During college. Ethan brought breakfast every day—two portions. One was for me, and one was for my roommate and best friend, Lily. But the breakfast he brought me was always just a slice of toast. Lily's breakfast was a croissant with eggs and cheese, paired with a yogurt cup. Even on my birthday, the gifts he prepared came in pairs. My birthday gift was a simple greeting card. Lily's were concert tickets, a Hermès bag, a couture dress, and a diamond ring. Finally, on our graduation trip, the three of us arrived at the station. The two of them smoothly scanned their QR codes and passed through. I was stopped outside. Ethan slapped his forehead in annoyance and gave an apologetic, sheepish smile. "I only remembered to book Lily's ticket. I forgot yours." "Look, we've already gone through, so don't waste money. Next time I'll take you on a trip, just the two of us." Lily patted her chest and assured me. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't cheat." Watching their backs as they walked away shoulder to shoulder, laughing and talking, I smiled bitterly. Not wanting to deceive myself anymore, I turned around and bought a ticket home. "Dad, you asked me to get married as soon as I graduated... I agree!" "That intern you asked me to recommend, Ethan... cancel his position!"
On the way home, Ethan kept sending me messages apologizing. "Aria, I really didn't mean to." "Who told you that a few days ago when I was halfway through buying the tickets, that troublemaker Lily got drunk outside?" "If I hadn't gone to get her, and something happened to her, you definitely would have resented me." I remembered a few days ago, I was on the phone with him in the dorm. Just as we were getting to the sweet part, the call suddenly cut off. I sent him countless question marks, but they sank like stones in the sea. Vaguely uneasy, I didn't even bother putting on shoes and ran toward his dorm. On the way, a stone scraped off a large piece of skin from my foot, but I still limped forward through the pain. Instead, I came face to face with him, his expression dark, carrying a completely wasted Lily in his arms. He just brushed past me like that. The cold wind cut through my nightgown, making me shiver. Afterward, Lily took the iodine he'd given me and gently cleaned my wound. "Aria, he was just afraid I'd be in danger outside and make you worry." "To be honest, this guy was doing it for you!" I opened my mouth several times, wanting to ask her. Why did you call him when you were drunk? Why, when you were in danger, did he ignore my existence? But I still couldn't ask. Lily's message popped up at that moment. "Didn't you tell me you wanted to marry him after graduation?" "Think of these few days as me doing a deep investigation for you." "How about that? Pretty big sacrifice on my part, right?" I stared at these lines of text—they were so glaring. Just yesterday, I had crawled into her bed, hugged her, and fantasized about the future. "Lily, you and Ethan are both important people in my life." "After graduation, I'm going to marry him. You have to be my maid of honor!" Lily's body stiffened in my arms, then relaxed. "Don't worry, I'll definitely appear at the same wedding as you." My eyes gradually moistened, tears slowly falling one by one. I didn't reply individually. I just typed word by word in our group chat of three. "Hope you guys have fun!"
After I got home, my father looked behind me and his expression darkened. "Weren't you traveling with Lily? Where is she?" I forced a smile and stepped forward, linking my arm through his and acting cute. "I suddenly missed you, so I came back. Let her go have fun by herself!" His expression softened slightly, but his tone remained stern. "Aria, after all, Lily is the housekeeper's daughter." "The reason the Morgan family has supported her through college is so she can take care of you." "If she can't do that, I don't mind cutting off her living expenses!" The smile disappeared from my face. My heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles. Lily had been brought into the Morgan household by Helen when she was seven. I remember her thin, frail body standing there timidly, like a stray kitten. When I learned that she'd been abused by her biological father and sometimes went days without a proper meal. As an only child, I treated her like a real sister. She had been part of nearly my entire life up to this point. Even though I knew Ethan's feelings for me were slowly shifting. Even now, I didn't believe she would betray me. My sad eyes dodged my father's gaze in panic. I quickly put down my backpack to cover it up. "Okay, okay, I'm hungry!" My father's instructing voice sounded behind me. "Tomorrow, meet with the heir of the Pierce family!" "If it goes well, we can start preparing for the wedding!" My whole body stiffened. After a long pause, I responded. "Okay!" I made plans with Nathan Pierce at a stylish café. I scrolled through my phone listlessly, waiting for him. Lily's social media feed kept updating. They first went to the seaside to feed seagulls, then went to a church, and next were planning to climb a mountain. This was the detailed itinerary I'd spent a month preparing in advance. I had been so full of anticipation, but ultimately it came to nothing. As