When Carter and his secretary crossed the line, I hadn't even left the house yet. They were so intensely engaged they completely lost themselves. Right up until the end. When Carter finally noticed me, he offered a careless apology: "Sorry, didn't know you were still home." He looked down, cleaning himself up, then suddenly glanced back at me. "Listening for that long, you must be feeling it too, right? "How about you help me finish cleaning up? And I'll... "Fulfill you?" 1 Whoosh. A wave of sheer humiliation rushed from my head straight down to my feet. I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my chin, squeezing so hard tears sprang to my eyes. In the bathroom, the steam was thick. Carter leaned down. "Staying behind on purpose... you just wanted to hear how I am with other women, didn't you? "Now that you've heard it, you're unhappy?" It wasn't like that! I was originally heading out. But I realized I forgot the lipstick Carter had given me. So I came back. Before I could even find the lipstick, I heard Mia's giggles. "Why did you call me over at this time?" I wanted to say something. To let them know I was still here. But before I could even push the door open, I didn't know who pushed who, but they slammed against the bathroom door from the inside. I was trapped. I could only bite my lip as hard as I could. To avoid the utter humiliation... Mia asked him, "Why do you still call me over when your wife is back?" He let out a low groan, but still managed to answer her. "She's dirty." Tears of pure degradation broke through the dam. I forced myself to stand up straight, staring directly at Carter. "Those men never touched me... I am not dirty, Carter. My body is clean." Before I could finish. Mia walked back from washing up in the other room, her eyes meeting my red, tear-filled ones. Her gaze slowly dragged down to the lipstick tube I was clutching so tightly. She gave a slight, mocking smile. "Oh, does the missus really like that lipstick? That's a shame. Carter bought me a designer bag, and the store threw that in as a free sample." 2 I froze in place. I couldn't believe what Mia was implying. This lipstick... It was clearly brand new. It was sitting at home in its perfect, unopened packaging! I... I thought Carter had finally realized the truth. That he had given it to me as a peace offering, a chance to mend our relationship. That's why I was heading out to carefully pick out a return gift for him... Mia seemed to see right through my confusion. Smiling brightly, she turned around and dropped her towel right in front of me. "Since the missus likes it so much, I'll just give you all my free samples from now on. "I'm a bit picky anyway. "Free samples... they just feel so dirty to use." Dirty?! That word again?! The string of sanity in my head snapped violently. I charged at her, using every ounce of strength I had to rip at her hair, dragging her and slamming her against the wall. Mia never expected me to get physical. She screamed in agony. Her smooth forehead instantly swelled where I smashed it against the drywall. It didn't stop until Carter ripped us apart. He shielded her behind him, looking at me in absolute disbelief. "Chloe, are you insane?!" Yeah! I was insane! What kind of woman could just stand there and watch her husband sleep with another woman?! I glared at him. A wave of overwhelming, crushing sorrow surged up my throat. "I was kidnapped and dragged out to the middle of nowhere because of Mia! I was never touched by those men... "Carter, how many times do I have to say it before you believe me..." I couldn't stop the sob from escaping. A flicker of emotion, maybe guilt, flashed in his eyes. But Mia suddenly yanked on his arm, her voice trembling. "Stop lying. "When Carter and I burst in there to save you... "Your legs were literally spread apart by those men!" Carter froze. That brief flicker of emotion instantly vanished. He picked Mia up in his arms, his expensive shoe crushing the lipstick tube on the floor. "Chloe, you are truly disgusting." 3 The water in the bathtub submerged my head entirely. Just ten minutes. Clinical death... then there's no saving me. I closed my eyes. The darkness, the suffocation, it felt exactly like three years ago. Carter had disappeared without a word. Unreachable. His whole family was frantic. When we finally managed to get a hold of his secretary, Mia, she told me in a panic: Carter had gone to a rural county for a project. His signal was lost deep in the mountains! She suspected... I called the police, but I was so terrified I followed the GPS pin Mia sent me myself. A heavy blow to the back of my head. When I opened my eyes again, I was tied up. A man who only knew how to let out a sickening, guttural laugh was tearing at my clothes, muttering, "Rich man's wife... so pale... gonna make a great breeder." I struggled. I fought like a madwoman. They brutally snapped my leg. I was barely breathing. My clothes were in shreds. I felt the cold air against my exposed skin. His filthy, reeking hand clamped over my mouth and nose. I couldn't breathe... Just a little bit more. Just a little bit... Splash—! I violently sat up from the water, like tearing