Chapter 1

While I waited at the hospital to get my tubes tied, I came across a question that was blowing up online.

[What's the cruelest way to get revenge on a woman?]

An anonymous answer sat at the very top with thousands of upvotes.

[Easy. Become her best friend, then slowly take everything she's proud of away from her.

[I should know. That's exactly what I did to the girl I grew up with.

[By the time she realized anything was wrong, her parents already treated me like their daughter, and I outranked her at her own family's company. Her childhood sweetheart, who later became her husband, lost his virginity to me in the house she personally decorated for them.

[And those twins she thinks are hers? They were conceived using my eggs and implanted in her. They're obsessed with me. They even call me Mom when she's not around.

[All I had to do was say a few words, and her husband convinced her to get her tubes tied. And somehow, she actually agreed.

[Now she'll never have a biological child of her own.]

Some people in the comments were horrified. Others ripped into the anonymous poster. But nearly everyone wanted to know the same thing.

[What did she ever do to you? Why would you go this far just to destroy her life?]

To everyone's surprise, the poster answered.

[Nothing, really. There was never some huge feud between us.

[She was just better than me at everything when we were growing up. And she always acted so calm and untouchable, like nothing in the world could get to her.

[It irritated the hell out of me. So, I worked my way into her life little by little. I took my time, planned everything carefully, and eventually took away everything she cared about.

[Like right now. She's sitting alone in a hospital, miserable while she waits to be sterilized, and I'm in bed with her husband, planning to go through this entire box of condoms tonight.]

Her latest post included a photo of a box of Magnum XL condoms.

And behind the box was the nightstand in my own bedroom.

Chapter 1

The moment I saw the photo, my blood ran cold.

That was when it hit me.

The woman more than a hundred thousand people were pitying was me.

And the person behind that anonymous post could only be Chloe Walker, my best friend since childhood.

[So what if you all keep cursing me out? The most you can do is talk trash behind a screen. Meanwhile, I drive a Bentley, live in a mansion, sleep with someone else's gorgeous husband, and basically have the life half of you wish you had!]

The harsher the comments got, the less Chloe seemed to care. If anything, she only became more smug.

[No one knows who I am anyway, so I might as well give you something even better.]

Then she posted another photo.

A broad-shouldered man stood with his back to the camera, shirtless. Even from behind, his build was enough to make people stare.

Near one shoulder blade was a small birthmark.

[Damn, you weren't kidding. Your best friend's husband is hot. Drop his number. I wanna be her best friend, too!]

[Girl, don't gatekeep! She's already getting cheated on anyway. At this point, sharing is caring!]

My hands shook as I scrolled through the disgusting comments piling up beneath the photo.

There were countless nights when Kyle Jenkins and I lost ourselves in each other, and I kissed that birthmark on his shoulder, thinking of it as something private that only I knew.

Now, Chloe had put it online for thousands of strangers to see, turning something intimate between us into a dirty joke.

My chest tightened as fury rushed through me.

Just then, a young nurse walked over with a clipboard.

"Ms. Emily Rogers? We're ready for you. Please bring your chart and follow me."

Before she could say anything else, I ripped the paperwork in half.

"I'm not doing it. Give the slot to someone else."

I got up and walked away, pulling out my phone as I went.

Kyle didn't come with me that day. He claimed his mother was sick and said he needed to stay home to take care of her.

I video-called him three times before he finally picked up.

His camera stayed off.

"Babe, why are you calling me now?" he asked. "Is the procedure already over?"

Chapter 2

Kyle sounded a little out of breath, and there was a faint edge of warning in his voice.

"You didn't change your mind, did you? We already have a boy and a girl. I can't stand the thought of you putting your body through another pregnancy. If you really love me, you need to make sure this is permanent. And get something from the doctor proving you can't get pregnant again."

I didn't need to hear much more to know what was happening on the other end of the call.

Fury shot through me, and I nearly confronted him right then and there.

But I stopped myself.

I couldn't let them know I had figured everything out. They had clearly been planning this for a long time, and if I tipped them off now, I would only give them time to cover their tracks.

I clenched my teeth and swallowed my anger.

"It's done. You don't have to worry."

Kyle's whole tone changed. The relief in his voice was impossible to miss.

"That's my girl. Come home. I'll make it worth your while."

With that, he hung up almost immediately.

I forced down the anger boiling inside me and drove home.

The moment I opened the front door, I heard the twins laughing in the living room, completely wrapped up in whatever they were talking about.

When they heard the door open, they both turned automatically.

"Mom!"

The second they saw me, their smiles disappeared.

Their faces fell, and neither of them made any move to come over. They simply turned back to each other and started whispering again, as if I barely mattered.

The sight sent a sharp ache through my chest.

It had always been like this. No matter how hard I tried to be a good mother, they never seemed especially close to me.

But whenever Chloe came over, they naturally flocked to her, even when she barely did anything to win them over.

I felt hurt because of that. I even felt jealous. But Kyle always told me kids were just like that and promised they would grow out of it.

Thinking back on it now, I gave a bitter laugh.

I was such an idiot. The signs were right in front of me all along, but I kept making excuses because I didn't want to see the truth.

Normally, even when the kids barely acknowledged me, I would still walk over with a smile and pull out whatever little gifts I had brought home for them. No matter how badly they acted up, I could never bring myself to scold them.

But not this time.

I didn't even look at them. I changed my shoes, walked straight into the living room, and sat down on the couch.

A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened, and Kyle walked out. His hair was still damp, and a mix of unfamiliar scents clung to his skin.

I didn't have to guess what had happened in that room while I sat alone at the hospital waiting for surgery.

The second he saw me, he smiled and turned to our nanny, Rachel Hart.

"Rachel, take the kids outside for a while. Keep an eye on them."

Rachel nodded and led the reluctant kids out. The living room fell quiet.

Kyle walked over and leaned close, his breath warm against my ear.

"I have a surprise for you. Come upstairs."

I looked at him without saying anything for a few seconds, then got up and followed him into the bedroom.

The moment we stepped inside, Kyle reached for the belt of his robe and loosened it. The robe fell open, revealing the body I once found impossible to resist.

Now, just looking at him made me sick.

In the past, seeing him like this would have made my pulse race.

This time, my stomach turned. A wave of nausea rose in my throat, and I frowned before I could stop myself.

"I just had surgery. I'm really not in the mood."

My voice came out colder than usual.

Kyle's smile faded. He looked annoyed for half a second, then caught himself and stepped closer.

When I still didn't respond, he reached for my waist, his voice dropping.

"I know you're probably sore, but just bear with it for a little while. The doctor said it wouldn't affect our sex life. And it's been so long since we…"

When he noticed how cold I was acting, he stopped.

Then he walked over to the dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a box before handing it to me.

Chapter 3

"I had someone bring this back from overseas for you," Kyle said. "It's supposed to help with recovery after the procedure."

I looked down at the box.

The packaging looked expensive, but everything on it was written in a language I couldn't read.

More importantly, the seal was broken. Someone had already opened it.

I kept my face blank. I didn't reach for the box or say anything.

Kyle's patience started to wear thin. The smile disappeared from his face, and irritation crept into his voice.

"Look, I know you did this for me, but don't take it out on me. I went out of my way to get you something and tried to make tonight special. If you're pissed at me, just say it."

He grabbed his robe, pulled it on, and walked out, making a point of heading straight for the guest room.

I took out my phone and searched the words printed on the box, but no matter how I phrased it, nothing useful came up.

On impulse, I opened the anonymous post again.

Chloe had added another update.

[Those abs I just got done with are about to go crawl back into bed with my clueless best friend. I can't.]

Someone replied almost immediately.

[Wait, didn't she literally just have surgery? You're seriously sending him back to sleep with her right after that?]

Chloe responded almost immediately.

[Relax. I already thought of that. Look.]

She attached a photo. It was the exact same box Kyle had just handed me.

[Got this imported from the Aridian Gulf. They use it on livestock when they're in heat. She takes this, she won't be telling him no tonight. Can you imagine if she found out what she was actually taking?]

Someone finally pushed back.

[Okay, this is actually insane. What if something happens to her? You could seriously go to prison.]

Chloe didn't seem concerned.

[Then something happens to her. Not exactly a huge loss. Besides, I'm not done with her yet. I've still got one more surprise planned.]

The comments immediately filled with people demanding to know what the surprise was, but Chloe refused to give anything away.

[You'll find out soon enough. Trust me. This one's worth waiting for.]

I stared at the screen, almost curious despite myself.

What exactly was this surprise Chloe kept talking about?

She had already gone this far. What else could she possibly have planned?

I took screenshots of the entire thread and saved everything.

Then I sent the link to a hacker I knew and asked her to trace the account and find out who was behind it.

Half an hour later, the results came back.

Just as I expected, the account belonged to Chloe, and the location traced back to her home in the city.

After backing up all the evidence, my phone suddenly rang.

It was Dad.

The moment I answered, his angry voice came through the speaker.