bitterness filled my heart, Lily video-called me. She excitedly introduced me to the beauty of the coastal city and kept praising Ethan. "I'm doing an inspection for you. So far, not bad." "When I got tired walking, he carried me on his back. When I pouted, a cold drink appeared at my lips. He even knew to hold an umbrella to keep me from getting sunburned..." My perfunctory smile disappeared. My gaze fixed on her neck. Those red marks were like knives stabbing my eyes painfully. Perhaps seeing my expression was off, she unnaturally adjusted her collar. "Today... there's a bit of wind, you know!" Before she could finish, a figure rushed over and hugged her. "I told you not to sleep naked with the AC on last night. You're going to catch a cold, aren't you?" "You're not getting any more tonight..." Lily's face showed panic. The video suddenly cut off. But I still recognized it... That was Ethan's voice. My mind went blank. My hand froze in the air, not knowing where to put it. I desperately called Ethan, but no one answered. Until I was soaked in cold sweat and slowly regained consciousness. Only then did Ethan video-call me back. His eyes were full of tenderness, completely normal. "I was concentrating on picking out a gift for you. My phone was in my pocket and I didn't hear it." "Do you miss me? We'll be back in a few days..." But through the video, I saw Lily hiding not far away. The jacket she was wearing was the Valentine's Day gift I had dragged her along to pick out for Ethan. My heart felt like someone had punched it hard. My face went pale and I couldn't breathe. I hung up the video in a panic. A cup of hot water was placed in front of me. It was Nathan Pierce. I forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "It's an arranged marriage anyway. Nothing to talk about." "If you have no objections, let's prepare for the wedding!"
I was distracted and out of it all afternoon. I made an excuse about not feeling well and left in a hurry. On the way back. I looked at both their profile pictures and suddenly realized they looked like couple avatars. My hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. After hesitating for a long time, I chose to block and delete them both. I didn't expect that the next day, Ethan and Lily would appear before me, travel-worn. Ethan scolded me with a dark expression. "Just because you blocked us, Lily was worried you'd misunderstand and rushed back overnight." "How old are you, still playing the blocking game!" Looking at his familiar yet strange face, I felt dazed. In four years of college, Ethan had never once gotten angry with me. I always joked that he was mature beyond his years. Now I finally understood. Only when facing Lily would he lose control of his emotions. Lily cautiously stepped forward, took my hand, and explained. "Aria, did you misunderstand something? There's nothing between Ethan and me." My gaze touched her wrist—she was wearing the Cartier bracelet Ethan had me accompany him to carefully select not long ago. I had been full of anticipation, thinking he'd finally set his heart on me. Now it looked so ironic and glaring. I looked at the red marks on her neck that hadn't yet faded and sneered. "Doing an inspection for me? Did you inspect his body while you were at it?" Lily's face instantly went deathly pale. She unconsciously let go of my hand. Ethan supported her with concern. "Aria Morgan, how did you become so bitter and mean?" I could no longer control the anger in my heart and roared at them. "Then what do you want me to do?" "When I clearly see my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend, should I still act like a fool and let you play me?" "You've already had sex, so why won't you admit it?" Ethan stepped forward and confronted me with his head held high. "Yes, I've been with Lily behind your back for two years now..." Lily frantically covered his mouth. "Don't say it!" "Aria won't be able to handle it..." He tightly gripped Lily's hand and looked at me with blazing eyes. "Aria, you're boring, dull, plain-looking, sensitive, and suspicious." "If you hadn't shamelessly clung to me, if Lily hadn't been afraid of hurting you, I would have broken up with you long ago." Hearing his vicious words, my whole body trembled. I still remembered our first meeting. I had fallen into the artificial lake trying to save a stray cat. He happened to pass by and jumped in to pull me out. His starry eyes looked at me and smiled. "How can there be such a silly girl? How interesting!" The resentment in my heart gushed out. I pointed at the door and screamed at them. "Get out! Both of you, get out of my house!" Instead of getting angry, Ethan laughed, crossing his arms and looking at me coldly. "Is this your house?" "This is Lily's house. You're the one who should get out!" I stared at Lily in shock. "What is he talking about?" Lily's eyes darted away as she stood between us, looking at me pleadingly. "Aria..." "How about... you go to the maid's room to cool off for a bit?" Ethan stepped forward and hugged her, reproaching her with displeasure. "You're just too kind-hearted." "She's just a housekeeper's daughter. Does the Morgan heiress need to speak to her so humbly?" Suddenly understanding, I laughed. "Helen!" Helen was Lily's mother.
