It was a late hour when a stranger held her by her throat and forcibly occupied her. Some moments later, she woke up in a cold sweat and realized it had all been just a bad dream. The dream also brought with it, a dramatic series of events: her fiance left her, her father remarried, and most strangely, she found her clothes in the clutches of a little girl calling her mommy. Her father: the same man from her nightmare.
It was pitch black at night and the air was still.
Tonight felt muggy to Selina.
'Why is it so hot in early summer?' she complained in her mind. The heat was making her sweat. She tossed and turned uneasily, but there seemed to be some mysterious weight pressing down on her body.
A sense of anxiety took over her mind. Sure enough, she felt the warm breath of a man on her neck. The feel of his skin on hers made her dodge him involuntarily. "No," she murmured firmly.
Her fiance always liked to play this game with her. She had told him many times that she would not give her body to him before marriage but that didn't stop him from trying.
The man chuckled, and his actions became more aggressive, with no intention of letting her go.
Selina wanted to push him away, but all her strength seemed to have vanished. Her eyelids felt so heavy that she failed to open her eyes.
She raised her hands and shoved his head away to discourage him.
His hair felt soft and smooth in her fingers.
But her fiance had a crew cut. The man on top of her was not her fiance!
Shocked, she woke up with a jolt.
"Who are you? Ah!" She shrieked in terror. A strange man was lying on top of her in the middle of the night! Who was he? ...
The man raised his head and his eyes met Selina's in the dim moonlight.
His eyebrows were thick, his eyes were big and bright, and his nose was long and straight. The faint smile lines on the corners of his eyes indicated that he must laugh often. Selina couldn't take her eyes off him. She was sure that she didn't know this man. And if she did, how could she have forgotten such a beautiful face? He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, just like a TV star. But he was on top of her. Seeing her surprised expression, the man smiled suddenly.
Strangely, his smile made Selina feel warm inside at that moment. "What's wrong?" asked the man kindly, raising his eyebrows.
"You...! Who are you?" Selina asked softly. What she really wanted to know was why he was in her bed in the middle of the night.
The man blinked innocently and stated matter-of-factly, "Selina, I'm Aron." He reached out and gently caressed her face. "What's the matter?" The man's voice was deep and magnetic. His voice stirred something in Selina's soul.
Aron? Selina's mind went blank. Did she know this man? Why was her memory blurred about him?
Worse than that, she let out a moan, unable to control herself. "Oh, Aron!" Why would she act like this?
She wanted to tell him to leave as she didn't know him and turn away, but her words and actions weren't in sync.
The man grabbed her hands, and her eyes widened. Her body reacted in a way that was beyond her expectations.
She should have felt sick or scared, or both.
She shouldn't be enjoying this!
The man's hands and mouth were like magic. Selina couldn't help mewling like a kitten and rubbing against his lithe body.
She was a bad woman. After all, she had a fiance!
How could she give her first night to a stranger?
Her mind was telling her one thing but her body was telling her another. She couldn't help calling out his name, "Aron!"
Suddenly, her eyes shot open.
The breeze was blowing against the curtains and dawn was breaking outside. Selina sat up bed, clutching her chest as her heart pounded violently.
There was no one else in bed with her.
She patted her chest, hips, and legs in a panic. Thankfully, her clothes were still intact on her body.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Touching her forehead, she found that it was drenched in perspiration.
She must have been sweating last night.
Fortunately, it was all just a dream.
But that dream was so real that she was afraid it might just be true.
She was still catching her breath when the harsh ringtone of her phone startled her. She quickly turned to grab the phone. However, in her haste, she knocked it off the bed and onto the ground. It fell with a clang and instantly dismembered into three pieces. At least, it stopped the incessant ringing.
With a cry of frustration, Selina leaned over the bed to retrieve her broken phone. She couldn't reach it despite making several attempts, so she leaned out further until the tips of her fingers brushed the scattered parts of the phone. "Thud!" Her head hit the pillar of the bed. She blinked several times, feeling dizzy before coming to her senses.
Such bad luck! She hissed in pain.
At the thought of the appointment she had this morning, she came to her senses suddenly. She would be late if she didn't hurry. Rubbing her face, she quickly turned off the alarm clock, jumped out of bed, and opened the door of her bedroom.
The house was so quiet that she could hear a pin drop.
She padded to the door of her father's room. It was open and the quilt was neatly folded. He must have gone out.
Taking a deep breath, she ambled out to the kitchen, where she washed some rice and put it in the pot to cook it. Then she went to wash herself.
While she was brushing her teeth, a new message popped up on her broken phone. With toothpaste bubbles all over her mouth, Selina made a comical sight. She put down the gargle cup and swiped her phone, "Don't forget about today's party. I had an operation this morning. You can go to my office and get the test results." The sender of the message was Jay Cheng.
As she brushed her teeth, Selina thought irritably, 'Wasn't it just a test report? Why does he have to remind me repeatedly? Hadn't he already asked me to make a memo about this? No matter how careless I am, I wouldn't forget this task.'
She bent down to rinse her mouth and then unbuttoned her collar to reveal her neck and collarbones, taking her back to last night's dream.
