Chapter 1

Everyone knew that the most important thing in Marcus Smith's life was scientific research.

He promised that as soon as he won the Lincoln Research Award, he would marry me immediately.

For this, I waited for him ten years.

During the day I was his lab assistant, at night his stress-relief bed partner, letting him vent as he pleased.

Until I went to the lab to deliver materials to him.

I saw him pressing his sponsored poverty scholarship student, Lily Foster, onto the couch, entangled desperately with her.

Amid the entanglement, Lily sobbed softly:

"Marcus, you're about to step onto the Lincoln Award podium, and I'm going to lose you."

Marcus's tone was gentle:

"How could that be? You'll receive the award with me too. I organized Hailey Snow's data and put your name on it. I want you to stand beside me openly and honorably."

I froze at the doorway, sneering inwardly.

I'd like to see how they plagiarize my data when I'm on the awards committee.

I was about to leave when suddenly a voice came from the end of the corridor: "Hailey!"

It was a new graduate research student from the lab, coming to ask me questions.

Hearing the sudden silence from inside the room, I smiled.

After answering the student's questions, I raised my hand and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in." Marcus's voice was calm as usual.

I pushed the door open.

He sat in his chair while Lily stood beside him, her cheeks slightly flushed, her lips more vivid than usual.

"Hailey." Marcus looked up tentatively. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. A student came to ask me questions." I answered calmly.

Marcus nodded. "Perfect timing. I have an announcement to make. Go call everyone to the conference room."

In the conference room, Marcus spoke eloquently while Lily sat to his left.

I sat in the farthest corner, opening my notebook.

"...So, for the paper 'Novel Semiconductor Interface State Regulation,'" he paused, "the first author will be Lily."

Lily covered her mouth, but her eyes were astonishingly bright. "Professor Smith... how can this work? The data was mainly Hailey's..."

"The team needs to focus on cultivating young talent." Marcus interrupted her, his gaze turning to me. "Your data work is very solid, but Lily needs this paper more to apply for her doctorate. Does anyone object?"

Seven or eight people in the lab—no one dared speak.

My fingers gripping the edge of my notebook tightened slightly, my knuckles turning white.

Then I suddenly stood up. The coffee cup on the table fell and shattered on the floor.

"I don't agree."

Marcus frowned, his tone impatient. "All results in the lab belong to the team. Hailey, your contribution will be reflected in the acknowledgments section."

"Acknowledgments?" I laughed coldly.

"Three months, working fourteen hours a day, measuring seven hundred data sets, optimizing five parameter models—and in the end it's worth just an 'acknowledgment'?"

His face darkened. "Watch your attitude. This is a public setting."

"Public setting?" I looked around. "So you deliberately chose to notify me here? To humiliate me in front of everyone?"

Lily timidly interjected: "Hailey, don't be angry. Professor Smith is just thinking of my future..."

"Your future?" I turned to her, enunciating each word. "Building your future with my data?"

Marcus strode over and grabbed my wrist. "Don't make a scene here. We'll talk about it when we get back."

I shook off his hand. "Let's be clear right here. Marcus, you promised me this paper was mine. You said it yourself!"

A flash of panic crossed his face, quickly replaced by anger:

"That was on the premise that the data met standards! Your final verification data had too much fluctuation. Lily helped you recalibrate it!"

I almost laughed until I cried.

The data fluctuation was due to a temporary instrument malfunction. Later I worked all night repeating the experiment three times to get accurate data.

Lily timely pulled out her notebook and turned to a certain page. "Hailey, look, this is my calculation draft from that time..."

Suddenly, I felt blood rushing to my head. "That's my calculation method! You just copied it!"

"Hailey!" Marcus shouted sternly, then moved close to my ear.

"Do you really want to make such a scene? Don't forget what I have saved on my phone. Do I need to remind you publicly?"

My whole body stiffened.

Those nights when he coaxed me into taking intimate photos.

He said it was for fun, for memories.

Turns out he was saving them for this moment.

"You..." My voice trembled.

A flash of triumph crossed his eyes, his tone softening:

"Be good. Give the paper to Lily. There will be better opportunities later, I promise."

Lily also came over. "Hailey, I'm sorry... but my mom really needs money for treatment. This authorship will let me get a scholarship and subsidies..."

I looked at her tearful face, then at the threat in Marcus's eyes.

I slowly released my clenched hands and lowered my eyes. "Fine."

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief and patted my shoulder. "That's more like it."

He turned to face everyone, his tone calm again. "That settles it. Lily, give me the draft by this weekend. Meeting adjourned."

The crowd quickly dispersed.

As Lily passed by me, she said very softly, "Thank you, Hailey."

Then she hurried to catch up with Marcus.

The empty lab left only me and the mess on the floor.

I crouched down and slowly picked up the ceramic cup fragments.

A sharp edge cut across my fingertip, and blood immediately welled up.

I watched that drop of bright red fall onto the dark blue cover of my lab notebook, slowly spreading.

I pressed my entire bloody fingerprint onto the title page.

I lifted my head, my face showing only icy calm.

The trembling and compromise just now were just a show for them.

How ridiculous. After ten years together, Marcus hadn't noticed at all that what was deeply buried in my eyes wasn't sadness, but mockery and resolve.

I closed the notebook and carefully placed it along with several other key data backups into the inner layer of my backpack.

Standing up, I took one last look at Marcus's tightly closed office door.

Light leaked out, casting shadows of two people standing very close together.

I lightly curled my lips and turned to leave.