Madelyn sat at her desk, staring at Jadie's unopened gift. She already knew what it was—a Swarovski crystal hair clip. She never cared for jewelry, feeling like each piece was a burden. With a sigh, she put the gift in her desk drawer.Then, she took out her senior math review booklet. The problems weren't too challenging for her, and the pages were still crisp, hardly ever used. In her previous life, Madelyn had struggled in class, but everything changed when she asked Zach for help. He tutored her outside of regular school hours, even though he had only completed middle school-level education. What amazed Madelyn was that Zach could fluently speak five foreign languages. He taught himself all of them with relentless dedication, which made him seem incredibly intelligent. He even outperformed the top student in Ventropolis. No wonder Hayson liked Zach so much.In contrary, Hayson never showed interest in Madelyn's academic performance. Instead, he focused on her extracurricula
In a messy room, Ethan sat in his wheelchair with hair covering his eyes. He saw a craft knife amidst broken glass on the floor and heard a voice in his head saying, 'Why hesitate? One cut and the pain will be gone. It'd only sting for a moment. Your parents already divorced and remarried. They have their own children now. They've abandoned you. Go on, end it!'Ethan muttered to himself, 'Mom, Dad, if you didn't love each other, why did you marry? Why did you have me? You both have your own families now. What about me? What am I to you?'A determined look crossed Ethan's face. He tried to get up from the wheelchair, but his legs didn't support him, causing him to fall to the floor. His hand got cut by the glass shards, and blood spilled, staining the wooden floor. He reached for the craft knife in the midst of the mess and revealed the sharp blade by sliding the button upward.He thought that a quick cut across his wrist would set him free. As he placed the blade against his wrist,
Madelyn washed her jujubes and put them on the coffee table. She turned on the TV, sat down and enjoyed her favorite treat.After finishing cleaning the kitchen, Rosario saw Madelyn on the couch in dirty clothes. She frowned and playfully scolded, "You little scamp! I just changed the couch cover today, and now it's dirty again. Go to your room, change your clothes, and then come back."Barefoot on the cool floor, Madelyn giggled and dodged Rosario's playful swat, hiding behind the couch. "Can I get changed later, Rosario? I'm so tired. I just want to lie down for a while.""Naughty girl, if Mr. Jardin sees you misbehaving, you'll get punished again. Go to your room," scolded Rosario. "Please, just let me finish this episode. It's only ten more minutes," Madelyn pleaded sweetly. "No way. You have exams coming up, and you're still watching TV. I'm turning it off. Go upstairs and study." At that moment, Zach's voice echoed from behind Madelyn. "Madelyn, Rosario has a weak heart.
Madelyn went to her room, took off her dirty clothes, and stood in front of her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. Through the thin wall, she could hear Zach's voice from outside."I have urgent business at the company this time. If I finish early, I'll come back to you," Zach said.Jadie replied understandingly, "I'm okay, Zach. Go take care of your business. I'll wait for you here.""Okay. If you get tired, you can sleep in my room. I just changed the sheets and blankets.""Alright, I'll remember that."After Zach's footsteps faded away, Madelyn thought he had left. But suddenly, the door swung open, and she got startled. Madelyn blushed and held her dress close. Zach stood by the door, briefly looking at her before averting his gaze. Madelyn, who was eighteen, had a nice figure compared to other girls her age.Madelyn felt nervous. In her previous life, they had been married for years, shared countless intimate moments; there was no part of her that Zach had not seen. Bu
One evening, a soft breeze came in through the open window and woke up Madelyn. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and noticed that it was already dark outside.Then, she heard quick footsteps and Jadie saying sorry over and over again in the hallway. Madelyn became fully awake and realized something had happened.Getting out of bed, she felt the cold floor beneath her bare feet as she walked to the door to see what was going on. She squinted in the dim light and was surprised to see Zach standing there."Brother, you finished your work for the day?" Madelyn asked.Zach had come back home an hour before she fell asleep, and he had taken Jadie to the mall. But when he returned, he noticed that something was missing from his room – Madelyn's gift to him, a teddy bear.Jadie stood there, her eyes teary. "Madelyn..."Zach stood in front of Jadie with a serious look in his eyes, but there was also a touch of coldness. "Madelyn, I'm sorry. I accidentally broke the teddy bear you gave me. Jadie
Madelyn was dressed in her high school uniform. The Ventrocloud High School uniform wasn't like the usual baggy uniforms in most schools. Instead, it was a sophisticated black ensemble that looked very authoritative. Even her shoes and backpack were different from the regular ones. They were made of exclusive material to stand out from the common ones.Just across the street from Ventrocloud High School was another school called Ventropolis High School. It was also highly respected. The students at Ventropolis were known for being very smart and were seen as the future leaders of the nation. On the other hand, the students at Ventrocloud often relied on their family's wealth and status. The two schools had different social statuses, and they had a long history of not getting along with each other. They didn't like each other and had a rivalry that had been going on for years.Among the many vehicles, Madelyn caught sight of Zach's Audi. The car halted in front of Ventropolis High Sch
Madelyn was in Class Six at Ventrocloud High School, which was on the sixth floor. Students had a special elevator to use. The classes started at nine in the morning.When Madelyn arrived at her classroom, she saw some familiar faces, but she didn't know most of her classmates. The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Hurrying, she found her seat from memory. As she was about to put down her backpack, she noticed some students looking at her and whispering."That's Forrest Arnold's seat. She's got some guts sitting there.""She was on sick leave for a few days. Did she go mad or something?"'What? Forrest?' Madelyn looked at the clean desk in front of her, immediately standing up. 'How can this be Forrest's seat? I've always been in the second-to-last row. Am I not?'Forrest Arnold, her sworn enemy, was the school bully that no one dared to mess with. Madelyn rarely had any interaction with him. But when she did, it was always because Forrest had a bone to pick with her. No sp
Each class at school lasted for 45 minutes. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson, Madelyn walked to the back of the classroom. She quietly picked up Forrest's desk and put his scattered books neatly back into his drawer. Her classmates were surprised and whispered to each other in astonishment."No way! Madelyn, who always acts high and mighty, is actually picking up books for Forrest? Has something happened to her?""I can't believe my eyes! Madelyn, who never talks to anyone, is now helping Forrest? Am I seeing things?"Someone discreetly took a photo of Madelyn's unexpected act of kindness and anonymously shared it on the school forum.Ignoring the buzz around her, Madelyn focused on tidying Forrest's desk. 'Sure, I'm kind. Way too kind to get bothered by his temper,' she muttered to herself.Meanwhile, in the grimy alley behind the school, Timothy and Adrian were chatting about their plans for the night. Adrian was on his phone when he noticed a hot discussion t