Chapter 1 Carter Sterling was the most notorious workaholic in New York. Because of it, our wedding had been postponed a full nine times. Even when everyone in our social circle mocked me, he remained entirely unmoved. Even when it was my mother’s dying wish to see me married, he just gave me the same tired excuse: "Stella, I'm just too busy right now." It wasn't until my mother passed away, full of regrets, that Carter finally felt a pang of guilt. To make up for it, he threw a ten-million-dollar wedding at the most expensive hotel in Manhattan. But the very next day, I was blocked at the hotel doors. The security guards rolled their eyes at me endlessly: "Where did this crazy lady come from? The bride is the CEO's childhood best friend. Did you get kicked in the head? Keep dreaming." I refused to accept it and tried to force my way inside. In response, Carter simply called the cops. After being held in a precinct cell for twenty-four hours, I became the laughingstock of the entire city. When the wedding was finally over, Carter casually tried to coax me: "It was just a ceremony. The little girl wanted one, so I gave it to her. It’s not like we signed a marriage license. Is it really that big of a deal?" But this time, I didn't cry, and I didn't make a scene. Because someone else had already given me the wedding he couldn't. ... Yesterday, right there in the police precinct, I accepted my actual childhood best friend's proposal. As soon as I finished handling my mother’s post-funeral arrangements, I was going to leave. Carter was completely oblivious. He even leisurely lit a cigarette. Through the drifting smoke, he delivered his arrogant apology. "That’s enough. Mia has severe depression. Are you really trying to push her to suicide?" With that, he turned on the TV. Every major news network was broadcasting footage of me trespassing at the wedding yesterday. "Carter Sterling, come out here! I waited for you for eight years! Why are you doing this to me?!" On the screen, I was screaming his name, looking like an absolute clown. The hair and makeup I had spent three hours perfecting were completely ruined as the security guards dragged me away. Even his groomsmen had looked at me with impatience: "Stella, come on. Be reasonable. You're making a complete fool of yourself right now!" But I hadn't cared how I looked. I just kept desperately trying to push my way inside. Until the police sirens suddenly blared. With the sharp click of the handcuffs locking around my wrists, my heart completely died. The pathetic footage of me had been captured and spread all over New York. Carter clearly had the power to stop it, yet he allowed the media to run wild. There was only one reason. Because I was disobedient, he wanted to punish me. Mia Harper walked over, biting her lip, looking the picture of innocence. "Stella, you have to believe me. I really just wanted to experience a wedding. I would never ruin your relationship with Carter. Can't you just pity me for once?" I was so sick of hearing her use pity as an excuse. Because he pitied her, Carter ran off to comfort a "suicidal" Mia on my birthday. Because he pitied her, we had to drag Mia along on our one annual vacation. Because he pitied her, I was even expected to hand my own wedding over to her. I had had enough. I looked up at Mia, catching the blatant provocation hidden deep in her eyes. I offered a faint smile. "You're already married, why call me by my first name? You two are a perfect match. Happy wedding." Mia’s face instantly flushed beet red, as if her deepest, darkest secret had just been exposed to the world. "Stella, what are you doing?! Do you really have to humiliate me like this?!" As she spoke, a dark glint flashed in her eyes. She grabbed my hand and forcefully yanked it toward her own face. "It’s all my fault. Go ahead, hit me, Stella." But before my palm even grazed her cheek, a massive force shoved me backward. Blinding pain shot through my entire body. Because of the scuffle yesterday, the security guards had thrown me to the concrete several times. My arms and knees were covered in scrapes that hadn't even been treated yet, and now I had fresh injuries. Meeting my agonized expression, a flash of reluctance crossed Carter's eyes. But at the sound of Mia's soft whimpers, he snapped right back to attention. "Stella Davis, stop putting on an act. Be careful you don't play with fire and get burned!" With that, he grabbed Mia's hand, walked out, and slammed the door behind them. Chapter 2 I felt no joy and no sorrow. For the next three days, I handled my mother's funeral arrangements entirely alone. Carter never came back. In the eight years we had been together, he had never once stayed out all night. Usually, when we fought, I was always the one to bow my head first. But this time, I didn't yield. Instead, Mrs. Sterling—Carter's mother—showed up uninvited. Her face was dark with displeasure. "Stella, I know Carter was in the wrong this time, but you can't be so unforgiving. This is Carter's house. What gives you the right to lock my son out?" The sheer humiliation I had suffered was lightly brushed over by her. As long as I showed any signs of caring, I was the one being aggressive and unreasonable. But then again, she had looked down on me for eight years. In her eyes, there was only Mia. "From a poor, single-parent family. I still have no idea what Carter sees in you." Back then, she wore her disdain on her sleeve, never even trying to hide it. There was one time I actually gave up and tried to leave. Carter raced his sports car all the way to the airport to catch me. He held me tightly, crying. "Stella, can't you just hold on, for me?" And that momentary lapse of my soft heart pushed me permanently into the abyss. "Mia has the mind of a child. She has depression and almost killed herself. Why can't you be a little kinder?" Mrs. Sterling’s blatant favoritism was almost honest. She cast a highly critical eye over me. It made me feel like a piece of garbage. I'm not kind? Their entire family only cared about Mia's emotions. But who had ever genuinely cared that I had just lost my mother? "Mrs. Sterling, Carter and I broke up. I'll be leaving very soon. You don't have to worry." Mrs. Sterling’s face instantly turned livid. Just as she was about to explode, the front door clicked open. Carter and Mia walked in. He looked stern and imposing. He had clearly heard what I just said. Mia warmly grabbed my hand, putting on a sickeningly sweet face: "Stella, don't be mad. Here, this is the gift we bought you from our trip to Paris." Hearing the word Paris, my tightly locked heart still gave a painful twitch. I had told him so many times how much I wanted to go to Paris, but he was always "too busy with work," dragging it out for over a year. Afraid of making him feel guilty, I had pretended I didn't care. I was trembling all over. In that moment, a thousand words threatened to pour out of me. But when they reached my lips, I couldn't utter a single syllable. I simply pushed Mia's hand away and shook my head. "Stella Davis!" Carter grabbed my wrist, his voice dropping low. "Stop making a scene. Can't you see my mom is here? She already dislikes you, so just be sensible for once!" Mia chimed in, playing the peacemaker: "Yeah, Stella. The elders are here. Whatever issues you have, we can talk about them later." They played off each other perfectly, pushing all the blame onto me. I laughed. "Are you two deaf? I've said it more than once: Carter and I broke up. Why the hell do I care if his mother likes me or not?" For a split second, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "Carter! Look at this wonderful fiancée of yours, daring to speak to me like that!" Mrs. Sterling’s shrill voice pierced the air, her hatred for me reaching its absolute peak. "She can't even compare to a single toe of Mia's! Break up with this woman immediately!" As soon as the words left her mouth, I pulled the engagement ring off my finger and calmly set it on the coffee table. "No need to trouble him. We're already done." With that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door. Two shrieks echoed from behind me as Carter took massive strides to chase me down. "Stella, what the hell are you doing?!" He grabbed my hand and frantically shoved the ring back onto my finger. His eyes actually held a hint of pleading. "Stop this. It's been three days. Why are you still angry?" He asked the question with so much resentment, as if I was the one being completely unreasonable. The grip on my hand grew painfully tight, and I cried out. Startled, he let go, then immediately reached out to pull up my sleeve. "Don't move. Let me see, let me see." Ignoring the pain, I struggled violently, even managing to slap him across the face three times. He didn't even try to dodge. Instead, his eyes suddenly turned red. "I didn't know... no... I didn't know you had so many injuries." A man who was usually so articulate and composed was now stammering incoherently. Chapter 3 But I didn't feel a single shred of emotion. Only the desperate need to