myself away from a years-long nightmare. My ears were ringing. Why? Why should I be the one to die? I was the victim! It was Carter who refused to believe me! It was Carter who wanted revenge against me. For a whole month, I lay alone in the hospital. No matter how I explained that no man had touched me, he wouldn't believe it! He only wanted to believe what he saw! He decided I ran off to the mountains and got myself kidnapped just to spite him. He thought I was using my body to manipulate him. But I was incredibly stupid. Even while trying to "manipulate" him, I let those disgusting men take advantage of me! My leg was tortured until it broke. The only time I saw him, Carter stared at me coldly. "Played too hard and got burned. Are you satisfied now? "You reap what you sow. Absolutely idiotic." Then he left. He ignored every single one of my calls. Desperate to explain, I checked myself out of the hospital early, only to come home and find him in bed with Mia! She was panicked. He didn't even try to hide. The pristine white sheets were stained with red blood. Carter leaned against the headboard, lazily narrowing his eyes. "No need to look so upset. "At least the person I found is cleaner than the ones you found." 4 I squeezed my eyes shut, waking up from one unbearable memory after another. My lungs felt like they were going to explode. I was coughing violently. I decided I didn't want to die. I drove straight to the nearest emergency room. Fighting through the pain, I parked the car, only to see Carter and Mia walking out. She had a fresh bandage taped to her forehead. Her eyes were brimming with tears, looking incredibly wronged. "Carter, maybe I shouldn't go to your place anymore. Chloe... I don't know what she'll do next time, I'm scared..." She didn't finish. Carter tilted her chin up. Even though I wasn't that close, I could clearly see the soft, affectionate look in his eyes. "Scared of what? If she won't let you come over, I'll just go to your place." Mia fell silent. She meekly lowered her head. "Then why don't you... just divorce her?" Carter's smile faded slightly. "I'll buy you a new condo in a few days." Mia pouted slightly. When she looked up again, she met my eyes. Her face drained of color. "Chloe..." Carter frowned. "You followed us here? Chloe, do you really have to pull these pathetic, stalker stunts?!" I walked toward them, step by step. The feeling of water in my lungs made my chest feel like it was cracking open. "Get out of my way!" 5 They didn't move. I shoved them hard. Carter's face went cold as he grabbed my arm. "What the hell are you doing?!" My chest felt like it was ripping apart. I coughed uncontrollably. Carter frowned deeper. "Faking an illness now?" Mia looked at me, then gently shook his arm. "I understand Chloe, really. If I were her, and I came up with a stupid plan that ended up getting me violated by other men, I'd try everything to win you back too... "Carter, why don't you..." She bit her lip, looking pitiful. "Why don't you just go home with her for now." Carter reacted like he had touched something filthy. He forcefully threw my arm away, an expression of utter disgust on his face. "I truly didn't expect you to still be acting at a time like this. Chloe, you've hit a new low!" The force of his shove nearly made me pass out. I couldn't catch my breath. Cold sweat poured down my body. Just then, a man in a white doctor's coat rushed out and quickly caught me. "Chloe!" He sounded furious, scolding me: "I told you to let the ambulance go get you! Near-drowning is no joke! Thank God I came out to look for you!" By the elevators, two nurses ran out to help me onto a gurney. Carter suddenly grabbed Dr. Arthur Miller's arm. "Drowning? You're helping your stepsister lie and scam people now?!" Arthur glanced at Mia standing next to him, his expression completely detached: "Before this moment, I had no idea you were hooking up with this woman again!" 6 Perhaps it was because I finally saw someone I could trust. My consciousness quickly slipped away. Everything went dark and blurry. It felt like I was back a long, long time ago, when the Miller family finally claimed me. Everyone said my grandmother was worried my mom would be despised by the Millers for giving birth to a girl. So she secretly swapped me out for a baby boy and sent me away. That boy was Arthur Miller. He grew up in my house, forming a deep, unbreakable bond with my biological parents. When they found me, they decided to keep us both. But I grew up in a poor, rural town. When I returned to the Miller estate, I realized they had strict etiquette for everything, even eating. I couldn't learn it. I felt helpless and deeply ashamed. With so many people at the dining table, Carter was the only one who gently held my hand and softly guided me. "Use your left hand first, then apply pressure with your right..." That night, at the banquet celebrating the return of their biological daughter. I, the actual daughter, hid in an unnoticed corner and quietly blushed. Dreams. Fragmented and broken. It felt like ever since I returned to the Miller family, everyone knew how I felt about him. They silently allowed me to follow