The first time I helped someone propose, it was helping my rival propose to my fiancé. I wore a strawberry bear mascot costume, shivering in the cold on a winter street, personally handing the ring to Sophia. She turned around and gave me a sweet smile, her eyes full of undisguised smugness and provocation. The crowd gathered in a circle around us, their cheering growing louder and louder. I blended in among them, clapping the hardest, shouting the loudest. Mason looked past Sophia, who was kneeling on one knee, and in front of everyone, he yanked off my mascot head. He dragged me to a corner, staring at my belly, his gaze dark as water: "Vivian, you're carrying my child. What the hell are you doing?" Mason furiously dragged me back home. He pinned me against the wall. "Vivian, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I just looked up at him, even curving my lips slightly. "Didn't you say Sophia was pitiful?" I blinked, my tone innocent. "That we should give her whatever she wants as much as possible? She wants you, so I'm just helping her out." Mason's expression froze for a moment. He probably hadn't expected me to say that. Then again, I'd been obedient for eight years. Whatever he said, I listened. Whatever he told me to endure, I endured. "There has to be a limit to satisfying her." He stared into my eyes, word by word. "You're carrying my child. How dare you..." "I know I was wrong." I interrupted him, lowering my eyes. My voice was soft, just like every other time I'd apologized before. "Forget it." His tone softened as he reached out to touch my face. "I won't pursue what happened today. I'll explain things to Sophia." I tilted my head slightly. His hand stopped mid-air. I didn't look at him, just kept my head down, staring at the floor. "Mason," I suddenly asked. "Do you love me?" He paused, then laughed, as if I'd asked something ridiculous. "Would I have been with you for eight years if I didn't love you?" He gripped my chin, forcing me to look up. "Would I have gotten you pregnant if I didn't love you? I promised you—once I've appeased Sophia, I'll marry you." I looked at him. His gaze was so affectionate. It was the same look he gave me every time he wanted me, every time he said sweet words, every time he made promises. But I remembered yesterday afternoon. My stomach felt uncomfortable, and I couldn't reach him by phone. Before going to the hospital, I went to his office to get the car keys. His office door wasn't fully closed. Sophia's voice drifted out from inside. "She's pregnant? Mason, make her get rid of it! How could you let her carry your child!" Then came Mason's helpless voice, full of indulgence, coaxing her. "Sophia, listen to me." "I won't listen! If you don't get rid of the baby in her belly, I'll kill myself! My parents died saving your parents, and this is how you treat me—I don't want to live anymore!" "I know, I know everything." After a moment of silence, he sighed helplessly. "How about this—I'll fake my death for three years and give you a child. For those three years, it'll only be you. After three years, I'll return to Vivian's side. Is that okay?" Sophia stopped making a scene. I stood outside the door and suddenly felt like laughing. He'd even thought of faking his death. Had he ever considered what would happen to me when I heard news of his death? How would I, pregnant and alone, get through those three years? What would I tell the child when they asked where their father was? He probably never thought about it. His mind was full of how to appease Sophia, how to repay his debt, how to have it all. He just never thought about me. "What are you thinking about?" Mason's voice pulled me back to reality. He leaned in to kiss me. "Don't overthink it. I'll go talk to Sophia in the next few days. I'll give you a wedding that everyone will envy." I turned my head away and stepped to the side, moving past him.
