A Tale of Love and Deception

When I was stabbed by the thug, the giant screen on the street was coincidentally broadcasting an interview with the movie star, Brenden.

The reporter asked who I was to him, and he replied, "She is my housekeeper."

With that single word, "housekeeper," he erased the ten years of love we had shared.

I lay in a pool of blood, watching the screen where he held the daughter of a billionaire, smiling indulgently.

Three years later, he burst into my wedding chapel, kneeling and begging for my forgiveness.

I said, "Sorry, big star, I have amnesia. I don't remember having any relationship with you."

My fiancé immediately played an old video: "Baby, look, he personally said you were his housekeeper."

1.

On my 26th birthday, I prepared a table full of dishes.

But even by midnight, Brenden hadn't shown up.

When I checked my phone, the trending topic was "Brenden's High-Profile Birthday Celebration for Global Harmony Group Heiress."

It turned out today was also Jennifer's birthday, the daughter of the chairman of Global Harmony Group.

Brenden was busy celebrating with her, ignoring the dozens of messages I had sent him.

In the photo Jennifer posted on Twitter, she looked radiant and happy.

Brenden stood behind her, dressed in white, looking handsome and dashing, his gaze at her incredibly tender.

He hadn't looked at me with such tenderness in a long time.

I had been with him for ten years, watching him grow from a high school boy to an unknown actor, and then into a shining star.

But the entertainment industry had changed him too much.

To become famous, he had to curry favor with the powerful and climb up by any means necessary.

And I, with my ordinary background, was of no help to him.

He became increasingly indifferent to me, sometimes not contacting me for a whole month.

"Let's break up."

I sent him one last message, then blocked and deleted him.

Then I cried my eyes out, downing six bottles of beer by myself.

In the middle of the night, someone suddenly picked me up by the waist. "Dare to break up with me?

Malinda, you've got guts!" I opened my eyes to see Brenden, his eyes bloodshot, his expression fierce, his clothes soaked with the cold dew of the night.

"I've been running around like crazy, didn't even have time to drink water, and drove 300 kilometers to get here..." "Don't touch me! I've already broken up with you."

I struggled hard, but he threw me onto the bed.

His burning kisses fell densely, like burning embers, on my lips, cheeks, neck, and chest... That night, he was utterly wild.

At dawn, he got dressed and leaned on the bed, coaxing me in a deep voice.

"Malinda, I have to attend a film festival today. I'll come back tonight to have dinner with you. I want braised carp."

It was very cold outside. My whole body ached, but I still insisted on walking him downstairs.

I never expected to be surrounded by over ten paparazzi, who took photos like crazy.

In less than half an hour, our photos were trending: "Movie Star Brenden Suspected of Night Meeting with Unknown Girlfriend."

In the photos, I was bare-faced, wearing a bulky black down jacket.

The comments were all scolding me: "Who is this? Punching above her weight!" "There's no way he has such bad taste!" "Who is this nobody?

Stop trying to latch onto him!" Brenden had no response.

He was busy attending the festival and started ignoring my messages again.

Holding my phone, my heart gradually grew cold.

It seemed he didn't want to make our ten-year relationship public.

I would always be his nameless shadow.

He probably wouldn't come tonight.

But I still hoped for a miracle, so I went to the supermarket to buy carp.

On the way, I suddenly saw two old men harassing a schoolgirl in uniform.

A sense of justice made me rush over to stop them. "Let her go! Or I'll call the police!" "Who the hell are you to ruin my fun?"

One of the drunken old men grabbed my collar.

The next moment, I felt a searing pain in my lower back.

He had stabbed me with a fruit knife.

The shock left my mind blank.

At that moment, the Trade Commerce Center across the street was brightly lit, and the 5D naked-eye screen was broadcasting the film festival.

Brenden's face was incredibly handsome as he smiled at the camera and said, "I want to clarify today's rumor-the woman the paparazzi photographed is not my girlfriend. She is my housekeeper. We only have an employer-employee relationship."

Housekeeper.

He said I was a housekeeper.

Our ten years of love collapsed in that moment.

I lay in a pool of blood, my heart broke into a million pieces.

After staying in the hospital for over ten days, I still hadn't received any messages from Brenden.

The news of my heroic act briefly surfaced but was quickly overshadowed by the trending topic "Brenden suspected to be dating Jennifer."

Brenden might not even know that I was injured and hospitalized.

I waited for his message, waited until my heart broke, waited until my heart died.

In the end, I understood that whether he knew or not, he didn't care.

Even if I were gone, he wouldn't care.

He might even be relieved to have painlessly gotten rid of an ordinary girlfriend.

"Sister, thank you for saving me."

A girl suddenly appeared at my bedside.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked only about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing the uniform of Bright Horizons High School.

Moreover, her backpack was designer, her shoes were luxury, and the umbrella she held was exclusive.

Everything indicated that she was a wealthy young lady.

None of that mattered to me; I saved her simply because she was someone in need.

She looked at the hideous scar on my lower back, and tears fell from her eyes.

"Sister, your injury is so severe. I'm sorry..." I gently comforted her, "It's okay, it doesn't hurt."

In truth, it hurt a lot.

I used to love my lower back the most. Brenden often praised my slender and fair waist, and I had two rare dimples just above my hips.

Now, the scar had ruined its beauty.

Never mind, it doesn't matter. Brenden had long since grown tired of me. Even if my lower back wasn't disfigured, he wouldn't find me beautiful anymore.

But why couldn't I stop my tears from falling?

The pain in my lower back seemed to resonate with my heart, throbbing with every beat.

At that moment, a clear voice rang out, "Your waistline is very beautiful."