Carter around like a shadow. Back then, the term 'simp' didn't exist yet. Everyone just said the Miller's biological daughter was throwing herself at him. Only Arthur warned me to stay far away from Carter. Because everyone knew... Carter already had a "moonlight" in his heart—an untouchable first love. So, when I heard they broke up, I waited by Carter's side, overjoyed. So, when Carter got drunk, he gave me a chance... The next morning, holding a cigarette, he said: "I'll marry you." But I waited for the clouds to part, forgetting that storms can roll in without warning. Mia suddenly appeared in our lives. I realized with sheer terror: Mia only looked a tiny bit like his first love, but Carter was absolutely determined to keep her by his side. We engaged in cold wars, we fought bitterly. Until I couldn't take it anymore. I went to find him to make peace... and was tricked by Mia into going to that remote mountain village. Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes. Arthur's voice sounded next to me. "Since you're awake, start thinking about your future." 7 I sniffled. "No wonder they love you so much. Nothing gets past you." Arthur paused. He handed me a tissue. "Mom and Dad never expected you to fall so deeply for Carter." I wanted to laugh, but I lacked the energy. Some things, the beneficiaries will never understand. My expression must have been too obvious. Arthur frowned. "Chloe, you need to understand, Mom and Dad didn't have to bring you back." True. To the Miller family, a daughter's use value was basically zero. Arthur wanted me to know my place and be grateful. He was also reminding me that without the Miller family, I never would have even had the chance to get close to Carter. I closed my eyes. Feeling the suffocating frustration churning in my chest. "Once I divorce him, I'll be of absolutely zero use to the Miller family." "Divorce?" "Divorce?!" Two male voices echoed in the hospital room simultaneously. Unlike Arthur's shock. Carter's voice carried a distinct, icy edge. He marched straight in, his gaze locking onto me. "Chloe, what did you just say? You want to divorce me?" This time, Mia wasn't with him. His sharp eyes bore into mine, looking down at me from his towering height. "Plan A failed, so you're moving to Plan B? "What kind of crazy act are you putting on this time? Who's your male lead? Your stepbrother?" He shifted his gaze to Arthur's face. "What do you think? "Isn't Chloe your sister? You're going to get inside her? Doesn't the very thought of it make you sick?!" "Carter!" I couldn't take it anymore and screamed his name! The next second. Arthur grabbed his collar and delivered a vicious, bone-crushing punch. The sickening thud of fist meeting flesh. The two men tangled together, neither holding back. "You animal!" Arthur's eyes were bloodshot as he hoisted Carter up by his collar. "If we knew you were capable of this kind of bastard behavior, our family never would have let Chloe marry you!" They fought until they were both panting heavily and finally separated. Carter looked at me. There wasn't a shred of apology in his eyes. "What happened with Mia and me just makes us even. Don't try to threaten me with divorce. "Chloe. "You cry wolf too many times, and eventually, nobody believes you." 8 I stared quietly at this man. My gaze slid over his sharp, familiar features. I offered a silent smile. "Okay. I understand." Carter looked momentarily bewildered, staring at me blankly for a long time. "I hope you actually have the self-awareness you're projecting right now." Carter left. My phone buzzed with a $50,000 transfer notification. This was an incredibly rare occurrence. The only time anyone got compensation from Carter was when he felt genuinely guilty. Arthur looked at me. His expression was incredibly complicated. I told him, "I suddenly realized something. Regarding that kidnapping... even if I had been violated, what right does Carter have to punish me for it? "This obsession with 'purity'... it's just adopting the moral standards of the criminals who kidnapped me. "Don't you agree, brother?" Arthur's face went completely blank for a second. He asked, belatedly: "What did you just call me?" I didn't elaborate. Arthur took a deep breath. "Chloe, whether you believe it or not, Mom, Dad, and I... we all love you very much." 9 I used to hate Arthur. I hated him for taking my place, for enjoying the love of my parents. He was the reason that even after returning to the Miller family, I remained a child starved for affection. Because I was starved for love. The moment Carter showed me that tiny shred of kindness. I fell hard. I tried so desperately to find proof that I was loved in that relationship. But I forgot that Carter's kindness toward me was nothing more than an accidental, fleeting act of charity. I suddenly remembered something. After I was rescued, Mia had stopped me and said: [Did you really think I could fool someone as smart as Carter?] [He just doesn't care. He doesn't care about you, and he doesn't care about your marriage.] [After all, when he wasn't answering your calls, we were just about to...]
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