"I'm a little tired. I want to sleep for a while." He didn't stop me. I walked into the bedroom and closed the door. I didn't lock it. There was no need. He wouldn't come in tonight. He had to work late—or rather, he had to go keep Sophia company. This had been the unspoken rule for eight years. Whenever Sophia was upset, he had to be there for her. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My hand rested on my lower abdomen, where there had once been a tiny life. Yesterday afternoon, I went to the hospital alone. As I lay on the operating table, I stared at the light overhead, my mind blank for a long time. The nurse asked if I was sure. I said I was. I just didn't want to wait anymore. Wait for him to come around, wait for him to finish repaying his debt, wait for Sophia to accept things, wait for him to sort everything out. I'd waited eight years and got a plan for him to fake his death for three years. I'm twenty-six years old. I got together with him when I was eighteen. I had guys lining up to date me, but I only had eyes for him. He said he missed how bright and carefree I was at eighteen, but wasn't he the one who turned me into what I am now? Mason is a really strange person. Outside, he's the lofty Mr. Sullivan, Sophia's childhood friend who comes whenever she calls. He could walk past me in the company hallway without a glance, could say coldly "Vivian, you're in the way" when Sophia made things difficult for me, could act indifferent to me in front of everyone. But at night, behind closed doors, he became a different person. He'd pin me against the door and kiss me hungrily, would take me fiercely in bed, would bite my ear at the most passionate moments and say, "Vivian, wait for me. Once Sophia comes around, I'll marry you." He bought me the most expensive bags, gave me the finest jewelry, remembered all my little habits, personally made me hot milk during my period. He was like every girl's dream boyfriend. So when people called me a lapdog, said I was trying to climb the social ladder, I didn't care. I thought that one day we'd get married, and I wouldn't have to hide anymore. Eight years. I went from a bright, carefree girl to a woman who learned to endure. I wasn't always like this. I, Vivian Archer, never put up with mistreatment growing up. If anyone dared to give me attitude, I'd snap back on the spot. But for Mason, for his debt of gratitude, I pulled out those thorns one by one. Sophia liked to take my things, so I let her have them. When she and her friends humiliated me in public, I endured it all. Once in the bathroom, she cornered me and called me a shameless mistress, said I was seducing Mason. I stood there with clenched fists and didn't talk back once. Later, when Mason found out, he didn't say anything. He just took me more roughly that night. Afterward, he held me. "Vivian, later on, I'll make it all up to you twice over." Every time I was wronged, he would compensate me—with money, with gifts, with a whole night of passion, as if that could make up for what he owed me. Later, when he found out I was pregnant, he picked me up and spun me around several times, excitedly saying he was going to be a father, telling me to wait just a little longer and he'd give the baby and me our rightful place. I kept waiting, waiting until my belly was showing, until the gossip grew worse and worse. People at the company said I was pregnant out of wedlock, said I didn't even know who the father was, but I still couldn't get an official announcement. My phone buzzed. I picked it up. It was a message from Mason: Something came up at work, I'll be back later. Go to sleep first. I stared at those words for a long time. In the past, whenever I saw messages like this, I'd write long paragraphs begging him to come home early. Today I typed two words, then deleted them. In the end, I didn't reply at all. I put my phone face-down on the nightstand, closed my eyes, and moved my hand away from my belly. The baby was gone. The me who had waited eight years was gone too. Mason didn't know. He still thought I was just having a tantrum, thought I was jealous of Sophia, thought he could smooth things over. But he didn't know that last night, as I lay on the operating table, I thought about my eighteen-year-old self.
