“Sir…”

Several servants cautiously approached him, their voices trembling as they softly inquired, “Are you alright?”

James struggled to control his shaking. He took a deep breath and forced a smile that was more heartbreaking than tears.

“Call an ambulance for me, please. I can’t move anymore.”

Under their pitiful gazes, James was carried into the ambulance.

His injuries were worse than he had expected, with bruises and abrasions covering his entire body.

“These injuries are severe. Don’t you have any family to stay with you?”

The doctor couldn’t help but comment as he treated James’s wounds. “You’ll need help since you won’t be able to move around.”

“I don’t have any family,” replied James, his voice distant and hollow. “There’s no one in this world who’s tied to me anymore.”

His parents were gone and Wendy… she was gone too.

Or maybe, she was never truly there to begin with.

As the nurse wheeled him out, he overheard two other nurses gossiping nearby.

“Did you hear? That livestreamer, Sean, is hospitalized here.”

“I did! His wife treats him so well. She booked an entire floor for him.”

“Wow… she’s the daughter of an affluent family and is still so attentive. I’m so jealous.”

“Although I heard his wife had a lot of scandals before…”

“So what? Can’t someone become loyal again for the person they love?”

‘Become loyal again for the person they love...’

James lowered his gaze and gave a bitter smile.

Yes, Wendy would do anything for Sean.

That was true love.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, James had his driver take him to his seaside villa.

For the next few days, he stayed there to recuperate.

This villa was bought with the first pot of gold he earned back in university through investments made with his part-time income.

It was truly his own.

The ocean roared yet remained serene. Every time James sat by the shore, he felt a rare sense of tranquility.

Watching the waves chase and play with each other before disappearing on the sand brought him a semblance of peace.

It was as though the suffocating weight he had carried for so long was finally beginning to lift.

In this seaside villa, James allowed himself a break from everything.

But when his “holiday” ended, he turned his phone back on, only to be met with a barrage of missed calls.

The majority of them were from Wendy.

“James, haven’t you caused enough trouble? Where have you gone off to, leaving the company’s mess for me to clean up? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! You’re just trying to use work to keep me from taking care of Sean, aren’t you? You’re so petty and disgusting!”

As James stepped into his office, Wendy was still flooding his phone with messages.

“Where the hell have you been?”

When James finally walked through the door, Wendy threw a stack of documents at his feet.

“The wedding is in a week! I don’t care what excuse you have, but you better drop the attitude! They’re only minor injuries, stop being so dramatic!”

James remained silent. He headed straight for the sofa and sat down.

When Wendy caught a glimpse of his exposed skin—bruised and marred with wounds—a flicker of guilt crossed her face.

But it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“You should feel lucky that Sean’s fine, that his head wasn’t injured. Otherwise, I’d divorce you without a second thought. Sean is kind-hearted and isn’t holding you accountable. But he does have one request that you need to fulfill. For our wedding, you’re going to be the officiant.”

James raised his head, his voice trembling. “Wendy, you want your husband to officiate the wedding between you and your lover?”

He stared at her, his gaze filled with despair and disbelief.

Wendy looked puzzled.

She didn’t understand why James was reacting so strangely.

“It’s just a few words of blessing. Sean respects you. He holds you in high regard. Why can’t you just agree?”

Hearing her words, James couldn’t hold it in any longer. He shoved her aside and ran to the bathroom, retching violently.

How had he never noticed before just how disgusting Wendy truly was?

Clenching his fists tightly, he slammed one into the cold mirror.

Blood seeped from his knuckles as the glass cracked under the force.

James stumbled back and turned around to face Wendy’s astonished gaze.

“Wendy, we once shared something—call it feelings, or whatever it was. Maybe it’s all gone now, but for the sake of what we once had… please, spare me.” James let out a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse. “I won’t officiate your wedding. Consider it my plea to you.”

Wendy’s expression turned unreadable.

In all these years, this was the first time James had ever begged her.

So humbly. So vulnerably.

“Fine, forget it then.” Wendy raised her brows slightly. “James, if you had begged me like this earlier, maybe I would’ve come home more often. You owe everything you have to me. You should be worshiping me. Too bad you figured that out too late.”