"Emily, what is going on with you? What did you do to Kyle this time? My sixtieth birthday is tomorrow. Can we please get through one day without you two fighting?"

I frowned but stayed quiet, letting him finish.

"I don't care who started it. Go talk to him and fix this. I'm not having this hanging over the whole family tomorrow."

Then he hung up.

I didn't have to think very hard to know Kyle had gone crying to my family again.

I opened the family group chat and scrolled through the latest messages. It didn't take long to see exactly what he had done.

The chat was blowing up earlier.

Someone asked if Kyle was okay because he sent a strained voice message, then deleted it almost immediately.

A few minutes later, Kyle replied.

[I'm fine. I said something that pissed Emily off. Don't get involved. I'll handle it.]

That was all it took.

The family immediately started taking his side, praising him for being so patient while telling me to stop giving him such a hard time.

Kyle replied again.

[Don't worry about it. I already ordered that diamond necklace she wanted. I'll take care of it.]

I stared at the messages, and a cold smile slowly spread across my face.

Chapter 4

I had never even liked diamond necklaces. Chloe was the one obsessed with them.

Kyle only said that to make himself look like the perfect husband who spoiled his wife and did everything he could to keep her happy, while making me look like some ungrateful brat who was impossible to please.

I had no interest in reading any more of the fake praise in the group chat. I left the chat, turned off my phone, and tossed it aside.

I didn't sleep at all that night.

The next day, I went to Dad's birthday party.

The party was lavish. The ballroom was packed with relatives, family friends, and plenty of the company's business partners.

The moment I walked in, I spotted Chloe.

She wore a custom designer gown and stood beside Dad, chatting with him like she belonged there.

Dad kept praising her, holding her hand and looking at her with more affection than he ever showed me.

When Chloe noticed me, she smiled and said hi.

I walked right past her without answering.

Kyle was there as well, making the rounds with the twins and greeting guests.

The second the kids saw Chloe, they pulled their hands out of Kyle's and ran straight to her, one on each side.

"Chloe, what took you so long? We missed you!"

Chloe bent down and ruffled their hair, smiling.

"I'm here now, aren't I? And I brought presents."

I stood a few feet away and watched, strangely numb.

The moment Dad noticed me, his smile vanished. He gave me a cold look, then turned back to Chloe and started fussing over her plate.

Everyone could see the difference in how he treated us.

He showed more warmth to an employee with no blood relation to him than he did to his own daughter.

After years of Chloe quietly poisoning him against me, that was hardly a coincidence.

"Emily, don't take it personally. Your dad's just busy with the guests. He probably didn't even realize he hadn't said hello."

Kyle walked over with a forced smile and reached for my arm.

"Come on. Let's go sit up front. Everyone's waiting."

I stepped aside before he could touch me and chose a seat at a table well away from the head table.

Kyle had built his whole image around being a devoted husband, so he had no choice but to sit beside me.

His smile tightened almost immediately. Every few seconds, his eyes drifted back toward Chloe at the head table.

Watching him sit there with that sour look on his face while practically itching to be somewhere else, I almost laughed.

Halfway through dinner, Chloe suddenly set down her fork, picked up her wineglass, and smiled at the table.

"Everyone, since we're all here for Mr. Rogers's sixtieth, there's something I wanted to ask."

The conversation around the room quieted as people turned toward her.

Chloe smiled and looked at Dad.

"Mr. Rogers, didn't you once say that when you turned 60, you'd give half your shares to the twins? You haven't changed your mind, have you?"

The room fell quiet for a moment before a few relatives chimed in.

"Oh, right. I remember him saying that."

"He really does spoil those two. They're going to be set for life!"

My expression hardened.

If Dad transferred half his shares to the twins, then combined with the shares Chloe and Kyle already held, the three of them would own more of the company than I did.

They would even control more shares than Dad.

Together, they would become the company's largest voting bloc and effectively take control of the Rogers family business.

Suddenly, it all made sense. So this was the surprise Chloe was talking about.

Dad broke into a wide smile and nodded.

"Of course, I remember. Good thing you brought it up."

He looked toward the twins.

"They're my grandchildren. They're Rogers blood. Those shares were always going to be theirs eventually, so I might as well give them now."

Chloe and Kyle exchanged a quick glance, barely able to hide their excitement.

Kyle looked over at me with a pleased smile. "See? Your dad's always had a soft spot for the kids."

I lifted my glass and took a slow sip.

When the room finally quieted, I spoke.

"The Rogers family fortune is supposed to stay with Rogers blood, so someone else's children won't be getting a single share."