That girl stood at the school gate, smiling boldly, and said to Mason, "If you want to date me, you'll have to get in line." If she'd known what would happen later, she probably would have slapped herself. Slapped herself awake. Told herself not to be pathetic. When I woke up, the other side of the bed was cold. Oh right, he didn't come home last night. When I changed clothes, I deliberately picked out a loose hoodie, baggy enough to hide my waistline. The fact that the baby was gone couldn't be known yet. Half an hour later, I sat in the reception room of a rival company, with the boss, Nathan, sitting across from me. "What did you say?" His voice was surprised. "You want to switch companies?" "Yes." "Wait..." He leaned forward, looking at me like I was an alien. "Aren't you Mason's lapdog? The whole industry knows that project at his company would've tanked long ago if you weren't holding it together. You've been devoted to him for eight years, and now you suddenly want to switch companies?" I lowered my head and took a sip of coffee. "Not anymore." Nathan was stunned for two seconds, then leaned back in his chair, his expression becoming subtle. "Fine, of course I want you. But that bridge project you're handling..." "I'll finish it first, then come over." I put down my cup. "Once that project is delivered, I'll leave directly. Transfer me somewhere far away, the farther the better. Anywhere is fine." "You're...?" He seemed to want to say something but stopped. I didn't explain, just stood up and extended my hand. "Pleasure working with you." Nathan shook it, his gaze complicated, but he didn't ask more questions. When I left the rival company, I went straight back to my own office. This bridge project—I'd been working on it for four years. I'd been on it since graduating college, working from a blank slate to today, pulling countless all-nighters, wearing out several pairs of shoes, revising blueprints over a hundred times. It was almost complete. Soon I'd be able to see something I'd drawn with my own hands standing in this city. This was my only light over the past four years, and now my only hope. The elevator doors opened. I stepped out and immediately sensed something was wrong. My colleagues' gazes swept over me and quickly looked away. They whispered to each other. The secretary rushed over, her expression tense. "Vivian, Mr. Sullivan wants to see you." "Got it." "Um," she lowered her voice, "Sophia's there too." I paused, then continued walking forward. "You're here." Mason turned around. "Sit. I need to tell you something." I didn't sit. I just stood at the door. "What is it?" He glanced at me, seeming slightly displeased that I was standing, but said nothing. "Hand over your current work and start taking leave tomorrow." I froze. "What?" "The bridge project," he paused, "let Sophia take over. She just graduated and needs a major project on her resume. It'll give her credentials for the future." I didn't speak, just looked at him. He probably thought I hadn't heard clearly, so he repeated, "Organize the project files, teach Sophia, then go home and rest for a while." "That's my project." Mason frowned. "I know, but you haven't been in good shape lately. This is a good opportunity to rest. You can trust Sophia with the project—there won't be any problems." "That's my project." I said it again. Sophia stood up and walked to Mason's side, tugging at his sleeve. Mason glanced at her, his tone softening a bit. "I know you've put in a lot of work, but Sophia really needs this opportunity. I'll compensate you." "Compensate me with what?" I interrupted him. "Compensate me with one night? Or compensate me with a few bags?" Mason's expression changed. "What kind of way is that to talk?" "I'm speaking the truth." I finally walked forward two steps and looked into his eyes. "Mason, I've been on this project for four years. Four years. From laying the foundation until now, every single line was drawn by me. And now you want me to hand it over to her so she can enjoy the fruits of my labor?" Sophia's eyes immediately reddened, and she burrowed into Mason's arms.
"Mason, I'm not trying to steal her stuff... I just wanted to learn something. I didn't know she'd mind this much... Maybe we should just forget it. I'll find another project." "No." Mason held her, his tone becoming forceful. "You have to take this project." He looked at me, his gaze oppressive. "Give it to her." I didn't move. "I don't agree." Sophia burst into tears. "I really didn't mean it. I just wanted to achieve something, to not disgrace my parents... If they were still alive, they wouldn't want to see me bullied like this..." The moment she mentioned her parents, Mason's entire body tensed. He held her tighter, his voice dropping. "No one is bullying you." Then he looked up at me, his eyes turning completely cold. "Give it to her. That's an order." I felt something crack open in my chest, leaving it hollow. I looked at Sophia in his arms. "Sophia, do you know what my relationship is with him?" Sophia's crying quieted a bit, her eyes flickering. "You've always said you didn't know. He never told you either." I smiled slightly. "But let me ask you—these past eight years, every time you made things difficult for me, did you really not know in your heart who I was? Every time you had him come keep you company, did you really not know he was supposed to be with me?" "Shut up!" Mason cut me off sharply. I didn't shut up. "You