break free. "Let me go!" Carter grew angry, a domineering look filling his eyes. "Your mom is dead, and your dad has been dead for years. Where else can you go? The only person you can rely on now is me!" Rely on him? I let out a shaky, broken laugh. "How am I supposed to rely on you? Have you ever, even once, stood by my side?" "Not only did you not stand by me, but you had me thrown in a holding cell. You made me the pathetic laughingstock of the entire city." "Do you even know my mother just died?! All I wanted was to give her some peace of mind before she passed, why did you have to make that so incredibly difficult?!" Looking at my cascading tears, Carter's heart seemingly stopped. A wave of intense remorse washed over him. "Stella, I regret it. I truly regret it. I thought because you had waited so many times before, making you wait one more time wouldn't—" My brain buzzed, and in a moment of sheer breakdown, I slapped him across the face again. My understanding and forgiveness never earned his cherishing; it had simply become ironclad proof that I could be treated like garbage. Dragging my suitcase, I resolutely got into my car. But the next second, a heavy, suffocating wave of perfume hit my nose. The car had just been returned by Mia a few days ago, and it was filled with her things. I didn't think twice. I slammed my foot on the gas and sped out of the driveway. Carter refused to give up, chasing right behind me in his own car. But very quickly, I realized something was horribly wrong. The brakes weren't working! I yanked the steering wheel frantically, but at the red light, I still slammed headfirst into the car in front of me. With a deafening crash, I completely lost consciousness. "Stella!" I faintly heard Carter's agonizing scream echoing in my ears. When I woke up, my body was in excruciating pain. I had a broken rib, and the rest of me was covered in severe lacerations. The doctor's face was full of relief. "It's a good thing you weren't going too fast, so your internal organs didn't rupture. If you had been going any faster, you would be dead or permanently paralyzed." Carter, the corners of his eyes red, listened intently to the doctor's instructions. I struggled to reach out with my left arm, hooked my phone, and started dialing 911. Noticing this, Carter asked anxiously. "Stella, who are you trying to have arrested?" I glared at the culprit standing in the room, pointing at a leisurely-looking Mia, and roared: "Who else could it be?! Tell her to get out!" Mia put on her signature, innocent face again. "Stella, I was planning on taking it to the shop to get fixed tomorrow. Nobody knew you were going to drive it." My chest ached furiously from the effort of speaking, my voice reduced to a harsh whisper because I was so weak. "The car has been broken for that long, and you didn't tell me?! You only say you were going to fix it tomorrow after I get into an accident?! I almost died!" As I finished speaking, I hit the call button. But suddenly, Carter snatched the phone from my hand and ended the call. "Stella, it's all a misunderstanding. There's no need to take it this far." My vision instantly went black. For a moment, I honestly couldn't tell if my physical wounds hurt more, or if my heart was just suffocating me. I used the last of my strength to murmur: "Get out... all of you, get out..." Mia pouted and scoffed. "Why are you being so dramatic? You just got a few little scratches, it's not like you—ah!" Smack! Carter delivered a heavy, resounding slap, cutting her off completely. "Get out!" Carter's voice was low and gravelly, the veins on his forehead bulging. He had clearly reached the absolute limit of his patience. Holding her cheek, Mia's eyes filled with tears. "You actually hit me. For this bitch, Stella?!" Her tone was sinister. The look she gave me before slamming the door shut was enough to make my blood run cold. Chapter 4 I was completely drained of energy, possessing no more strength to care about their drama. But for five straight days, a ridiculously busy Carter stayed by my side, tending to my every need. Several times, I grabbed the water cup next to me and threw it at him, but I couldn't drive him away. "Stella, just focus on healing. Once you're better, we'll talk." He spoke softly, but carried an air of absolute refusal to leave, no matter what I did. I eventually stopped paying attention to him, letting him do whatever he wanted. Until one day, taking advantage of a moment when he stepped out, I grabbed my bags and my mother's urn, and discharged