Chapter 1
When Caroline Green learned that Alexander Scott had been in a car accident while street racing and had lost a lot of blood, she rushed to the hospital and donated a full 1000 milliliters of blood for him.
His friends all urged Caroline to go home and rest, so she reluctantly agreed. However, just as she reached the door, she turned back out of concern for Alexander. The moment she turned around, she saw a nurse dumping all five bags of blood drawn from her straight into the trash can.
Suddenly, loud mocking laughter erupted from a nearby hospital room.
A man laughed and said, “That idiot Caroline got fooled by us
again.”
Caroline froze, staring blankly through the half-open door of the room. She immediately spotted Alexander among the crowd,
wearing a hospital gown.
Alexander was casually leaning against the headboard, looking down at his phone. His friends partially blocked his face, but Caroline could still make out his sharp nose and deep-set eyes.
Where was any sign that he’d been seriously injured?
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14:56
Caroline blinked, thinking her grief was making her hallucinate.
Then a man said, “Let me count how many times we’ve gotten
our revenge now.
“The first time, we told her Alexander’s necklace for her was lost, so she searched in the snow all night and ran a 104-degree fever but still refused to rest.
“The second time, we told her Alexander was in a coma. She bought a cross necklace overnight, but Alexander had already thrown that cross to the dogs.
“The third time, we framed her for cheating and ruined her graduation ceremony. Remembering how desperately she tried to prove her innocence still makes me laugh.
“This time, we tricked her into donating five bags of blood. This must be the ninety-sixth time, right? After we fool her three more times, the revenge game can finally end. This hasn’t been easy. Alexander has actually put up with this for so many
Christmases.”
Another man said, “It’s all because she stole Mila’s dance championship back then, making Mila cry all night. Mila is Alexander’s favorite person. How dare she make Mila cry? There’s no way Alexander would let that slide. That’s why Alexander decided to date her and get revenge ninety-nine times. Too bad once the revenge is over, Alexander will dump
Caroline was stunned, completely shocked.
Her heart felt like it was being sliced by knives. She pressed
hard against her chest, bent over gasping for air, the pain almost suffocating her.
Caroline couldn’t believe what she’d just heard, couldn’t believe that Alexander had only dated her for revenge.
He knew exactly how much she loved him.
Alexander was the golden boy that many people in Washington wanted to pursue. He excelled academically, came from a good family, and was incredibly handsome. There was a saying back then: any girl who met him would fall for him.
Caroline was one of those girls who fell for him.
She swallowed her pride and pursued Alexander for three Christmases, but he never responded. Until one day, he unexpectedly accepted her confession, surprising everyone.
Caroline thought she’d finally achieved her dream, never imagining it was all just cruel revenge.
So Alexander hadn’t accepted her before because he already had someone else in his heart.
АНИ
ланд
dance championship and made Mila cry.
For revenge, he pretended to be with her, using ninety-nine deceptions to push her into an abyss of pain.
Caroline’s tears wouldn’t stop falling. Her throat felt blocked, making even breathing difficult.
She looked at the laughing crowd in the room, at Alexander’s cold face, and suddenly felt like a complete joke.
Caroline had offered her sincere heart to Alexander, but he mercilessly crushed it and threw it in the trash, cheaper than a piece of spoiled pork.
Just then, the people in the room seemed to sense something and looked toward the door.
Caroline quickly turned around and hurried away.
She walked faster and faster, eventually breaking into a run.
Caroline didn’t know where she was going; she just wanted to completely escape this place, escape Alexander, escape this absurd nightmare.
Only when she couldn’t run anymore did she crouch down, tears
streaming endlessly.
She covered her face, letting out suppressed sobs, as if trying to cry out all her grievances and pain.
Caroline thought, “How ridiculous. Caroline, you’re such a fool.”
After what felt like forever, her phone rang.
With trembling hands, Caroline answered the call. Her mother Ariana Green’s gentle voice came through.
She said, “Caroline, your father and I are about to move abroad permanently. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
Not long ago, Caroline’s father Matthew Green had received orders to work overseas. Originally, they’d wanted the whole family to move abroad, but Caroline had stayed behind because she couldn’t bear to leave Alexander, even considering staying in Washington permanently for him.
Now, Caroline found the whole situation deeply ironic.
“No.” She wiped away all her tears, took a deep breath, and said in a hoarse but firm voice, “Mom, Dad, I’ll come with you.”
Ariana’s delighted voice immediately came through the phone: “That’s wonderful, Caroline. Let’s go handle the paperwork right now. Once we’ve done the paperwork, you won’t be able to back
out.”
Caroline gripped her phone tightly, her fingertips trembling slightly, but she said firmly: “I won’t back out.”
Just as Ariana was about to hang up, something occurred to her, and she asked tentatively: “By the way, what about your boyfriend? Didn’t you pursue him for a long time? Don’t you really like him?”
The word “boyfriend” pierced Caroline’s heart like a sharp thorn.
Caroline instantly recalled the harsh laughter in the hospital room, Alexander lounging lazily on the hospital bed playing with his phone, the group’s unrestrained mockery, and his cruelty in wasting three years on Christmas revenge against her for Mila’s
sake.
Her heart clenched violently, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
“I don’t like him anymore.” Caroline heard her own hoarse but calm voice, “I’ll never like him again.”
After hanging up, Caroline stood by the roadside, letting the cold wind tousle her hair. She looked up at the gray, overcast sky, took a deep breath, then turned and walked toward “home.”
Chapter 1
The moment she pushed open the door, familiar scents rushed toward her.
Caroline stood in the doorway, looking at the familiar furnishings in the living room, feeling completely dazed.
This was Alexander’s house. After he agreed to her confession,
he had given her the key and let her move in.
That day, he had leaned against the doorframe and said casually: “Let’s move in together.”
Caroline back then had been both shy and happy, thinking it was the beginning of their love story.
She had even secretly fantasized that someday in the future, they would get married here, have children, and spend a long life together.
But now, Caroline only found the whole thing deeply ironic.
Living together was just to make it more convenient for him to get his revenge.
Caroline couldn’t understand just how much Alexander must love Mila to be willing to waste three years on Christmas revenge against her, to live with her, and to have been intimate with her so many times.
Even all of that was just to make her believe he actually liked
her.
For the next three days, Caroline didn’t visit Alexander in the hospital even once.
She locked herself at home and began sorting through everything related to Alexander.
Caroline found the diary she had written during her secret crush on Alexander. It was a thick notebook, every page filled with her innermost thoughts.
[Today, I ran into him at the library again. He was wearing a white shirt. He looked so handsome.]
[He talked to me today. Even though he was just politely asking me to pass something, I was happy all day long.]
[He agreed to be with me. Am I dreaming?]
Caroline flipped through page by page, tears silently streaming down her face.
Then she threw the diary into the trash bag, as if gradually removing all the love she once felt for him.
Next, Caroline discarded all the gifts she had given Alexander, including a necklace, a watch, and a jacket.
Each item carried her former joy and expectations.
Finally, Caroline threw away all the photos of Alexander she had secretly taken.
In the photos, Alexander was sometimes giving speeches on stage, sometimes playing basketball, sometimes leaning against the hallway talking to people—each one had once made her heart flutter.
Caroline threw all these things into the trash, as if saying goodbye to her former self.
On the third evening, Caroline finally finished sorting through
the last item.
She stood in the center of the living room, looking at the now-empty house, and surprisingly felt a liberating sense of relief.
Just then, Alexander pushed open the door and came in.
Seeing that the house looked much more sparse, he frowned and asked: “What did you throw away?”
Caroline looked up, her gaze calm as she said: “Nothing. Just some unnecessary things.”
Alexander stepped closer, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure: “I was hurt so badly, why didn’t you come see me?”
Caroline replied coldly: “Aren’t you already discharged? If you were hurt so badly, how could you come back so quickly?”
Alexander was taken aback, then explained: “I heard you gave me a lot of blood. I was worried about you, so I came back to check on you.”
After speaking, his gaze fell on her arm, his tone unusually gentle: “Does it hurt?”
Caroline pulled her hand back and said flatly: “No.”
Alexander sensed her coldness and frowned as he asked: “What’s been going on lately? Why did you change after I was hospitalized just once?”
Caroline showed a faint smile: “How have I changed?”
Alexander didn’t respond, but they both knew the truth.
Before, Caroline’s eyes had been full of love when she looked at him. Even if he just had a cold, she would stay by his side constantly as if facing a major crisis.
