretty decent. My baby was three months old now, smiling and babbling. Watching him grow a little more each day made all the hardship worth it. That afternoon, I was organizing shelves in the store when little Tommy from the vige rushed in. ¡°Elena, someone¡¯s looking for you outside. They¡¯re driving a really nice car.¡± My heart skipped, thinking it might be Gabriel again, but when I went outside, I saw a middle¨Caged stranger. ¡°Are you Ms. Elena Foster?¡± the man asked politely. ¡°Yes, I am. And you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the legal department director at Cross Corporation.¡± The man handed me a business card. ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss some matters regarding Mr. Gabriel Hayes.¡± I looked at the card. Cross Corporation was a bigpany ¨C what did they have to do with Gabriel? ¡°Mr. Gabriel Hayes is a project manager at ourpany, but we recently discovered he¡¯s suspected of embezzling project funds.¡± The man looked serious. ¡°Our investigation shows most of this money was spent on personal expenses. luxury items, and such.¡± My heart jolted, remembering Vera¡¯s gold bracelet and expensive clothes. ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡± I asked. ¡°During our investigation, we found that Mr. Hayes repeatedly imed these expenses were for family needs, including your medical bills and such.¡± The man paused. ¡°We need your cooperation to verify whether these ims are true.¡± I immediately understood ¨C Gabriel had med all the money he¡¯d spent on Vera on me. ¡°I can cooperate with the investigation.¡± My voice was calm ¡°But I need to see the specific records.¡± The man pulled out a file from his bag. ¡°These are his expense records. You can look through them and tell us what was actually spent on you.¡± As I flipped through those records, my heart grew colder and colder. From the baby¡¯s birth until I left, I hadn¡¯t seen a penny of any expenses Gabriel had imed externally. All those supposed nutritional supplements, baby supplies, and medical costs were lies he¡¯d made up to cover where the money really went. 52.3% ¡°I can provide written testimony.¡± I closed the file. ¡°This money definitely wasn¡¯t spent on me and my child.¡± A weekter, Gabriel was fired from thepany and faced criminal charges. When the news reached the vige, Aunt Martha shook her head. ¡°That kind of person was bound to get what¡¯sing to him.¡± I didn¡¯t feel any satisfaction from his misfortune ¨C just exhaustion. The man I¡¯d once loved desperately had been a fraud from beginning to end. That night, I got a call from Vera. ¡°This is all your fault, bitch!¡± she screamed hysterically. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t ratted him out, none of this would¡¯ve happened!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t rat out anyone.¡± My voice was calm. ¡°He did what he did, now he¡¯s dealing with the consequences.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re so high and mighty?¡± Vera¡¯s voice was sharp as a knife ¡°He¡¯s unemployed now ¨C what are me and my kid supposed to do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my problem.¡± I hung up directly. Holding my baby by the window, looking at the distant mountains and peaceful night, I felt for the first time how quiet and beautiful the world could be. All that messy drama from the past could finally be turned to a closed chapter. Forget the 80 Chapter 9 After Gabriel¡¯s troubles, my life actually became more peaceful. Business at the little shop kept getting better, andbined with the court¨Cordered child support, my baby and I were basically worry¨Cfree. Of course Gabriel stopped paying once he lost his job, but we were managing just fine without him. The vige ountant often came by the shop to chat, and we gradually got to know each other well. She suggested I get an ounting certificate. ¡°You¡¯re so smart, ounting wouldn¡¯t be hard for you,¡± she said. ¡°There are lots of businesses in our town that need ountants, and the pay¡¯s decent too.¡± I was tempted. Running the little shop could sustain us, but long¨Cterm I needed a stable career. So I started studying ounting on my own, reading books and doing practice problems under themp every night after the baby fell asleep. Aunt Martha volunteered to watch the shop so I could find time to attend training sessions in the county. Six monthster, I got my basic ounting certificate. Just then the textile factory in town was hiring a finance assistant. I applied on a whim and surprisingly got epted. The factory manager was a woman in her forties named Ms. Miller. After looking at my resume, she said: ¡°Being a single mom isn¡¯t easy ¨C I¡¯ve been there too. I can tell you¡¯re reliable and hardworking.¡± On my first day of work, I dropped my son off at the vige daycare, then hopped on my used electric bike to head to work. My coworkers were all friendly and very supportive once they knew my situation. Especially Molly from ounting- she often volunteered to help with my workload so I could get off on time to pick up my son. After three months on the job, I received my first official paycheck ¨C $2,800. Holding those crisp bills, tears almost fell from my eyes. This was clean money I¡¯d earned through my own abilities, with no one¡¯s charity and no strings attached. That night, I bought my son new clothes and got myself a lipstick. Even though it was just a cheap $20 one from the drugstore, when I put it on, I felt like I wasing back to life. My child turned one and could say ¡°mama¡± and toddle around. Every day after work, seeing him run toward me was the happiest thing in the world. One day at lunch, the manager called me in for a talk. ¡°Elena, your work is very solid. I¡¯d like to promote you to head 53.0% ountant. Are you interested?¡± 844 I could hardly believe my ears ¡°Ms. Miller, I¡­ can I handle it?¡± ¡°Of course you can.¡± Ms. Miller smiled. ¡°Skills aren¡¯t born, they¡¯re developed. Besides, I believe in you.¡± After bing head ountant, my sry went up to 4,500, and with the year¨Cend bonus, I could make over 50,000 a year. I started nning to buy a small house in town to give my child a better environment to grow up in. That weekend, I took my son house hunting. The sales rep was very enthusiastic and showed us several floor ns. My child ran around the model unitughing happily. I squatted down to hug him and said: ¡°Sweetie, do you like it here? Mommy will work hard and buy us a new home, okay?¡± He kissed my cheek and said in his little voice ¡°I love mommy.¡± Tears instantly welled up in my eyes. Over this past year, I¡¯d never once regretted leaving that cold household. Though my child and I only had each other, our life was full of hope and warmth. This was the life I wanted ¨C simple, clean, and full of love. 53.4% Forget the 81 Two yearster in spring, I used my savings for a down payment on a two¨Cbedroom apartment in town. On moving day, lots of people from the vige came to help. Aunt Martha¡¯s eyes were red as she held my hand and said: ¡°Elena, honey, you¡¯ve made something of yourself, but don¡¯t forget toe back and visit.¡± The new ce wasn¡¯t big, but it had great sunlight. I decorated a little room for my child with cartoon stickers all over the walls. My child was two and a half now, could say lots of words, and loved calling me ¡°mommy¡± most of all. Every night before bed, he¡¯d hug my neck and say: ¡°Mommy worked hard today.¡± That feeling of being needed and loved made life feelplete and fulfilling. In the new environment, I made many friends. Lisa downstairs was awyer who often gave me legal advice. Mrs. Stone across the hall watched her granddaughter, and the two kids yed together well. Life was peaceful and full ¨C I thought it would continue like this forever. Until that snowy winter when I ran into Gabriel at the supermarket. He looked much older, with graying hair, wearing an ordinary down jacket and pushing a cart while shopping for discounted items. The moment he saw me, he froze, then looked withplicated eyes at the child beside me. My son was three now, looked a lot like him, but had apletely different personality ¨C lively and cheerful, pulling my hand and pointing at toys on the shelf. ¡°Elena¡­¡± Gabriel started to say something. ¡°Is there something you need?¡± My tone was t, like I was talking to any ordinary stranger. Gabriel looked at the child, then at me, and finally said nothing, pushing his cart away. At checkout, the cashier whispered to me ¡°That man was watching you two the whole time, his eyes were all red.¡± I didn¡¯t look back and felt nothing at all. The person who once caused me so much heartache was now truly just a stranger in my eyes. After getting home, while giving my child a bath, he suddenly asked ¡°Mommy, why was that uncle staring at us?¡± I paused, then said softly. ¡°Maybe he thought we looked really happy.¡± ¡°We are really happy!¡± my child giggled ¡°I have the best mommy in the world!¡± 53.7% Yes, we were happy. No lies, no betrayal, no grievances or tears ¨C just simple, pure love and being loved. That night, I stood on the balcony watching the snowkes dance, feeling more peaceful than ever before. All the past pain and struggle had shaped who I was now. If I hadn¡¯t experienced that darkness, I never would have known that one person could live such a wonderful life. Spring came, and my child was starting kindergarten. While packing his little backpack, I found a drawing he¡¯d made- two people holding hands in front of a house, one big and one small. ¡°Mommy, this is our home,¡± my child pointed at the drawing. ¡°Just the two of us ¨C it¡¯s the best.¡± I hugged him and kissed him over and over. Yes, our home with just the two of us was the best. All those past experiences that once caused me pain had now be the most precious treasures of my life. They taught me what real love was, what real happiness was. The me now no longer needed anyone¡¯s charity or pity. I had my own career, my own home, and the little angel who loved me most in this world. That was enough ¨C truly enough. Outside the window, spring was beautiful, and my child¡¯s and my life was just beginning. 