Seeing me call out her mother, Lily instantly panicked. Helen came out, her gaze wandering between us before finally settling on me. She stepped forward respectfully. I looked at Ethan and snorted coldly. "Explain to him who the Morgan heir really is." Without hesitation, Helen answered. "Of course it's you..." Lily suddenly raised her voice to interrupt her, then fell to her knees with a thud in front of me, her face already drenched with tears. "We've grown up together. Why make things so ugly?" "Is it my fault that Ethan fell in love with me?" "I'm kneeling before you now, isn't that enough?" Helen's brows furrowed tightly, her hands unconsciously clenching. Without any warning, she pressed me hard to the ground. "Of course it's because you're ungrateful, daring to make the Morgan heir kneel!" I looked at her in disbelief, but the sharp pain in my knees reminded me this was no illusion. Lily secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ethan couldn't help but laugh mockingly. "Aria, don't think that just because you have the Morgan surname you can pretend to be the real heiress." "Lily, as the Morgan family's only daughter, not only treats you like a real sister, but has also paid for your tuition and expenses from childhood to now." "You should be grateful!" He walked up to me, crouched down, and lowered his voice. "I received the notice to join Morgan Corporation a few days ago. Lily arranged it for me." "If you stop making a scene, I promise you that after Lily and I get married, I'll keep you on the side." "Except for the title of wife, I can give you everything!" Enduring the pain, I raised my eyes to look at him. This was the man I'd loved for four years? I remember when we first got together, he held me and solemnly promised. "Aria, after graduation I'll work hard to give you a beautiful future!" Now, for the sake of the so-called Morgan heiress, he was ruthlessly abandoning me. I slapped him hard across the face. "In your dreams!" Ethan's expression instantly darkened. As if he'd already made himself the master of the Morgan household, he turned to look at Helen. "Helen, right?" "Although she and your family's heir are as close as sisters, you can't blur the line between master and servant!" "If you don't give her a small punishment to make her recognize her place, she'll continue to hurt Lily without restraint in the future." Lily's face showed conflict. She stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "That's not necessary..." Ethan patted her hand and gently reassured her. "The Morgan family will be yours in the future. You're too kind-hearted. I'm teaching you how to manage a household." Watching the two of them showing off, I just felt disgusted. "Don't believe your own act." "Lily, you know exactly what your real identity is!" The hesitation in her eyes disappeared. She looked at me with venom and unwillingness. She shouted harshly at Helen. "What are you standing there for?" "Take her to the courtyard and make her kneel. Don't let her get up until she apologizes to me." Helen wanted to stop her, but in the end, her eyes darkened and she called over the servants. Under her authority, the servants hesitantly came forward and pressed me down on the hard floor of the courtyard. Lily walked over and patted my face. Her eyes held a calculating look I'd never seen before. "Aria, look. Now I'm the one in charge of the Morgan family." "Tell me, if I killed you here, based on all our years of friendship, would Uncle Morgan adopt me as his goddaughter?" "Then I'd really be the Morgan heiress, wouldn't I?" The scorching sun burned my skin. My knees felt like they were kneeling on hot coals. I glared at her furiously. "Lily, you wouldn't dare!" She slapped me hard across the face. "I've had enough of being given handouts by you." "We're both human beings. You just happen to have a powerful father. I'm not willing to accept this. I'm not willing..." She slapped me crazily and viciously, one slap after another. As if she wanted to beat me to death right there. As I grew dizzy, I seemed to hear Nathan Pierce's voice. "What are you doing?" Then came Lily's scream.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "386456", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster