Normally, Jennifer wouldn’t have argued with him. But by now, after so many times, she felt numb.

Tonight, however, it was as if someone had poured fuel onto the fire in her chest—and trying to smother it was useless. She fired back:

“I’ve never heard of a fiancé standing up his fiancée sixty-six times for a sister who isn’t even related by blood. You two are quite the pair… I’m almost moved.”

“Why don’t you just get together now and save everyone the excuses?”

Brandon’s handsome brow furrowed, impatience shadowing his features.

“You’re the one with a dirty mind, seeing filth everywhere! Fine—I’ll go with you to city hall tomorrow. I don’t want to fight tonight…”

With that, the bathroom door slammed shut. As always, the room was left wrapped in a suffocating chill.

Her phone buzzed. Jennifer didn’t need to look to know it was Stephanie.

When she opened it, the video was nothing short of obscene.

There was Brandon, pressed against Stephanie’s full curves, licking with fervor. The sound of his ragged breathing seemed to bleed through the screen.

Every movement pulled a feline moan from the woman.

Stephanie’s message was explicit:

“See? A cold, ascetic monk like my brother… only I can make him burn. With you, I doubt he could even get it up.”

Jennifer stared at the screen, as if trying to sear the image into memory.

After a long moment, she typed a reply: “You’ve earned it. Consider that a tip for your performance.”

She immediately transferred a hundred yuan, locked her phone, and sat by the window, lost in thought.

Everyone believed she was Brandon’s ultimate doormat—the kind who’d keep licking his boots until she died.

No one knew her real reason for being here: the donor’s heart beating inside his chest.

Brandon had been drawn to Buddhism since childhood. As an adult, he took up prayer beads and practiced at home. He kept away from women, devoted solely to his spiritual path.

Then Jennifer stuck to him like glue, impossible to shake off. What began as disgust slowly turned into habit.

Under pressure from his mother, Brandon finally gave in and agreed to be with her.

But Stephanie’s appearance turned all her efforts into a joke. Thankfully, she never really wanted to marry him. All she wanted was that heart.

At the thought, she lowered her head, forcing back the tears pooling in her eyes.

As she turned, she came face-to-face with Brandon—his expression tightly controlled, anger simmering just beneath.

“What did you just say to Stephanie? Why is she crying nonstop? Explain yourself!” He grabbed her wrist, his grip like a vise, refusing to let go until he had an answer.

Her wrist felt ready to shatter. Jennifer winced, looking up at him, a sharp ache piercing her chest.

Brandon was usually cold and distant, like a statue of Buddha. Only with Stephanie did he show anything human—any trace of passion.

Standing there between them, she felt like a clown trying to break up a devoted couple. Bearing the pain, a bitter, helpless smile escaped her lips.

“What’s so funny? Is my question a joke to you?”

“I didn’t say a thing. Believe it or not!”

Jennifer shoved her away, harder this time, exposing a reddened patch on her wrist. Her lips pressed into a thin, tight line.

Without so much as a glance at the man, she snatched up her pajamas and headed for the guest room. She’d make do there for the night.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Brandon seized her arm again, but she twisted free. Staring at his empty hand, a strange sensation tightened in his chest. This woman used to cling to him at every opportunity.

She’d even curl against his heart in her sleep. Why was she so distant now?

A slow, knowing smirk touched his lips.

“What, playing hard to get? That doesn’t work on me.”

Jennifer slapped his hand aside, her expression eerily calm. “You’re overthinking. I’m just tired and want a proper night’s sleep.”

Even after the door clicked shut, Brandon stood there, turning her reaction over in his mind.

Deep down, he was sure she was just throwing a tantrum. Leave her alone for one night, and she’d be back to normal. She’d always been so desperate for his attention—when had she ever stayed angry?

With that thought, he rubbed the prayer beads at his wrist and fell asleep.

The next morning, Brandon practically dragged Jennifer—ignoring her protests—to a restaurant.

It was a famous couples’ spot in the city, the kind that usually required reservations a week in advance.

For a moment, she thought he meant to apologize for yesterday—until she spotted Stephanie already seated at the table. How naive she’d been.

“I’m so sorry, sis. I told Brandon yesterday not to worry about me, but he wouldn’t listen. He insisted on walking the red carpet with me, saying you could just reschedule the registration in a couple of days…”

Stephanie smiled as she spoke, the triumph in her eyes impossible to miss.

“It was her big night, a once-in-a-lifetime moment. How could I miss it? Registering is just a small formality—it can wait. Jennifer will understand.”

Brandon’s voice held none of last night’s impatience; it was all gentleness now.

Jennifer found it absurd. Stephanie’s newcomer award was a “big night,” while their marriage was a “small formality.”

So this was how sharply Brandon drew the line between love and indifference.

Suddenly, she no longer felt like keeping the peace, not as she always had. She was leaving anyway—why keep swallowing her pride?

“It’s not a small formality.”

Jennifer’s reply was soft but clear.

“Every single time Brandon and I try to register, Ms. Jennifer here finds some ‘small matter’ to pull him away. To outsiders, it might look like you can’t function without a nursemaid. To anyone paying attention, it looks an awful lot like deliberate sabotage.”