54.0% Forget the 82 Senior year was absolutely brutal. I grinded for three whole months¨Cpulling all¨Cnighters, cramming leetcode problems, and doing so many mock interviews I could literally answer ¡®tell me about yourself in my sleep. All that grinding paid off when I snagged the top spot and scored an internship offer at TechFlow, one of the biggestpanies in Silicon Valley. My boyfriend River ckstone came in 42nd. At least we¡¯d be interning together, right? Yeah, no. Before I could even post about it on my story, River drops this bomb in our texts: [Poor Vivian got cut at 51st ce. She¡¯s been crying nonstop.] [You¡¯re ranked first, so you won¡¯t have trouble finding other jobs. I already declined the offer using your name, so Vivian can move up from the waitlist to be the 50th official hire and take the position you freed up.] I¡¯m staring at my phone¡­. Excuse me? My hands are literally shaking. Like, the AUDACITY of this man??? I immediately called HR, exining who I was and what happened. After a pause, they said apologetically: ¡°Ms. Sterling, we¡¯ve already filled that position with an alternate candidate.¡± I hung up and checked Vivian¡¯stest Insta post fromst night (and OF COURSE it¡¯s already got 200+ likes): ¡°Finally got what I deserved! Never giving up pays off ¡°1 The photo showed River holding up her eptance letter, both of them grinning like idiots. I called my mom, voice steady despite everything: ¡°Mom, forget the internship. You and Dad were right¨CI¡¯ll start preparing to take over TechFlow directly!¡± Mom went quiet for a few seconds, probably shocked I¡¯d finally made up my mind. She sighed softly, but her voice carried relief: ¡°Good. You¡¯re finally seeing sense.¡± After hanging up, I watched the rain pattering against my window. Weirdly, I felt¡­ calm. Wes Cheating On Me! 54.4% Then River¡¯s notification popped up: [Stop being so dramatic, babe. Don¡¯t be a drama queen. She¡¯s your friend too. Stop being so selfish and think about her feelings for once.] I actuallyughed out loud reading that garbage. When I called him back, my voice was ice¨Ccold: ¡°River, is my hard work really that worthless to you?¡± ¡°Drama queen? I busted my ass for this opportunity¨Cwhy should I hand it over to her? When you made this decision for me, did you think about MY feelings for even a second?¡± River had the audacity to sound defensive: ¡°Look, you¡¯re smart enough to get a job anywhere. Vivian¡¯s¡­ different.¡± I cut him off: ¡°So because she¡¯s useless and bombed the interview, you get to throw away my opportunity? River?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a person, not some tool for making other people¡¯s dreamse true.¡± My voice was final: ¡°If you actually cared about me, you wouldn¡¯t dismiss everything I¡¯ve worked for.¡± Instead of apologizing, River kept defending her: ¡°How can you talk about Vivian like that? She works hard too!¡± ¡°You obviously have the ability to apply again and get another offer, so why won¡¯t you help out a friend this time? The three of us could have interned together! I never thought you¡¯d be this selfish.¡± Iughed bitterly, feeling my heart turn to stone. ¡°Interned together¡°-those words hit like a knife. I really thought he got it, you know? Like, he SAW how hard I worked for this. But apparently I¡¯m just some side character in his little rom that he can write off whenever it¡¯s convenient for his main character moment with Vivian. I didn¡¯t bother arguing anymore: ¡°Fine. Go intern with her then.¡± And hung up. River¡¯s words wereughably ironic. Did I need this internship? Like he said, probably not. But what I needed was for my effort to be respected. I stared at my phone screen, those messages still stinging. 54.6% I was supposed to consider Vivian¡¯s feelings¨Cwho was considering mine? I¡¯d chosen this internship because of River. I wanted us to work together, to stand beside him based purely on merit, not family money. That¡¯s all it was. But now I realized some paths you have to walk alone. Forget the 83 Chapter 2 The next morning, our advisor posted a form in the group chat for internship confirmations. I took a deep breath, fingers hovering over my keyboard before typing in TechFlow¡¯s fullpany name. River slid into my DMs immediately: [Jenna, why¡¯d you still put TechFlow? I know you¡¯re pissed, but there¡¯s literally no spot for you now.] [I get that you¡¯re embarrassed to list anotherpany, but fake info means you won¡¯t graduate!] I stared at the screen and smiled. [River, don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m definitely going to TechFlow.] After a pause, he sent: [Are you just trying to intern with me?] [Be reasonable here. I¡¯ll help you find otherpanies. Different offices, same city!] I never realized how self¨Cabsorbed River was. [No thanks.] I turned off my phone and ignored him. Over the next few days, he spam¨Ctexted me job listings like he was handing out flyers. From ¡°3K sry, housing included¡± to ¡°startup with big dreams.¡± Finally, he sent a coffee shop help¨Cwanted poster with: [Just temporary¨CI¡¯ll take care of you.] When he called asking what I thought, I replied coldly: [Not interested.] He went silent for days. Until River showed up outside my dorm with an internship contract, TechFlow¡¯s logo zing across the cover. He shoved the papers at me with this condescending, charity¨Ccase tone: ¡°I begged my mentor forever to get you this spot. It¡¯s not official intern status, but you can shadow a project team.¡± Basically an unpaid coffee¨Cfetching position. I nced at it without reaching for the contract. ¡°Why not save this amazing opportunity for your precious Vivian?