Would there be a mark on her neck if the dream was real?
She inspected herself in the mirror carefully.
Her fair skin was smooth and clear. There was no sign of any love bites.
"Well, perfect!" She snapped her fingers triumphantly.
It was indeed a dream.
She buttoned up her collar absent-mindedly. 'Am I crazy? I really thought that I had lost my precious virginity to a stranger.
I must be insane!' She shook her head vigorously, trying to erase all the bad memories. The porridge was boiling and bubbling over on the stove. It was splashing out, making a sizzling sound. She screamed and ran out of the bathroom. Once again, her haste proved to be her undoing this morning. She sprained her ankle hard as she raced down the stairs.
She howled in pain. Hopping over to the stove, she finally turned it off but the porridge had already spilled over. She rubbed her ankle and the corner of her mouth twitched. Rebuking herself mentally, she thought, 'Selina, could you be more distracted?'
As she put on her clothes, she dialed a number.
"Beep, beep, beep." There was a busy tone on the other end of the line. Who could her fiance be talking to? She had been trying to reach him for the last half an hour but his phone was constantly engaged.
Why was he so busy this early in the morning? She didn't have the time to dwell on it. It was almost time for her appointment with Jay Cheng.
She ended the call, put on her high heels, grabbed her key and bag, and ran out of the house.
"Oh, wait!" She stopped abruptly and instantly felt a sharp pain in her sprained ankle. Hobbling back home, she rushed into the living room.
Having no time to take off her shoes, she quickly lit three incense sticks and bowed respectfully a few times before she placed them in front of a memorial tablet. She muttered, "I'm sorry, Mom. I almost forgot. Good morning. I'm going out."
She bowed two times with her hands clasped together before dashing out of the house again, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Meanwhile, her phone lay in front of the memorial tablet. The battery signal light flashed once and then went out.
As she drove out of the parking lot, she touched her pocket and found that it was empty. Her expression soured. She chuckled and blinked cutely. "Uncle John, I forgot to bring my card. Could you let me pass, please?"
The security guard glanced at her and shook his head. "Miss Selina, this is the third access card you have lost this month!"
Staring at him with her big eyes, Selina explained, "No, no! I just forgot to bring it with me."
The security guard pressed a button and the barricade slowly swung up, allowing her to leave. Selina stuck out her tongue and thanked the security guard. She drove off, leaving a trail of smoke behind.
"This careless little girl," said the security guard, shaking his head. Selina was too adorable for anyone to reprimand her.
Even though it was Saturday morning, there were lots of patients in the First Hospital.
"Where is my phone?" Selina murmured as she rummaged through her bag frantically. How could she be so unlucky today? Now how would she find out which department Jay Cheng was in? How would she get the report from him? Did she lose her phone? Or did she forget to bring it?
She had no choice but to go to the reception desk and inquire about Jay Cheng's whereabouts. It was so embarrassing.
As she was making her way to the reception desk, Selina was almost run over by a gurney. She quickly moved aside. The woman on the bed curled up in pain, holding her big belly.
Several people were pushing the gurney and sweating nervously. They were on a rampage. Selina would have been knocked down to the ground if she had not been fast enough.
She knew how dangerous it was for a woman to give birth to a baby, and even though the woman's attendants and relatives almost knocked her over, she would have made way for her.
The nurse shouted, "Hello, are you having a baby? Go to the delivery room."
One of the family members responded anxiously, "I'm sorry. The doctor said that it is premature so the baby might be aborted. She can't give birth to it!"
A doctor from the emergency ward had arrived. "Hurry up! Get her to the emergency room. How can you say she cannot deliver the child now? The baby is about to be born. Do you want us to push it back? Huh?"
They hurriedly wheeled the sobbing pregnant woman into the emergency operating room. Selina couldn't help but follow them.
Did she hear it wrong?
The man's voice was very familiar.
It sounded just like the voice on the phone last night, "Good night, my Selina."
She must have misheard.
Everything was going well in Summer’s life. She was going to marry the man she loved with all her heart. Suddenly, on her wedding day, she notices a shift in his demeanor. Instead of gazing at her lovingly, he glares at her like an angry lion, ready to pounce. Try all she might, she can’t win his love. He makes use of every opportunity to hurt her. He holds her responsible for his true love’s death. He also accuses her of cheating. With such a miserable husband, how can Summer ever lead a good life? In spite of it all, she secretly hopes her perseverance will pay off and the beast will turn into a prince.
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
It's true what they say about marriage: one partner's always happier than the other. ~~~ Julie's world is shattered when her husband, Ryan, reveals that he wants an open marriage. His reason: he needs a child as they've been unable to have one. Julie reluctantly agrees to save her marriage. The next day, Ryan returns home with his secretary, confirming Julie's long-held suspicion that their affair was taking place behind her back. Julie, heartbroken and enraged, seeks solace in a bar, where she meets a fascinating stranger named Luke, who changes the game. Julie confides in Luke over drinks, and he proposes a risky plan: he will act as her "boyfriend" to turn the tables on Ryan. Julie agrees, setting off a chain of events that will challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and herself.
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"