“I wonder what the impact would be if it got out online—a rising star scheming to break up someone else’s relationship?”

Stephanie’s face flushed crimson. She shot Brandon a deeply wounded look.

“Brandon, I didn’t…”

Sure enough, the man’s expression darkened, his gaze turning accusing.

“What nonsense are you spouting? If anyone’s sabotaging things, it’s you. I booked this table a week ago to celebrate her award. She felt bad about yesterday and wanted to apologize to you in person. Is this really how you respond?”

Jennifer said nothing. She picked up the wine glass beside her and drained it in one go.

The liquor burned from her tongue to her throat, bitter. Everything felt utterly meaningless.

“Apologize to her. Then Stephanie and I will let it go.” Brandon added, as though bestowing a favor.

“And if I don’t?” Jennifer looked up.

Brandon choked back his irritation, his handsome brows furrowing. She was being more and more unreasonable. His voice turned cold, sharp.

“Apologize. Don’t make me say it again. If you refuse, consider the engagement off.”

He was sure threatening the marriage would make her soften instantly. A cold, confident smile touched his lips.

But the next moment, she simply said, “Fine.”

“What do you mean?” He was stunned, more than he’d ever been.

“Just what I said. You mentioned calling off the engagement—I agree.”

Her voice was deliberately calm as she stood, then tipped the glass of lukewarm water directly over Stephanie’s head.

A cold laugh escaped her. “Sixty-six heartbreaks, Stephanie. Consider us even.”

Jennifer’s move caught them both completely off guard.

Only when her hair was soaked and dripping did Stephanie snap back to reality with a sharp shriek. “Ah—!”

Brandon’s heart twisted. He yanked Stephanie into his arms and shoved Jennifer away with a violent backhand.

The restaurant erupted instantly—plates and bowls crashing to the floor, every head turning toward the commotion.

Thrown off-balance, Jennifer slammed into the dining table and collapsed, overturning the pot of simmering broth. Scalding liquid splashed across her body, strewing bits of vegetable even in her bangs.

Where the table’s edge struck her lower back, pain lanced deep, like a steel spike driven straight through.

Dazed, she stared blankly at Brandon. He had never laid a hand on her before.

But his attention was fixed entirely on Stephanie, his voice softening into a gentle murmur that still reached her ears. “Stephanie, are you all right?”

The tight furrow in his brow eased only after she whispered, “I’m fine.”

Then he turned. His gaze was a blade of ice, sharp enough to carve right through her, as if he wanted to tear her apart on the spot.

“Jennifer, you really are pathetic.”

She ignored him. Using her hands and knees, she pushed herself slowly up from the wreckage on the floor.

Under the dining room’s mixed stares—some mocking, some pitying—she forced a strained smile onto her face.

A smile that held back tears, tinged with a sorrow so palpable that even someone as hardened as Brandon seemed to waver, his expression growing complicated. He opened his mouth, but Stephanie in his arms let out a delicate whimper. “Brandon, I feel dizzy…”

He didn’t hesitate. Turning, he rushed out of the restaurant with her in his arms.

Amid scattered whispers and judgmental buzz, the manager, Alan, gave her wounds a quick basic treatment. Only then did Jennifer limp out the door.

Not until she was seated in the back of the taxi did she seem to come back to herself, her gaze falling to the raw, bloody scrapes on her arms and legs.

“Miss, where’s your boyfriend? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

Jennifer’s lips twitched into a bitter smile. “No, thank you.”

Boyfriend?

The last one died saving me—turned to a handful of ashes.

This one just stabbed me in the back for someone else.

Without love, the living can’t even compare to the dead.

Back home, she took out the burn ointment and began applying it slowly to the reddened skin along her neck.

Suddenly, a gentle, familiar voice seemed to echo in her ears. “Why are you always so careless, getting yourself hurt again? Does it hurt?”

The tears she’d held back the entire ride broke like a dam, flooding down her cheeks until her face was wet.

Her voice trembled. “Gerald, you’re not here… No one wants to protect me anymore.”

“The wounds don’t hurt. But the world without you is so cold… Please, don’t leave me alone.”

Her vision blurred, and for a moment she could almost see his face again—the face that had stayed gentle right until the end.

A face that held nothing but her.

If not for that car accident, Gerald would still be here by her side, her knight protecting her.

Maybe they would have already gone from campus sweethearts to a married couple, certificate and all.

But all that beauty shattered with the screech of brakes.

He’d pushed her out from under the tires, taking her place beneath the wheels. Crimson blood spread in a wide, dark pool.

In her arms, he grew cold, still. Later, he became a handful of ashes.

Following his final wish, Jennifer signed the organ donor forms. Six months later, she found her way to Brandon.

Tears fell in heavy drops, soaking her collar and stinging the ointment-smeared burns.

“Gerald, it’s my fault. I trusted the wrong person. No wonder I could never melt that icy heart of his…”

She wiped her tears, voice thick.

“It’s a good thing I’m done waiting. I’ll come find you soon.”