But now, he had been hospitalized for three days, and she hadn’t even called him once.
Alexander’s gaze lingered on her face for a while, as if trying to read something from her expression.
He suddenly said in a low, gentle voice: “Have you been tired lately? They’re throwing a party for me. I’ll take you with me, okay?”
Before Caroline could refuse, Alexander had already taken her hand and led her to the car.
The car stopped in front of an upscale club. After getting out, Alexander walked around to her side and opened the door for
her.
Caroline glanced at him without saying a word and quietly got out of the car..
The moment she walked into the club, Caroline’s attention was instantly drawn to a familiar figure.
It was Mila.
She wore a white dress, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, with a gentle smile. She stood in the middle of a crowd, chatting with several friends.
Mila was Alexander’s childhood friend. Though they had grown up together, during the years Caroline and Alexander had been
dating, Mila and Alexander had never had any contact.
So Caroline had never imagined that Alexander actually liked
Mila.
Seeing them walk over hand in hand, Mila’s eyes held a knowing smile. This seemed to indicate she knew about the 99 acts of
revenge.
Caroline suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Alexander seemed to notice Mila too. His fingers stiffened slightly, then he let go of Caroline’s hand.
He turned to Caroline and said in a low voice, “I’m going to step out and make a phone call. Wait here for a bit, I’ll be right back.”
Caroline stood there, watching Alexander’s retreating figure, feeling a chill in her heart.
Before she could think much about it, Mila had already gracefully followed after Alexander.
The two figures disappeared around the corner of the club, one after the other.
Caroline didn’t have the energy to worry about what they were doing, because she was soon surrounded by several of Alexander’s friends.
“Caroline, have a drink.” They grinned as they handed her a glass.
Caroline shook her head. “I can’t drink.”
“Don’t be a buzzkill, just one drink, it’s fine.” They shoved the glass into her hands and pushed her forward.
Caroline tried to break free and leave, but one of them suddenly gave her a hard shove.
“Ah!” Caroline screamed, lost her balance, and fell directly into the nearby pool.
The icy water instantly engulfed her body.
Caroline couldn’t swim. She flailed her arms in panic, but only
sank deeper.
Water poured into her mouth and nose, choking her until she could barely breathe.
Her consciousness gradually faded, everything went dark, and she finally lost consciousness completely.
When she woke up again, Caroline found herself lying in a
та
al
burning hot, as if on fire.
९
She struggled to open her eyes and saw Alexander sitting by the bed, holding a glass of water and several pills.
“You have a fever. Take the medicine.” Alexander’s voice was low, with a hint of concern.
Caroline groggily took the pills, sipped some water, and swallowed them.
She didn’t have time to think much, only feeling her throat was very dry and her whole body felt drained of strength.
Caroline closed her eyes, wanting to continue sleeping, but her body grew hotter and hotter, as if something was burning inside
her.
After some unknown amount of time, she struggled to open her eyes and found Alexander was no longer in the room.
Caroline forced herself to sit up and touched her forehead, finding it very hot.
She knew she had to go to the hospital and couldn’t delay any longer.
Caroline dragged her heavy body and struggled to get to the
hospital.
The doctor gave her an IV, and her fever subsided slightly.
After examining her condition, the doctor frowned and said, “Good thing you came early. If you had waited any longer, you might have developed pneumonia.”
Caroline leaned weakly against the hospital bed and asked in a hoarse voice, “I took medicine, so why did it get worse?”
The doctor was stunned and asked, “What medicine did you
take?”
Caroline pulled out a small medicine bottle from her pocket and handed it to the doctor. “Some anti-inflammatory medicine my boyfriend gave me.”
The doctor took the bottle, opened it, and looked inside. His expression immediately became serious. “This isn’t anti-inflammatory medicine. The bottle is for anti-inflammatory medicine, but what’s inside is just sugar. It has no medicinal effect at all and would actually delay treatment.”
Caroline’s heart sank, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated frantically several times.
Caroline weakly lifted her hand and picked up her phone to
look. Messages were popping up on the screen one after another.
They were from Alexander’s group of friends.
[97th revenge successful!]
[Who came up with this idea? Pure genius. We deliberately pushed her into the water first, then Alexander switched out her medicine. She must be feeling terrible right now.]
Then someone frantically sent: [You guys sent this to the wrong group. Caroline is in this group.]