¡± His face darkened, voice rising: ¡°Jenna, Vivian isn¡¯t as brilliant as you. Her life doesn¡¯t have endless opportunities.¡± 55.0% I stared at him, feeling sick. So sessful people should sacrifice for unsessful ones, giving them opportunities because ¡°sessful people will have more chances¡°? I suddenly felt exhausted. ¡°River, I don¡¯t need to intern with you.¡± His eyes finally showed panic. By then, Vivian emerged from the girls¡® dorm, spotting the contract in River¡¯s hands. She hurried over, looking anxious: ¡°Jenna, River¡¯s just trying to help¡­¡± I cut her off, voice calm but freezing: ¡°Vivian, do I need his help? Whose internship spot was it originally? You tell me.¡± Her face went white, turning to River with puppy¨Cdog eyes. River frowned, stepping protectively in front of her: ¡°Jenna, that¡¯s enough. I already fought to get you this position¨Cwhy are you still being such a bitch about it?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be smart? Once you¡¯re in, work your way up to a real internship. Problem solved.¡± He made it sound so easy, like I¡¯d just lie around until they promoted me. I stared at River for a long time. Realizing he¡¯d gone too far, River softened his tone: ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I just think you¡¯re so talented, you can definitely make it work.¡± ¡°Look, we¡¯ll still be working together. The three of us can rent a ce¨Cwork and life, all together. Isn¡¯t that perfect?¡± I looked at River like I was seeing him for the first time. He wanted me to live with him and his little childhood sweetheart. ¡°The three of us¡°? When they needed me to ¡°give up opportunities,¡± would I be expected to move out and give them space too? ¡°Perfect,¡± Iughed coldly and walked away. River called happily after me: ¡°So it¡¯s settled then!¡± Forget the 84 The group chat kept buzzing with internship discussions and arrangements. I stared at my screen feeling hollow, like something vital had been carved out of me. I was done with River and Vivian¡¯s exhausting, unreasonable arguments. River and Vivian left for San Francisco that night to apartment hunt, booking just one room. Back when we were happy, River had linked his ounts to my credit card, saying he wanted me to feel secure. But when the hotel booking notification hit my phone, I stared at the screen, fingers trembling. In that moment, myst shred of hope crumbled to dust. I screenshot the message to River with a question mark. He replied: [SF is expensive. Trying to save money.] I wasn¡¯t even mad about the money anymore¨CI¡¯d given up when he rejected my offer. But seeing his casual attitude broke what was left of my heart. I quietly unlinked our ounts. River found an apartment, which I discovered through Vivian¡¯s Instagram: [Not only working at TechFlow together, but living together too! Who¡¯s jealous?] The photo showed them making faces in some cramped 500¨Csquare¨Cfoot two¨Cbedroom dump. Thements were full of jokes and congrattions, like I¡¯d never existed. The irony was overwhelming. River didn¡¯t exin or ask if I¡¯d seen the post. He genuinely thought everything was fine, I finally understood¨Csome disappointments don¡¯t explode suddenly. They copse slowly, piece by piece. Now even the tiniest warmth had vanished. On move¨Cout day, the dorm lobby was packed with luggage. I¡¯d just sealed myst box of books when I heard River¡¯s voice outside, calling Vivian¡¯s name with obvious adoration floating up through the floors. I peered out the window. River was dragging Vivian¡¯s pink suitcase toward a waiting cab. 55.7% Vivian followed behind with just a canvas bag, beaming. Three tripster, her stuff was loaded. Meanwhile, I had four massive suitcases plus three bags¨Cdefinitely not a one¨Cperson job. I made a call: ¡°Dad, send some people. Can¡¯t manage alone.¡± Dad pretended to be annoyed: ¡°Now you remember your old man? Called Mom all week but not me. Got it, sending someone over.¡± Right after I hung up, my door opened. I turned to see River and Vivian in the doorway. River looked smug: ¡°Can¡¯t handle it solo, right? Vivian¡¯s stuff is done¨Cshe wanted to help you.¡± He nced at Vivian with pure worship in his eyes. Vivian nodded sweetly: ¡°Let me help, Jenna.¡± What did he expect me to say? Thank Vivian for her generous heart? Using my boyfriend and then graciously offering to help with my luggage? Looking at them made me physically sick. I forced my voice to stay level: ¡°Thanks, but no.¡± I yanked my suitcase zipper closed with a harsh sound. River¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Jenna, don¡¯t be ungrateful. We¡¯re throwing you a bone here¨Cquit being such a brat.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all moving to work together anyway. Why be stubborn? If you¡¯re so capable, find your own ce in SF.¡± I didn¡¯t look up, checking my phone instead. Dad¡¯s assistant texted: [Here.] I stood and organized my luggage. ¡°Fine. You two live together.¡± Finally realizing my coldness was beyond his expectations, River looked stiff. He grabbed my hand: ¡°Where are you staying?¡± I didn¡¯t answer. Someone knocked¨CDad¡¯s assistant with several security guys. 55.9% Chapter 3 The lead man, Sebastian nodded at me respectfully, then motioned for the security team to grab a suitcase each. I slung a backpack over my shoulder, ready to leave. River finally processed what was happening, pointing at Sebastian: ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°Your new boy toy?¡± Looking at River¡¯s face¨Cangry and incredulous¨CI almostughed. Instead of answering, I told Sebastian: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± River tried to block me but got stopped by security. I walked out of the dorm without looking back, River¡¯s furious shouting echoing behind me. Forget the 85 Chapter 4 Early September in San Francisco, the breeze still carried that end¨Cof¨Csummer warmth. Standing in our penthouse, I gazed out the floor¨Cto¨Cceiling windows at the perfectly manicured garden below. When our advisor posted the congrattory announcement about TechFlow hires in the group chat, my phone buzzed with a text from Vivian: [Jenna, you¡¯re absolutely disgusting.] [River treated you so well and you literally CHEATED on him! Over an internship? Was it worth selling yourself out?] [No wonder you put TechFlow on your form and said River didn¡¯t need to worry. You already had your sugar daddy lined up, didn¡¯t you?] I stared at those messages for a long time, finger hovering over the delete button before finally pressing it. I thought ignoring Vivian would make her back off, but she just doubled down. She kept going in the group chat, getting more aggressive: [Jenna, you think ying dead will cover up the truth? River gave you everything and you pulled this behind his back. Absolutely revolting.] I snorted. She really was worried about her precious River. That¡¯s when River jumped in with his own message: [Jenna, never thought you¡¯d literally prostitute yourself to get into TechFlow.] I froze, and before I could even respond, River had already posted the video from move¨Cout day¨Cme with Sebastian. In the clip, Sebastian¡¯s designer suit and obvious authority made it clear he wasn¡¯t some random guy. He kept leaning in to talk to me while handling my luggage, his attentionpletely focused on me. Then I got into his luxury car and we drove off. The group chat started buzzing with whispers and spection. Someone quoted the congrattory post with obvious sarcasm: [Jenna definitely slept her way in.] [I checked¨Cthe official hire list doesn¡¯t even have Jenna¡¯s name on it.] [Can¡¯t believe our program produced someone like this. Don¡¯t tell people you¡¯re from MIT when you graduate¨Cit¡¯s 56.49 embarrassing.] [Right? People will think our school¡¯s a total joke. Gross.] I watched the messages flood the chat, my grip tightening on my phone. The first batch didn¡¯t have my name because of River and Vivian¡¯s bullshit¨Cbut whatever. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. Even though I couldn¡¯t care less about River and Vivian¡¯s nder, I couldn¡¯t let these baseless usations slide. [River, Vivian¨Cyou two will literally stoop to anything to trash me.] I paused, then added: [As for the TechFlow list, you both know exactly who¡¯s taking spots they don¡¯t deserve.] My message sent, and the chat went dead silent for a few seconds. But then our advisor suddenly retracted the congrattory post, which just made everyone more convinced of their nasty assumptions. River seized the moment: [Jenna, don¡¯t me us for calling you out. Screwing up isn¡¯t bad¨Cwhat¡¯s bad is when nobody corrects you. It¡¯s not toote to change.] Vivian piled on: [Someone like you doesn¡¯t deserve to work at TechFlow. Even if you get in, they¡¯ll expose you eventually.] Just as I was about to respond, the advisor kicked me out of the group chat. The instant I got booted, I feltpletely frozen¨Clike I¡¯d been totally cut off from everyone. I immediately contacted my roommate to screenshot everything as evidence. Her profile showed ¡°typing¡­¡± but no message came. Finally, she sent me screenshots of the continued conversation. Nothing but usations and insults directed at me. After sending the screenshots, she messaged: ¡°Jenna, please don¡¯t contact me anymore. Hope you understand.¡± I called her, but it went straight to voicemail. A sinking feeling hit me. I tried reaching other ssmates¨Cradio silence from everyone. Funny how when you get angry enough, you actually startughing. Sebastian noticed something was wrong and asked respectfully: 56.6% ¡°Should I handle this?¡± I shook my head: ¡°Move up the MIT recruitment start date. ASAP.¡± Forget the 86 Sebastian nodded without questions, just pulled out his phone. ¡°All set. Intern orientation is day after tomorrow at 10 AM.¡± The morning arrived, and I got to the office thirty minutes carly, only to spot River and Vivian chatting away at the check¨Cin desk. When they saw me, their expressions shifted to shock, then Vivian smirked: ¡°Well well, if it isn¡¯t Jenna. What, sleeping your way in wasn¡¯t enough? Now you¡¯re crashing actual orientation?¡± I ignored her provocation and walked past the registration area. There weren¡¯t many MIT kids at TechFlow, but the six or seven there were all pointing and whispering about me. Someone muttered: ¡°She actually showed up after all her dirty business got exposed.¡± Another person said loudly: ¡°Shh, careful¨Cher sugar daddy might get mad and kick you out.