knew." I looked at Sophia. "You knew everything. You're knowingly acting as the other woman." "Slap!" A burning pain suddenly spread across my face. I turned my head to the side. It took two seconds to register—he'd hit me. Mason's hand was still suspended in mid-air, a flash of heartache and regret in his eyes. "You've gone too far," he said. I touched my face. It was swelling. Then I looked up and smiled. "Mason, I'll give it to her." He froze. "The project—I'll give it to her." I took a step back. "But I have one condition too." "What condition?" "Ten years' salary." I said. "Pay me ten years' salary, and I'll leave right now. I'll hand over all the project files properly and never look back." He probably hadn't expected me to bring up money. Sophia froze too, even her crying stopped. "You..." Mason frowned. "What exactly are you trying to do?" "Didn't you tell me to take leave?" I looked at him. "I still need to eat. I can't starve to death." He was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Fine. I'll pay you for twenty years." I turned and left. Behind me came Sophia's voice. "Mason, she seems angry..." I didn't look back. Returning to my desk, I started packing my things. The secretary came over, her eyes red. "Vivian..." "It's fine." I dumped everything from my drawer into a box. A photo fell out. It was of Mason and me, secretly taken at the company's annual party four years ago. He was drunk, leaning on my shoulder, smiling foolishly. I looked at it once, then threw it in the trash. "Oh, leaving already?" Sophia had somehow appeared, leaning against my desk, her voice neither loud nor soft—just enough for everyone around to hear. "Don't blame me. I really didn't know about your relationship with Mason. He never said anything. I thought he just pitied you, since you'd been chasing him for so many years. The whole company knows." A few snickers sounded around us. I continued packing, ignoring her. "By the way, don't worry about the project. I'll do a good job." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Besides, you've been working on it for so long without producing anything. Four years—your efficiency is way too low."
I put the last file in the box and stood up. She took a step back, looking at me warily. But I just smiled. "Sophia," I said, "you'd better pray everything goes smoothly with that project." Her expression changed. "What do you mean?" "Nothing." I picked up the box. "Good luck." I left. As the elevator doors closed, I saw her standing in the hallway, her face turning pale then flushed. Back at the apartment, I started packing to move out. Mason had rented this apartment for me, saying it was temporary, that once we went public, we'd get a bigger place. I opened the closet and folded clothes into my suitcase one by one. My phone rang. It was Nathan. "How's the project? When are you coming over?" "As soon as possible," I said. "Help me transfer to the overseas branch. The sooner the better." "That urgent?" "Yes." After hanging up, I continued packing and moved out. Over the next few days, Mason didn't contact me, and I didn't contact him. On the fifth morning, I finished packing my luggage to head to the airport when my phone rang. It was Mason. I looked at the name on the screen and didn't answer. It rang again. Still didn't answer. When the tenth call came through, just as I was about to turn off my phone, the door was pounded. "Open up! I know you're in there!" I paused, then walked over and opened the door. Mason stood at the door with Sophia behind him. Both were out of breath, as if they'd run up the stairs. I stepped back to let them in. Several suitcases sat in the living room—I hadn't had time to put them in the closet. Mason saw the suitcases and his expression immediately changed. "What are you pulling now?" "What do you mean, pulling?" He pointed at the luggage on the floor. "Where are you going?" I glanced at him but didn't answer. Sophia suddenly rushed over and grabbed my arm. "You need to come back and look at it! There's a problem with the project! The data doesn't match. We've calculated it several times using the blueprints you gave us, but it's still wrong. There must be a problem somewhere!" I pulled my arm back. "The data is fine." "That's impossible! We calculated..." "Then keep calculating." Sophia froze, then her eyes reddened and she was about to cry again. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately gave us the wrong files, didn't you? You'll ruin the project! Ruin my future!" She got more worked up as she spoke and lunged at me again. "You have to come back! Come back with me! Fix the problem before you leave!" She pulled me so hard I stumbled, my foot catching, and my whole body tilted to the side. Sophia let go. I hit the corner of the coffee table. The pain made everything go black for a moment. Looking down, I saw several drops of red seeping through my white dress. Mason rushed over and helped me up, his voice shaking. "Why are you bleeding?" I looked down. "It's nothing." I pushed away his hand and stood up straight. "My period leaked." Mason froze. He stared at my stomach, his face turning white bit by bit. "Your period?" His voice cracked. "You're pregnant—where did a period come from? Where's the baby?!" "Mason." I spoke softly. "The baby's been gone for a while. Didn't you know?"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "387360", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster