Ficorpio
Chapter 1
After my benefactor died, I was left to care for his blonde daughter.
She hated me. So I could only turn to my online girlfriend and cry about it.
She called me a homewrecker again. Sob.
The reply came with a photo of her wearing the body chain, her robe hanging open as she tried to comfort me.
Don’t listen to that bitch, Mommy. Is she prettier than me?
I glanced instinctively at the girl sitting nearby, absorbed in her phone.
Black tank top. Pale skin. Beautiful, in her own way.
She bent down to pick up a glass of water, and a fine chain with a dog tag slipped into view beneath her neckline.
I froze.
That was the bespoke body chain I’d given my online girlfriend.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Before I could get a better look, Avery Sterling suddenly raised her head.
Her amber eyes collided with mine.
She had platinum-blonde wolf-cut hair, cold features, and a straight, sharply defined nose. A ruby stud glittered in her left ear. The flash of red made her look wild and beautiful at once.
A black leather jacket hung loosely over her tank top. Her shoulders and neck were cleanly defined, her waist narrow, her posture lazy and loose. She looked like a sleek young panther at rest.
But whenever she looked at me, all I saw was irritation.
“What are you staring at?”
I hurriedly looked away.
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, right.”
Avery gave a derisive laugh. With lazy fingers, she hooked the chain back beneath her neckline, hiding the dog tag. Her voice was casual, cutting, and cruel.
“Sleeping with an old man wasn’t enough? Now you’re trying to win me over, too?”
“Old men are easy to fool. I won’t fall for your tricks.”
“Save it, old lady.”
She grabbed her jacket and walked out without looking back.
The enormous living room fell silent.
My fingers curled slightly as I lowered my gaze to my phone.
My online girlfriend’s profile picture was nothing but black. Her username was Frost.
Frost and I had met while playing Valorant.
In the game, she loved calling me Mommy.
When she learned that I had a rebellious stepdaughter, she’d said:
Don’t cry. From now on, I’ll be Mommy’s puppy.
Avery Sterling, my stepdaughter in real life, had never been willing to call me that.
I had been so touched that I agreed through tears.
Frost’s profile and username made her seem cold and untouchable, but in private, she was shamelessly needy.
I was a lonely young widow, and I had my own needs.
Before meeting her, I’d never imagined that two women could be together that way.
But she was so sweet, and she knew exactly how to tease me.
We talked about things we shouldn’t have, sent each other suggestive voice messages, and made little videos without showing our faces…
Between us, we’d done just about everything short of meeting in person.
She was clingy, always demanding that I give our relationship a real name and agree to meet offline.
That was where I hesitated.
But we’re both women, and I’m a widow raising a child. Would your family even accept me?
She hadn’t hesitated for a second.
Chapter 2
It doesn’t matter, Mommy. They’re all dead.
The old man only left behind a kept woman. She can’t control me.
Looking at her reply, I felt a faint sweetness spread through my chest.
My heart had been withered for years, but it seemed to be putting out new shoots again. Without admitting it to myself, I had begun to hope.
But how could she be Avery Sterling?
Even if I’d never legally married her father, this was still wrong.
Our relationship was forbidden.
The chat window was still open to the photo of the body chain.
But Avery’s parting words pierced my heart like needles.
I tightened my grip on the phone, shame burning at the tip of my nose.
Just last night, Frost had spent hours tempting me, insisting that we finally meet.
Thank God I hadn’t agreed.
Avery already hated me. She was always calling me a seductive homewrecker.
If she discovered that her online girlfriend was me, she would probably be disgusted.
She would hate me even more.
My chest felt blocked by a sodden wad of cotton.
Heavy. Sour. Suffocating.
No one wanted to be hated by the person they loved.
And besides, Avery and I could never be together.
After sitting in silence for a long time, I typed three words.
Let’s break up.
Frost replied almost instantly.
???
Did that bitch bully Mommy again?
Are my breasts not big enough? What kind does Mommy like? I can work on it!
Should Mommy punish her puppy? Puppy can do anything!
Transfer: ¥52,000 “I Love You” Gift
When she saw that I was typing, she sent another stream of messages, along with the transfer.
I stared at the screen for a long time, deleting and rewriting my reply.
In the end, I sent only three words.
I’m bored of you.
Send.
Block.
Delete.
I did it all in one breath.
When it was over, I placed my phone facedown on the table, my eyes burning red.
It felt as if someone had scooped a piece out of my heart.
Leaving nothing behind but emptiness.
Downstairs, the noise went on and on, like a kettle shrieking on the stove.
It made my nerves fray.
Avery Sterling was crouched beside the flower bed, her back bowed over. Empty liquor bottles lay scattered around her feet.
Her phone screen lit up, went dark, then lit up again.
The chat window was filled with red exclamation marks.
She stared at it with her head lowered, her voice hoarse and trembling.
“Liar…”
My chest tightened.
In the end, I poured a glass of milk and took it outside.
“Stop drinking.”
Avery looked up and saw me. Her bloodshot eyes darted away at once, but she still forced that usual cold, cutting edge into her voice.
“Here to laugh at me?”
“No.”
I set the milk beside her.
“It’s only heartbreak. You’ll get over it.”
She reacted as though I had stepped on a land mine.
“What does it have to do with you? I’m not heartbroken.”
“If anyone’s heartbroken, it’s you. Mind your own business.”
The words lodged in my throat, leaving my nose stinging.
She was always like this.
Chapter 3
Her relationship with her father had never been good. After he brought me into the house, she only grew more hostile.
She dyed her hair an aggressively bright platinum blonde. Drank, partied, drove too fast.
She had gotten into one of the best universities in the country, yet insisted on making herself look like the most rebellious person alive.
Then her father died.
And his will left her in my care.
Avery was only six years younger than I was. She had never accepted me as her stepmother.
She looked down on where I came from. She thought I had clawed my way into wealth. To her, I was a calculating little vixen, a vicious woman who had trapped her father and wanted to play mother now.
But no one had ever asked whether I wanted any of it.
My parents had handed me over to settle their debts. That was how I became an old rich man’s kept woman.
Still, fate had not been entirely cruel to me.
When he died of illness, he left me enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life.
There was only one condition.
Take care of Avery.
So I put away my beautiful gowns and scrubbed off the seductive makeup.
I traded short skirts for slacks, high heels for flats.
I did everything I could to become a decent mother.
But no matter what I did, it was wrong in her eyes.
She was heartbroken.
But so was I.
My hand had trembled the entire time I deleted Frost.
And afterward, my heart had felt hollow, as though someone had torn a piece straight out of it.
Why did it have to be this way?
If Frost had not been Avery, how could I have ended up heartbroken too?
This was all her fault. So why was she the one taking her anger out on me?
Tears surged into my eyes.
For the first time, I lost my temper with her.
“She dumped you, so go find her!”
“Why are you snapping at me?”
“You won’t be able to find her anyway. Go ahead and cry yourself sick for all I care!”
The wind seemed to die.
Avery froze. Little by little, the drunken haze faded from her amber eyes.
For once, she did not snap back.
She only stared at me.
As if I had shaken her awake.
Her eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
After a long moment, she spoke in a low voice.
“You’re right.”
“I should go find her.”
A few days later, Avery Sterling called me herself.
“Pick me up from campus at four.”
I was so flattered I could hardly believe it.
“I… can I?”
Once, she had gotten into trouble at school. Her student adviser had called the family in for a meeting, and I had rushed to campus.
But in front of everyone, Avery’s face had turned cold.
“Who told you to come?”