: Wedding Scars

My aunt, who raised me single-handedly, finally found her own happiness on her thirty-sixth birthday.

Two months after she moved in with Uncle Vincent, she quit her job at the dance troupe. Three months later, she cut her hair short and told me not to call her anymore.

Later, I secretly moved into the apartment across the hall from hers.

I saw countless men coming and going from Aunt Hannah's home.

1

My Aunt Hannah, who worked so hard to raise me, finally married the man she loved on her thirty-sixth birthday, just as she'd always hoped.

The wedding ceremony was grand and formal. Aunt Hannah walked slowly down the aisle, arm in arm with the tall and handsome Uncle Vincent.

Halfway through the ceremony.

"Aunt Hannah, my parents passed away when I was young. You raised me, playing the part of both mother and father. Now that you've finally found your happiness, I wish you and Uncle Vincent a lifetime of love, and may you grow old together."

As I gave my heartfelt blessing, Uncle Vincent, standing opposite me, smiled shyly. He was so nervous that he was pinching Aunt Hannah's arm, leaving it red.

Aunt Hannah was so moved that tears streamed down her face.

"Tanya, thank you—Ah!"

All the guests were cheering and congratulating the newlyweds.

Only I noticed that her slender calves, visible beneath her wedding dress, were covered in cuts and bruises.

: The Suspicious Marriage

2

The wedding date was set a month ago, when I was busy with my graduation thesis. Aunt Hannah suddenly called, excited, telling me that a handsome wealthy heir had confessed his feelings for her.

"Tanya, you don't know how adorable Vincent Sterling is. His face gets so red whenever he's shy."

I reminded her as I tapped away at my keyboard:

"Aunt Hannah, handsome guys are trouble. You have to be extra careful with one who's rich on top of that."

Aunt Hannah giggled. Almost at the same instant, a soft, hesitant male voice came through the receiver. "Hannah, I... I'm truly serious about you."

I couldn't quite make out what they said after that.

A long while later, Aunt Hannah picked up the phone again, wished me a hurried goodnight, and hung up.

I never thought they would actually get married so fast.

Less than two months after the wedding, Aunt Hannah suddenly quit her permanent position with the Provincial Ballet Company—a job she had worked incredibly hard to get—and moved to Uncle Vincent's city to live with him.

And this was the first time ever that Aunt Hannah, who used to dote on me and call constantly, had gone so long without a single call home.

The next time I managed to get in touch with Aunt Hannah was mid-way through her third month of marriage.

To my surprise, I saw she had cut her hair into an ear-length bob.

On the video call, Aunt Hannah was radiant, going on and on about how leisurely and luxurious her new life was.

"Tanya, I'm going to be very busy for a while, so please don't try to contact me."

"Oh, and don't come looking for me in King's Harbor... Your Uncle Vincent is shy around new people and doesn't really like having strangers in the house."

Aunt Hannah had a look of pure bliss on her face as she said this.

The instant the video call disconnected.

I saw the silhouettes of several strange men surrounding her.

: A Trip to Jinghai

3

My mind immediately went to Aunt Hannah's bruised legs at the wedding. The more I thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

I told Grandma about my concerns.

But she just laughed and said I was worrying over nothing.

"Your Aunt Hannah is sharp. She wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her. Those bruises on her legs are probably just from dance practice."

"Besides, you know how much your Uncle Vincent dotes on her. He even draws her footbaths himself..."

Grandma wasn't wrong.

Uncle Vincent truly spoiled Aunt Hannah rotten.

Back then, Aunt Hannah had given up her chance to go to college, joining a dance troupe to support the family while also taking care of me. The overexertion took a toll on her health, making it difficult for her to get pregnant. Thankfully, Uncle Vincent stood by her through it all and still asked her to marry him.

After they got married, he was also very generous to our side of the family.

Expensive supplements, the Apple Tech Suite... He'd send whatever was valuable.

But a sense of unease still lingered, and I hesitated before saying:

"Grandma, maybe I should go to King's Harbor and check on Aunt Hannah."

Grandma put down her embroidery needle. "Alright. I know you're worried about your aunt. You can go on my behalf and pay our respects to her in-laws."

I kept my trip to King's Harbor a secret from Aunt Hannah.

Luckily, Aunt Hannah had asked me to mail her something before, so I had her address. As soon as my plane landed, I rushed straight to the residential complex where she and Uncle Vincent lived.

I followed the unit numbers and quickly found their apartment.

I hid in the emergency stairwell, watching the hallway without blinking.

In just ten minutes or so, the elevator doors opened four or five times.

Each time, it was a man who stepped out.

And their destination was, surprisingly, always the same—

Uncle Vincent's apartment.