¡± Theyughed in a cluster, eyes full of mockery and hostility. I took a deep breath, swallowed my rage, and headed straight to HR. The HR manager looked confused: ¡°You are?¡± I told him my name was Jenna Sterling. He flipped through personnel files, frowning: ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t have any onboarding notification for you.¡± The MIT crewughed even harder: ¡°Jenna, did you not keep daddy happy? Howe you¡¯re on the hire list but not in personnel files?¡± ¡°Better go make up with your sugar daddy¨Ctwenty minutes left, you can still fix this.¡± I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. Ice ran down my spine, but I forced myself to stay calm: ¡°Get your personnel director down here.¡± The manager looked stunned: ¡°You think you can just summon our director? He¡¯s busy¨Cplease leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± I stared directly at the HR manager, voice quiet but crystal clear: ¡°Tell him Jenna Sterling needs to see him. Now.¡± 10:28 Hell Yeah, Forget the Other Woman, My Smart House Was Cheating On Me! 57.0% The manager scoffed dismissively but walked toward the back offices. ¡°Director Martinez is famous for his temper. Meeting him? You¡¯re screwed. What a joke¡­¡± Everyoneughed harder, even betting on how many minutes before I got thrown out. A few minutester, Director Martinez stormed out, still cursing: ¡°Can¡¯t handle one simple thing! Any random person thinks they can see me!¡± ¡°Let me see which idiot wants to meet with me.¡± Everyone waited for the show. Martinez kept swearing until he saw me clearly. His anger instantly melted into a fawning expression: ¡°President Sterling! What brings you here!¡± Forget the 87 President Sterling? That froze everyone in ce. ¡°President¡­ Sterling?¡± River¡¯s voice trembled with disbelief, his face turning ugly, Vivian¡¯s smile stuck on her face. The MIT kids looked at each other¨Cnobody dared speak. I heard someone whisper: ¡°She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s President Sterling?¡± River gritted his teeth: ¡°Impossible¡­ how could you be President Sterling?¡± I said calmly: ¡°There¡¯s a lot you don¡¯t know about me.¡± Real confidence neveres from others¡® approval¨Cites from holding the right cards. River¡¯s face went ashen, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing, but then he suddenlyughed¨Cforced and testing: ¡°President Sterling¡­ which President Sterling exactly? Thispany doesn¡¯t seem to have any Sterling executives.¡± He deliberately drew out the words, eyes shing with malice. I met his probing gaze. River locked eyes with me like he¡¯d caught me in something, looking smug. ¡°If so¡­ just show us your appointment letter!¡± River¡¯s lips curved mockingly, his gaze contemptuous. I shrugged helplessly: ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t have an appointment letter.¡± River lightly tapped the desk, the sound crisp but casual. ¡°No executive background, no appointment letter. Jenna, how dare you? Putting on this act at such a majorpany.¡± ¡°Is it because your sugar daddy¡¯s backing you up? Looks like you¡¯ve got more than just one!¡± River looked at Director Martinez, who¡¯d just called me President Sterling so respectfully, his gaze turning probing and sleazy. Vivian followed River¡¯s line of sight to Martinez. ¡°Jenna, even if you want to show off in front of River, you can¡¯t tell such huge lies.¡± ¡°Even if you¡¯re not in personnel files and can¡¯t start work, you don¡¯t need to make up an identity to feed your vanity.¡± ~ On Mal 57.7% Vivian looked at me with obvious schadenfreude, deliberately stirring up the other students: ¡°I never heard of any Sterling executives either. This has to be fake.¡± ¡°Making your sugar daddy y along with this charade for your ego¨Caren¡¯t you embarrassed getting exposed?¡± I stood quietly, never wavering for a second. ¡°Enough. You¡¯re all supposed to be MIT students, but you jump to conclusions like idiots.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have brains? Have you thought about the consequences of these malicious assumptions?¡± Director Martinez couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He¡¯d been watching my expression the whole time, and now the target was clearly on his head. His face darkened as he swept his gaze over everyone present: ¡°I¡¯ve been with thispany ten years and never seen such disrespectful, baseless usations. President Sterling is the official General Operations Manager appointed by corporate. Her position doesn¡¯t need exining to any of you.¡± His voice boomed like thunder, making the registration area shake slightly. ¡°If you can¡¯t show basic respect, then please leave.¡± River¡¯s smile froze, panic shing in his eyes. Vivian opened her mouth to say something but got silenced by Martinez¡¯s sharp re. Seeing things calm down slightly, I spoke evenly: ¡°Everyone here¨CI don¡¯t need to prove anything to you. But to avoid putting Director Martinez in an awkward position, I suggest we contact corporate headquarters right now to verify.¡± Then Martinez called his superior, calmly reporting the situation. The response came through loud and clear for everyone to hear: ¡°You don¡¯t know who Jenna Sterling is? Do I really need to exin this to you?