1 Seven years after Celeste’s supposed death, I stumbled upon her while promoting drinks at a high-end club. The moment she saw me, she instinctively recoiled, ducking behind the bartender as if trying to melt into the shadows. My gaze didn't linger for a second. I continued to introduce the whiskey in my hand to the customer. When my shift ended, she was blocking the employee exit, her expression a complex palette of emotions, like a spilled paint tray. “Ethan, all these years… how have you been?” I didn't answer. I just pulled on my food delivery jacket, put on my helmet, and looked down. Suddenly, she grabbed the handlebars of my scooter. “Ethan, I wasn't dead. Aren’t you even a little surprised?” Of course, I wasn't surprised. The moment she collaborated with my brother to stage that fake death seven years ago, making a fool of me— She had already died in my heart. … “Daddy! When are you coming home? Lily wants to hear a story!” My daughter’s sweet, childlike voice chirped through the car's Bluetooth. Celeste let go of the handlebars as if scalded, her face instantly drained of color. I gently reassured Lily, then turned the ignition. But Celeste stopped me again. “Ethan, are you… married? How old is your child?” “Your wife lets you work in a place like this?” I was in a hurry to finish this delivery and get home, so I didn't bother to explain. Just then, her phone rang, and Celeste answered it reflexively. A gentle male voice came from the other end: “Celeste, did you get the red wine I asked for? Little Alistair is fussing, wanting his mommy to play LEGOs with him.” Celeste frantically lowered the volume, mumbled a few responses, and hung up. When she looked up again, her tone carried a deliberate note of helplessness. “Lucas… your brother, it's his birthday, and he insisted on that particular wine. I'm allergic to alcohol, but I had to go along with him…” Her voice held a hint of eager probing, as if waiting for me to take her side. I nodded indifferently. “Well, you’re married to him, of course, you have to indulge him.” Celeste frowned, stopping me again. “I’ll cover all your deliveries tonight! Can we talk?” “That debt… it must have been hard for you to pay off all these years, right? I can help—” I finally turned to look at her, my voice calm. “Ms. Thorne, wasn’t that sixteen million dollar debt all thanks to you?” Her face instantly turned ashen. I twisted the throttle, and the electric scooter zipped out of the alley. In the rearview mirror, she stumbled, chasing a few steps in her high heels. I didn't look back. By the time I finished my last delivery, it was late into the night. Pushing open the door to my rental apartment, Lily rushed into my arms like a little cannonball. “Daddy! I got a perfect score on my math test today!” I laughed, ruffling her hair, but my gaze fell on the glowing screen of the tablet on the coffee table— A news alert showed Celeste, in a designer gown, attending a charity gala. Lily followed my gaze, her small hand gently touching my back. “Daddy… the lady at the convenience store today said,” “I look just like that pretty lady on TV…” She paused, then quickly added, “But I told the lady that my mommy is a star in the sky! I have enough with just you, Daddy!” My nose stung. Seven years ago, Celeste faked her death, leaving me with sixteen million dollars in company debt. I had done everything imaginable over the years. Serving drinks at clubs, hauling bricks at construction sites, even working as a life model. Lily was adopted by me three years ago from an orphanage. She was three then, as thin as a kitten, shrinking into a corner when she saw strangers. At four, she started remembering things. Even though she was still a tiny tot, She would, when I had a fever, wobbly climb onto a stool to pour me hot water. She had never cried for a mother. But I knew she often secretly looked at photos of other children holding their mothers’ hands at night. What she didn't know was— Her birth mother wasn't dead. It was Celeste, now a rising business star in the city. I only confirmed it by chance, six months after adopting her, when I saw an old missing person’s notice and privately did a DNA test. But I would never let Celeste know. “Don't cry, Daddy,” Lily wiped the corner of my eye with her small hand. “Lily’s with