Listening to her smug, self-righteous words, James’s fists clenched tighter.

Yes, he had figured it out too late.

The shattered glass cut deeper into his hand, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.

With trembling fingers, he traced a single number in his own blood on the broken mirror, “7”.

Only seven days left.

The wedding was held at a seven-star hotel.

Sean seemed to deliberately disgust James, every flower, every decoration, and even every dish was brought to James for his opinion.

“Sean is very busy, and he needs to take care of his health. You should help with setting up the venue,” Wendy said matter-of-factly.

“I’m busy preparing for pregnancy as well,” she added.

“Yes, James, I trust you. What you like, I like too,” Sean said with a smile. “James, treat this like it’s your own wedding Nothing can go wrong.”

James looked at his triumphant demeanor with an expressionless face.

“Okay,” replied James.

He treated the wedding as if it were his own, meticulously overseeing every detail with perfection.

Soon, the day before the wedding arrived.

“James, leaving the wedding arrangements to you was the right decision. I’m very satisfied,” Sean said during the rehearsal, holding Wendy’s hand as they arrived late.

“Wendy, you grew up with James, and this wedding dress is so heavy... Why don’t you let James support you when you walk down the aisle later?” Sean suggested.

Eric, who had been by James’s side, looked upset and couldn’t help but complain, “This isn’t right. Having the husband escort his wife down the aisle only to hand her over to the homewrecker? That’s too far!”

Sean’s face darkened with anger. “You!”

“Alright then.” James interrupted in a calm voice, worried that Wendy might punish his secretary.

“I’ll escort her,” James added firmly.

Sean’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.

Dressed in the wedding gown James had personally chosen, Wendy walked toward Sean step by step with James supporting her.

The wedding march echoed through the hall.

With every step James took, images flashed through his mind.

Scenes of light and shadow, filled with memories of him and Wendy, played like a movie.

The smile on his face grew lighter and more relaxed.

“Groom, I now hand the bride over to you,” James said when he reached the front, smiling at Wendy and Sean.

“I wish you happiness,” he added, his smile sincere and his blessing heartfelt.

Seeing the genuine smile in James’s eyes, Wendy suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

“James... Are you feeling tired?” she asked, her voice slightly uneasy.

Sean laughed in surprise. “James is so good at managing the company, how could something this simple tire him out? Right, James?”

“I am a little tired,” James replied with a faint smile. “I won’t attend tomorrow’s ceremony.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “There’s a lot of work piling up at the company. I’ll go back and continue working hard for your child’s future.”

Hearing his joking tone, Wendy felt a nameless fear welling up inside her.

Something didn’t feel right.

She suddenly didn’t want James to leave.

It was as if, once he left, they would never meet again.

Sean put an arm around Wendy’s shoulder.

“Honey, you must be tired,” he said gently.

“I’ll help you sit down,” he continued as he guided her to a seat.

Though Wendy sat down, she couldn’t stop herself from looking at James’s receding figure.

“James!” Wendy called out in a panic. “You’ll wait for me at home, won’t you?”

James didn’t turn around, he simply raised his hand and waved in the air.

On the day of the wedding, the wedding hall was adorned with flowers. Glittering lights illuminated the venue.

While Wendy woke up early to do her makeup, James’s flight to Wanera had already landed.

Under the golden sunlight, Sean stood tall and confident, smiling brightly.

The wedding march played as Wendy, wearing a custom wedding dress, took one step after another toward Sean.

At the same time, James, dressed in a hospital gown, took one step after another into a cold operating room.

“Groom, do you take this woman in front of you as your wife, in sickness and in health...”

—“Begin the anesthesia.”

“I do,” replied Sean.

“Bride, do you take this man in front of you as your husband, in sickness and in health...”

“I do,” said Wendy.

—“Vitals are stable.”

“Congratulations to the both of you for becoming husband and wife.”

—“Anesthesia is effective, begin the surgery,” the surgeon said.

A sharp scalpel sliced through the skin, and blood began to flow...