¡± The voice paused, then continued with obvious irritation: ¡°Internalpany matters don¡¯t need outsiders questioning them. What the hell are these students doing? Anyone who doesn¡¯t want to work can get the fuck out!¡± After hanging up, my voice stayed calm and measured as I looked at River and Vivian with cool certainty: ¡°Anyone else want to personally call and ask about my position?¡± in On Me! 58.1% Chapter 7 Forget the 88 Chapter 7 River and Vivian instantly went pale, clearly shaken by the aggressive response they¡¯d just heard. I swept my cold gaze around the room, finallynding on the IIR manager: ¡°Can I process my onboarding now?¡± The manager hurried over with an apologetic smile, doing aplete 180: ¡°Of course! Of course! Right this way!¡± Director Martinez personally held the office door open for me, then red back at the HR manager. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? You don¡¯t even recognize President Sterling?¡± ¡°Deal with those nobodies however you want!¡± The HR manager went pale, stammering incoherently. Behind us, those faces shifted from mockery to shock to terror. As I passed River, I said in the lightest voice: ¡°Next time, don¡¯t believe rumors so easily.¡± His body trembled slightly. I continued: ¡°My mother¡¯s maiden name is Sterling¨CI took her name. My father¡¯s surname is William. Jonathan William.¡± I let out a softugh and followed Martinez¡¯s lead. Everyone there knew exactly who Jonathan William was¨Cthepany founder, worth billions. After the door slowly closed, the MIT crew looked at each other in stunned silence. Vivian bit her lip, eyes darting around, trying to mask her earlier aggression. The HR manager¡¯s face flushed red, sweat beading on his forehead: ¡°What are you staring at? This is all your fault! Anyone who wants to stay better smarten up.¡± ¡°As for you guys, I suggest you quit now before you drag me down with you.¡± He red furiously toward River and Vivian, voice thick with suppressed rage. After I finished processing my executive¨Clevel credentials, the HR manager stood respectfully by the door, addressing me as President Sterling. I nodded: ¡°Are all the campus recruitment procedures done?¡± The manager pointed to a line of people: ¡°Just a few more processing.¡± 58.4% I saw River and Vivian standing at the back of the line, expressions rigid. I walked over and pulled the forms from in front of them, tearing them in half as everyone watched in shock. ¡°Rumors,¡± I said casually, ¡°sometimes really should stop with the wise.¡± River¡¯s veins bulged: ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Vivian grabbed River¡¯s arm: ¡°River, forget it. President Sterling¡¯spany obviously doesn¡¯t want us here. Let¡¯s just go.¡± Thatment only fueled River¡¯s rage. He shook off Vivian¡¯s hand, eyes zing: ¡°I won¡¯t swallow this! Who do you think you are? Using yourst name to throw your weight around, settling personal scores?¡± ¡°Everyone here earned their way in through merit. What gives you the right to kick me out?¡± I smiled faintly, letting the torn pieces flutter from my hand as I watched him lose it. ¡°What about her?¡± I countered, ¡°Did she earn it?¡± I pointed at Vivian. River froze, and Vivian went deathly pale. I turned to the HR manager, handing him my original first¨Cce eptance list: ¡°I took the exam with everyone else, and my scores definitely weren¡¯t fabricated. Since the first¨Cce candidate has now started work, that spot needs to be freed up. As for the people on the waitlist¡­¡± The manager immediately caught on, nced at the list, and nodded: ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll handle it right away.¡± ¡°Also, thepany doesn¡¯t hire people with histories of misconduct. Everyone witnessed what these two did at school.¡± Just then, Sebastian appeared beside me: ¡°I¡¯m Sebastian, Mr. William¡® assistant. Mr. William sent me to pick up Ms. Sterling from school.¡± I noticed some student in the corner filming everything from the front lines of the gossip. I smiled knowingly at the camera. Sebastian looked at River and Vivian, his tone losing all warmth: ¡°You two¨Cif there¡¯s nothing else, please step aside. Others are waiting in line.¡± ? River stared at me nkly, fists clenched and crackling, but couldn¡¯t find words. Vivian lowered her head, gently tugging his sleeve, voice barely audible: ¡°River, let¡¯s go.¡± He finally turned and stormed off, lookingpletely defeated. As expected, the video went viral on our campus forum. Chapter 7 After my identity was revealed and Sebastian¡¯s rification, the campus exploded. Top administrators held emergency meetings,pletely shutting down the rumors about me, while River and Vivian faced dyed graduation. The dean personally invited me to speak to the entire faculty and student body as an outstanding alumni representative. I didn¡¯t refuse. Perfect opportunity to make them pay for their behavior. A week after starting work, the school called students back for an assembly. I disyed all my past academic honors andpetition achievements on the big screen. I told everyone my ¡°excellence¡± was beyond question. ¡°You all saw the campus forum, right?