The person stood against the light, tall and graceful, making me momentarily dazed.

His silhouette was so much like Brenden's.

He reached out his hand to me, "My name is Shane. I'm here to thank you for saving my sister, Kaylyn."

Shane appeared elegant and noble. His entourage was well-trained, setting down food boxes, arranging fresh flowers, and placing aromatherapy... They quickly made my hospital room very comfortable.

Various specialists and doctors gathered around my bed, looking at Shane with respectful postures.

Shane gently promised, "Miss Mason, rest assured and recover. Once your wound is fully healed, I will take you abroad for the most advanced scar removal treatment, ensuring your waist returns to its original state."

I instinctively refused, "No need, don't go to the trouble."

However, he had already stood up and left, surrounded by his entourage.

Only a trace of expensive wood fragrance remained.

My phone suddenly chimed; it was a message from Brenden.

"I've been busy with PR for the news recently, didn't have time to contact you."

"I'll be free tonight to come back and keep you company. I want lemon roast chicken, steamed bass, black pepper steak, braised shrimp, and olive lean meat soup." At that moment, I actually wanted to laugh.

Brenden really thought of me as a housekeeper.

I considered blocking him again but realized it was pointless.

For someone who had already broken my heart, ignoring him and letting him jump around was the highest form of contempt.

So, I set Brenden's chat to "Do Not Disturb."

When I checked my phone again in the evening, I found he had sent me hundreds of new messages.

"Why aren't you replying? Are you mad?"

"Don't be so childish, okay?

I'm a public figure; I rely on my female fans. I can't reveal your identity."

"Are you jealous of Jennifer?"

"The rumors about Jennifer and me are all for publicity. The company asked me to do it."

"Creating a couple persona helps Jennifer launch her career. There's no way I could be with her. She's a wealthy heiress, destined to marry Shane, the heir of Sapphire Capital Group."

Shane turned out to be the heir of Sapphire Capital Group.

And he had an engagement with Jennifer.

Brenden kept sending me messages non-stop.

I didn't reply to any of them, nor did I block him.

"I went to your house, but no one was home."

"Where are you? Do you think I'll really call the cops?" I bet he would never call the police.

He wouldn't want to make a scene and let others know about our relationship.

To him, his ego was bigger than the world.

Sure enough, he didn't call the police. He just kept threatening me in a fit of rage.

"Malinda, are you deliberately playing games with me?"

"Stop it. I'm running out of patience."

"If you don't reply by midnight, I'll break up with you and block you."

12:01 AM.

He sent another message: "Alright, you win. You think my words mean nothing, huh!" "We haven't broken up yet. You can't just give me the emotional cold shoulder!"

"I almost twisted my right ankle today while filming a fight scene. Doesn't it hurt you?"

I scrolled through these messages expressionlessly.

Shane, sitting next to me, asked gently, "What's wrong?

You look a bit upset.

"

I looked up at him. "It's nothing. Someone keeps messaging me, but I don't seem to know him."

At that moment, I was on a flight to Agriele with Shane.

He kept his promise to take me for the most advanced scar removal treatment.

Rationally, I knew I should stay away from him. After all, he was Jennifer's fiancé and had intricate ties with Brenden.

But in reality, I couldn't escape his seemingly gentle yet forceful arrangements.

I had no strength to run away.

My life had lost all its anchors, like a rootless water lily.

My biological parents heavily favored boys over girls, suppressing me from a young age and pushing me to drop out of school early to work and earn tuition for my brother.

After breaking free from my family, I followed Brenden without hesitation, thinking he would be my lifelong love.

But in the end, he let me down.

The first half of my life was too tumultuous, and I no longer wanted to recall it.

My mind was a blank, shrouded in fog, as if I had completely forgotten the past.

After the scar removal surgery in Agriele, Shane took me for a psychological evaluation.

The doctor said I might have stress-induced amnesia.

It hadn't reached the level of physiological changes, but my brain, as a self-protection mechanism, had blocked out the painful memories.

That was fine with me.

I no longer wasted energy on internal struggles and continued doing what I loved-drawing comics.

I had thousands of followers online and often received commissions for comic work.

Currently, I was drawing a story about a sad capybara. Sometimes, when I was too focused, I would look up and meet Shane's gentle smile.

"Your drawings are so cute. Kaylyn will definitely love them."

Kaylyn really loved them. She hugged my drawing, kissing it over and over, and twirled around with it.

"Sis! I want to always be the first to read your comics! Why don't you stay here and draw for me?"

Shane also persuaded me to stay.

"Kaylyn used to be a bit depressed. She's much happier with you here. I hope you can stay. Maybe in a while, I can find someone to help you publish your comics."

His last sentence moved me.

After all, I was human too, and I had a desire for fame and fortune.

I agreed to stay at the Dixon Family villa. Coincidentally, my former landlord sent me a message: "Are you still renting the house?

A big man has been coming every night, just squatting at the door. It's quite scary."

The landlord sent a surveillance screenshot.

I immediately recognized the man squatting at the door as Brenden.

He wore a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask, covering himself tightly. The strands of hair falling on his forehead revealed a hint of vulnerability.

I opened our chat and saw he had sent me hundreds of new messages.

"Why aren't you replying?

Are you dead?" "I'm waiting at your door. I don't believe you won't show up."

"You never treated me like this before. You've changed."

He was terrifying. I didn't want to see him again.

I told the landlord, "I'm not renting the house anymore. Throw away everything inside. You don't need to refund the deposit."

I had no other options and could only stay at the Dixon Family villa in peace.

It was quiet here. I spent my days healing, drawing, and chatting with Shane. Life went on quietly.

Until one day, Shane said to me, "My fiancée is coming."