myself from the hospital early. But while I was waiting for an Uber by the curb, an almost feral Carter charged toward me. "Stella Davis! You are utterly ruthless!" He threw a blood-soaked piece of clothing right in my face. Having just left the hospital, I had barely any strength. The force of the throw sent me crashing to the pavement. "What is this? What does this have to do with me?!" He grabbed me by the collar, furious: "Still lying! Mia is missing, and this bloody shirt is all that's left! You're the only person who's had a grudge against her lately!" I froze on the spot for a solid ten seconds. The only reason was because it was just too absurd. "There is zero proof that I did this! You should be calling the cops right now, not blaming me!" I yelled, panting heavily. Carter's face stiffened, his expression seeming to waver slightly. Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He thought it was good news, but when he opened the message, his face completely darkened. He shoved the screen right into my face, his eyes bloodshot. "Look for yourself!" I frantically grabbed the phone. On the screen, Mia was tied up, kneeling on the ground. There was blood on the corner of her mouth, and she looked as if she had been brutally beaten. "I really know I was wrong. What do I have to do for you to forgive me, Stella? I really didn't break the car on purpose. I can't feel my legs anymore. Stella, please, just let me go." Saying that, she desperately kowtowed against the floor. The video abruptly cut off. A sudden, sharp pain flared in my scalp. Out of nowhere, Mrs. Sterling had appeared and violently slapped me three times across the face. "You bitch! Mia is the daughter I raised! How could you do this to her?! Are you even human?!" I couldn't catch my breath, completely defenseless. Just as another slap was about to land, Carter intercepted her hand. "Stella, speak! Where is Mia?!" I lay on the ground like a puddle of mud, tears streaming down my face. "It has nothing to do with me, I have absolutely no idea! What do you want me to say?! And the color of that blood in the video is completely fake!" Mrs. Sterling was hyperventilating with rage, lunging forward to hit me again. "Still making excuses! I will never let a woman like you marry into our family! You won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. You're just asking for a beating." Carter blocked his mother, signaling that he would handle it. His eyes swept the surrounding area before finally landing on my mother's urn. My heart stopped. I frantically lunged to grab it. But he was faster. He snatched it up. "What are you doing?! Give the urn back to me!" Ignoring the agonizing pain in my abdomen, I dragged myself across the pavement and fell to my knees. I lowered myself into the dust. "I'm begging you, give the urn back to me." I sobbed uncontrollably, attempting to use my last shred of dignity to awaken the final trace of their humanity. But Carter looked away, his voice light and freezing cold. "I'm giving you one last chance. Are you going to tell me or not?" Mrs. Sterling was frantic, glaring at me as if I had murdered her entire family. "Mia is just a child! How did she ever offend you that you have to be so ruthless?! Where is she, tell us now!" I completely broke down, even slapping my own face. "I really don't know! I swear to God, if I'm lying, may lightning strike me dead!" Even though my voice was practically tearing at the seams, Carter closed his eyes in frustration. When he opened them again, a flash of pure malice crossed his face. Crash. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the urn shattered into a hundred pieces on the concrete. The ashes inside drifted out, scattering in the wind. "Ahhhh!" I let out wave after wave of agonizing screams, throwing myself onto the ground to protect the ashes with my own body. It felt like a knife was twisting furiously in my heart. A flicker of pity crossed Mrs. Sterling’s eyes, but she still maintained her hard expression and said I brought it on myself. Carter clenched his jaw. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang again. Seeing it was the police precinct, he answered immediately. "Mia Harper has been found. Please come to the precinct immediately, we have matters to discuss in person." His brain buzzed. He instinctively looked down at me on the ground. But in that split second, accompanied by a blood-curdling scream from Mrs. Sterling, a flash of cold steel caught his eye.
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