¡± I looked at the audience below as whispers spread and conversation picked up.. I paced on stage, speaking casually: ¡°Some people said I was kept by men, that I had sugar daddies.¡± I paused, scanning those who had once pointed fingers at me. ¡°But the truth is, I earned my ce through pulling all¨Cnighters on projects and winningpetitions.¡± ¡°Those who said I used connections to get into prestigiouspanies¨Cshouldn¡¯t they take a good look at where I¡¯m positioned now?¡± My brief words caused an uproar below. I smiled slightly and continued: ¡°I don¡¯t need to exin much because the facts speak for themselves. But I¡¯m not standing here to refute your prejudices¡ªI¡¯m here to tell everyone who¡¯s still working hard: don¡¯t let others¡® malicious assumptions make you stop.¡± I looked at those who had once mocked me, my tone calm but powerful: ¡°Because I understand that what truly determines our future isn¡¯t other people¡¯s words, but our own persistence and effort.¡± Scattered apuse broke out, quickly spreading across the auditorium. I knew this wasn¡¯t about proving how excellent I was, but for everyone who¡¯d been misunderstood yet kept moving forward silently. As the apuse gradually died down, I nodded slightly, my gaze falling on River and Vivian in the front row. They sat with heads down, expressionsplex, their former arrogance long since shattered by reality. Walking off stage, the dean came up to shake my hand, his face showing a pleased smile. ¡°The school is proud of you.¡± I nodded lightly: ¡°What about the people who spread rumors? How are they being handled?¡± After revealing my identity, even my words carried more weight. ca 19 The dean¡¯s expression stiffened, then he said quietly: ¡°They¡¯ve been handled ording to university policy¨Cappropriate disciplinary action and dyed graduation.¡± I walked toward the auditorium exit: ¡°Not enough.¡± The dean¡¯s voice came from behind: ¡°Understood, understood.¡± If I weren¡¯t Jenna Sterling, what identity would I use to prove my worth? If I weren¡¯t Jenna Sterling, those rumors would have been enough to destroy me permanently. My academic advisor approached, wanting to say something, but I cut him off: ¡°Maybe you should learn the facts before drawing conclusions about your students.¡± His expression instantly froze, looking at me awkwardly. I turned and left without giving him a chance to exin. After the assembly, ssmates who¡¯d unfriended me on social media frantically sent friend requests, messages flooding in. Some apologized, some showed support, and others I¡¯d never even talked to hoped I¡¯d arrange jobs for them, their tones servile and fawning. I didn¡¯t reply to anyone. Leaving school, my roommate who¡¯d said not to contact her blocked my path: ¡°Jenna, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I looked at her: ¡°I understand.¡± I gently patted her shoulder, my tone no longer cold: ¡°Let¡¯s leave the past in the past.¡± Her eyes reddened as she nodded. On the drive home, our campus forum was flooded with clips from my auditorium speech, captioned: [Rumors stop with the wise.] The group chat had been disbanded, and university administration issued an announcement: ¡°Effective immediately, we¡¯re strengthening regtion of online conduct, eliminating malicious defamation and personal attacks, promoting respectfulmunication and mutual understanding. We hope all faculty and students environment.¡± take this as a warning and work together to create a positive campus ¡°The university has decided to expel students River Foster and Vivian Channing. We hope students learn from this and treat others with honesty and integrity in their future lives and studies.¡± 20 200 I looked at that harshly worded disciplinary decision and quietly turned off my phone. The day I officially becamepany CEO, the situation was finally put to rest. As if nothing had ever happened. River came to see me, his eyes carryingplexity. He said: ¡°Jenna, I was wrong. Let¡¯s get back together.¡± ¡°Vivian knows she messed up too. I know you don¡¯t want to see her¨CI promise I¡¯ll keep my distance from her, okay?¡± I nced at River¡¯s fake sincerity, feeling nauseous. ¡°River, I don¡¯t need your apology, and I definitely don¡¯t need you keeping distance from Vivian to please me.¡± ¡°I have my own life and career. You¡¯re just a cautionary tale that showed me human nature. You better behave yourself and stop bothering me.¡± I turned and left. River stood there, staring nkly as my figure disappeared. That night, I got a message from some socialite in our circle, famous for insider information. With an attached photo: Vivian in a revealing slip dress, standing outside some upscale lounge, holding a champagne ss with an exaggerated smile, her eyes showing undisguised desire and calction. [This is the one who spread rumors about you?] I stared at the photo for three seconds, then suddenly found it amusing. She hadn¡¯t changed¨Cstill scheming, willing to do anything to climb thedder, hiding a restless heart under that morous exterior. Only this time, no River to pave her way, no opportunities to steal. My finger hovered over the screen, then finally hit delete. My life was just turning to page one. Those pieces of trash didn¡¯t deserve to dirty my paper. 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