you!” “I’m going to eat lots of rice and grow tall quickly! That way, Daddy won’t have to work in the middle of the night!” My heart felt like it was torn open and then stuffed with cotton. It hurt, yet it warmed me, making me tremble. I forced myself to stay awake, helped her finish her homework, and tucked her into bed. Lying beside her, I stared at the ceiling until dawn. 2 The next day, I went to work at the restaurant. At two in the afternoon, my daughter’s teacher called. “Lily’s dad, please come to the school right away! Lily got into a fight with a classmate!” My heart tightened. I asked the manager for leave and rushed to the school. The moment I pushed open the office door, my breathing hitched— Lily’s left cheek was swollen and red, but she was biting her lip, refusing to cry. Only when she saw me did she let out a sob and throw herself into my arms. “Ms. Green, what happened?” I asked the teacher. She looked troubled. “During class today, the financial news was playing, and Lily saw Ms. Thorne’s picture and said she looked like her. And then—” “That’s my mommy! How dare Lily, that stray, pretend to be my mommy!” A girl with pigtails next to her shrieked. At the same time, a commotion came from outside the door. “Who dares bully my daughter?! Wife, Mom, Dad, we need an explanation today!” My blood ran cold. Before I could cover Lily’s face, several startled voices exploded. “Ethan?!” My parents, Celeste, and my brother Lucas. Celeste rushed over, grabbed Lily’s shoulders, and stared at her face for a few seconds, her pupils constricting. “Those eyebrows and eyes… Ethan, is she… the child I lost back then…” My parents and Lucas also froze in place. In the living room of the mansion, I ignored everyone else and applied ointment to Lily’s face. Lily quietly rolled her eyes, assessing them. After a long while, my mom cleared her throat. “Ethan… why haven’t you contacted us all these years? We only found out you weren’t doing well when… Celeste told us.” “Ainsley didn’t mean it. She didn’t know Lily’s background, and she’s your brother’s child. Don’t take it to heart.” “But… what about this child?” No sooner had she spoken than Lucas burst out, his voice choked with tears. “Brother, I know you hate me, hate me for making Celeste fake her death to marry me.” “But I couldn't help it! I loved her too much…” He grabbed my hand, tears instantly flowing. “And at the time, I didn’t know the cancer diagnosis was a mistake. I just wanted to fulfill a dream.” “By the time the misdiagnosis was confirmed, Celeste and I already had Ainsley.” “That’s right, Ethan,” my dad chimed in. “It’s fate. You and Celeste weren’t meant to be. Don’t blame your brother.” I forced a faint smile. Seven years ago, Celeste told me she was going to discuss funding, and to wait for her. What I waited for was the news of her drowning. The company lost its backbone, all orders fell through. When the sixteen-million-dollar debt crashed down on me, I met Lily, abandoned, at an orphanage. She became my only light in the darkness. I sold the apartment and jewelry Celeste left me, but there was still a three-million-dollar shortfall. To pay off the debt, I took Lily and moved to the city. But in a shopping mall baby store, I saw— Lucas with his arm around Celeste, picking out baby clothes, my parents smiling beside them. “Celeste, do you think my brother will forgive me? Will he blame me for orchestrating your fake death to marry me?” “I know he loved you… but I was the one who fell first!” Celeste then kissed his forehead, her expression solemn. “I left him the company and the apartment. Those years he had me were enough.” “My love can only be for one person, and that’s you.” My parents looked utterly relieved. “Ethan has always been stubborn. He complains we favor his brother and runs so far away. Don't mind him, he'll come back when he's had enough.” Only then did I understand— They would do anything for Lucas. Heartbreak, was merely this. “Finished? I’m leaving.” I took Lily’s hand and turned to walk away. Letting them call my name behind me. On the way, Lily seemed to want to speak but ultimately asked nothing. I knew the peaceful days were over. Sure enough, late that night, I received a text from Lucas. [Ethan, are you a ghost haunting me? Bringing a stray to seduce my woman, have you no shame?] [You couldn't beat me when we were kids, and don’t even think about it now.] [I’ll show you what happens when you mess with my woman.] I didn't reply, gently patting Lily’s back to coax her to sleep. Nor did I pay attention to Celeste’s consecutive messages and missed calls. The screen flickered in the darkness. Like that great fire seven years ago that burned everything I had. 3 I still woke at five in the morning to knead dough and steam buns at the breakfast shop. After the morning rush, my phone vibrated in my apron pocket. I thought it was Lily’s teacher, but the screen showed “Mom.” “Ethan,” her voice carried a deliberate softness. “Your brother knows you’ve been struggling and feels so bad he can’t sleep at night.” “After Ainsley hit Lily, he disciplined the child and said he wants you to come home.” “We’ve tidied up the spare bedroom. Why don’t you bring Lily back for a meal?” She paused, a hint of hesitation entering her tone. “Today… is also your brother and Celeste’s seventh wedding anniversary. As his brother, you should come back and wish them well, right?” Lucas couldn't even wait a few days. I knew exactly what he wanted to do—ruin the life I had just started to build. I hung up and continued to scrub the greasy stovetop. Looking up, I saw Celeste standing at the shop entrance. She wore a cream-colored trench coat, out of place in this small, grease-stained shop. “Ethan,” her eyes were complex. “I’ll drive you.” Lily clutched my hand, looking up at me, then at Celeste. I took a deep breath, suppressing my irritation. My phone rang again. This time it was my dad. “Ethan, I’ve asked Celeste to pick you up.” “You’ve been sulking for seven years, that’s enough. Your brother thinks about you constantly. I don’t ask you to be filial to us,” “But at least give him a way out. What he values most is a reunited family.” I gave a silent, wry smile. If he truly valued reunion, he wouldn’t have conspired with Celeste seven years ago. And I wouldn’t have been made a fool of like a dog. But I still got into Celeste’s car. Some things needed to be said face-to-face. In the car, Celeste kept looking at me through the rearview mirror. The oppressive silence was suffocating, and finally, she spoke. “Ethan, I know you hate me. What happened back then… I was thoughtless.” “I thought you understood how the company worked. I thought those assets would be enough for you to live comfortably…” “It’s been… very hard all these years, hasn’t it? That child, she…” I opened my half-closed eyes, annoyance bubbling up. Any assistant she had now could dig up every detail of my life. Why pretend to care now? Half an hour later, the car stopped outside a hotel banquet hall. Lucas’s events were always lavish. My parents saw me, smiles of relief on their faces, and each grabbed one of my arms. “That’s right! How can brothers hold a grudge? It’s good to have you back!” Their smiles were too wide, so wide they made me uneasy. Lucas walked over with a champagne flute, a flicker of malice in his eyes. “Mom, Dad, I was so happy my brother would come back, I couldn’t sleep last night,” he choked out. “But I also feel guilty…” “If it weren’t for me, my brother might have started his own family long ago. So today, I’ve prepared a big gift for him.” My eyelid twitched. The next second, Lucas announced with a smile. “Ethan, I used your photo to arrange a good match in our circles—Miss Olivia Hayes, the second daughter of the Hayes family!” My blood froze. The Hayes family’s second daughter had severe bipolar disorder and had beaten three previous fiancés to death a few years ago! “Lucas, I’m your own brother!” I roared. Celeste, however, pressed down on my arm. “Ethan, Miss Hayes’s condition is under control now. The Hayes family is willing to offer a six million dollar dowry. You’ll be living a life of luxury if you marry into them.” “The Hayes family business is under a subsidiary of Thorne Corp. I’ll look after you.” “Ethan, stop making a fuss!” My mom frowned. “You’re thirty. And you had that messy past with Celeste. Where will your brother put his face if that gets out? Can’t you think of him for once?” I stared at them intently. The seven-year-old scar on my heart was being torn open. This was the woman I had loved. These were my family. For Lucas, they would push me into a fire pit. “Whoever wants this marriage can have it! It has nothing to do with me!” I grabbed Lily and tried to leave, but Lucas suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Brother, I’m doing this for your own good…” His eyes reddened, but his fingernails dug hard into my flesh. I winced, trying to shake him off, but Lucas fell backward like a leaf! “Ethan, what are you doing!” My dad roared. I hadn’t even used any force! Just as I was about to protest, my mom’s slap came sweeping towards me. I closed my eyes, but the anticipated pain didn’t land. Opening my eyes— My mom’s wrist was firmly seized in mid-air. I turned my head and met a pair of calm eyes. “Excuse me,” the woman’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the din of the entire room. “Who do you intend to marry off my husband and child to?” Lily’s eyes lit up, and she threw herself into her arms. “Mommy!” The room fell into a dead silence. 4 It wasn’t until Lily’s “Mommy!” echoed that I snapped back to reality. “How are you back so early? Didn’t you say the project wouldn’t be finished until next month?” Erica cast a sidelong glance at me, a playful glint in her eyes. “If I hadn’t come back sooner, my husband would have been abducted.” She exchanged a look with Lily in her arms, and a mischievous glint flickered in both their eyes. I suddenly remembered— Lily’s most memorized phone number, besides mine, was Erica’s. That little imp must have secretly “told on me.” “Wait!” Lucas’s face was ashen. He stared at Erica, his voice trembling. “Erica? You and Ethan… know each other?” “And… why are you here?” Erica raised an eyebrow, reaching to pull me behind her. “Since this is a family dinner, we outsiders won’t intrude. Husband, child, let’s go.” She turned to leave, but Lucas staggered after her. “Erica… Erica, do you remember me? We both graduated from Northwood University. We even performed together in the talent show back then…” He gave me an imperceptible glare, then put on a shy expression. “You might not know, my brother here is a bit foolish. He used to bother my wife…” “Erica, you must have been used by him. Listen to me, let me expla—” Erica scoffed, interrupting him. “I remember. Ethan is your biological brother?” “You always took his toys, his scholarship money, even his women. Now you’re slandering him in front of me.” “You Harding family, how interesting.” Those few words drained all color from my parents, Lucas, and Celeste. My mom managed a forced smile. “Ethan… when did you get married? Why didn’t you tell us?” “If you’re living with Miss Hayes, then your mother can rest easy…” Erica finally turned to look at her. “Auntie, seven years ago, when Ethan took on a sixteen million dollar debt for this scoundrel, why didn’t you say you could rest easy?” My mom’s face lost all its color. I lowered my eyes. Erica had an investment company that happened to have business dealings with the Harding family. It was a small project for her, but enough to support the Harding family for a whole year. She had endured a lot for me before. Today, that unspoken understanding was completely shattered. Erica didn’t bother to say more, putting her arm around my shoulder and walking out. “Ethan! You explain to me, why—” Celeste tried to follow but was stopped by Erica’s bodyguard. Her shouts grew fainter in the distance. My steps didn't falter. The people behind me, who had been so arrogant moments ago, were now silent as mutes. At home, Lily and I took a hot bath. Emerging from the bathroom, my wet hair was gently held up, the warm breeze of the hairdryer caressing the ends. Turning, Erica was looking at me. Her gaze was focused, tinged with concern. “If that little clever Lily hadn’t secretly messaged me, were you going to shoulder it all by yourself again?” “If I hadn’t cut my trip short to rush back this time, would those people have picked your bones clean?” “Ethan, when will you learn to boss me around and rely on me with confidence?” Her tone was calm, but the end of her sentence held a hint of grievance. My chest ached slightly. After the pain, a warm current spread through my limbs. Lily sat on the sofa, holding a cheese stick Erica had given her, her big eyes sparkling as she watched us.
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