The wind outside cut to the bone. Aria didn't call a car, walking a full ten kilometers home in high heels that had already rubbed her heels raw.

Back at the villa, Aria opened her mobile banking app, ready to transfer the deposit for the Edelmark hospital's advance payment.

The screen lit up. There wasn't a single cent left.

She thought it was a system error and refreshed the page three times. Still zero.

Her hands shaking, she called customer service. The response on the other end was polite and professional. "Ma'am, the two million dollars in your account were transferred in full yesterday. The recipient was Mr. Julian Lawson."

Two million.

Five years ago, during her first internship at his company, she'd been ostracized for being an orphan and had cried as she said she wanted to quit.

Julian had pulled her into his arms and transferred the money into her account, his voice gentle. "Take it. What's mine will be yours from now on."

She never touched that money.

Even after she got sick and only dared go to a community clinic, she gritted her teeth and held on, treating that money as the last proof of whatever "affection" remained between them.

But now, Julian had taken it back.

Aria's head buzzed violently, her vision going dark as nausea churned in her stomach. She had to brace herself against the wall to keep from collapsing.

She had five days left before her flight. Without that money, her visa would be revoked, and her chance at treatment would vanish completely.

She took a taxi to the Lawson Group headquarters.

The receptionist stopped her. Aria gave Julian's name. "I'm Julian's… I—I'm here to see Julian."

The receptionist's expression turned subtle. "Mr. Lawson is in a meeting… but Miss Bennett is inside."

Aria ignored the comment and walked straight toward the top-floor office.

The door wasn't fully closed. She heard intimate laughter drifting from inside.

"Julian… stop it…" Lila panted softly. "It wouldn't look good if someone saw…"

"What are you afraid of?" Julian chuckled quietly. "Who would dare come in without my permission?"

Aria pushed the door open.

In front of the desk, Lila was straddling Julian's lap, her shirt half open, lipstick marks smeared across her skin.

Seeing Aria, Lila shrieked and ducked behind Julian like a startled fawn.

A spasm twisted through Aria's stomach, and she nearly vomited.

But she bit down hard on her tongue and forced herself to speak. "Julian, the two million in my account, did you transfer it?"

Julian adjusted his cufflinks unhurriedly, looking at her the way one looked at a beggar. "What, does it hurt now?"

"That was my money!" Aria's voice trembled. "That was for my treatment!"

"Yours?" Julian scoffed. "Who was it who said, 'As long as you're here, money doesn't matter'? And now you're keeping accounts with me so carefully?"

He stood up, pulling Lila tightly against him, his voice turning icy. "You made Lila cry more than once. That money counts as compensation. And a warning."

The blood drained from Aria's body.

Compensation? A warning?

For a new lover, Julian was actually saying something like this to her.

"If there's a next time," Julian stepped closer, his gaze vicious, "get the hell out of my house. Don't make me throw you out myself."

Aria's lips trembled. She wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Shame, unease, fear… a mess of emotions swallowed her whole.

She couldn't leave.

She was an orphan, raised in an institution. The apartment Julian had bought for her was her only shelter.

Without that place, she wouldn't even have somewhere to wait for death.

She had always believed that even if he didn't love her, he would at least remember their ten years together.

Reality slapped her hard in the face. In his eyes, her life wasn't worth even a single tear from Lila.

Julian took Lila's hand. As they passed Aria, he dropped a cold remark. "Remember your place. Don't even think about comparing yourself to Lila. As long as you behave, I won't throw you out."

The door closed. The sound of high heels faded away.

Aria stood alone in the empty office, then slowly crouched down.

She wasn't crying. It was her body curling in on itself by instinct, like a hedgehog stripped of its spines, too weak even to protect itself.

Just then, a message popped up on her phone from the company's art director. "Aria, there's a model exhibition in three days. The pay is one million dollars."

Aria shuddered. Over the next three days, she didn't get a single full night's sleep.

From lighting calibration to model walk paths, from the scent system to background music, every detail was soaked in her effort.

The project bonus was one million dollars, just enough to cover the first payment for her treatment in Edelmark.

On the day of the bidding, she walked into the venue in a sharply tailored black suit.

The exhibition director smiled slightly. "Aria, your proposal passed unanimously. We're just waiting for you to sign the contract."

The next second, Aria's smile froze.

Julian walked in with Lila on his arm.

"Mr. Lawson?" The exhibition director looked surprised.

Julian sat down lazily, his gaze sweeping over Aria. "I heard you decided on Aria?"

"Yes. Her proposal is very—"

"I'll add another one million dollars in investment," Julian cut in. "Transfer the position to Lila. She wants to transition into a fashion director."

The room fell silent.

Aria dug her nails into her palm.

One million dollars. Exactly the money she needed for treatment.

And he would rather spend that money to buy empty prestige for a woman who couldn't even understand a proposal?

The exhibition director hesitated. "Mr. Lawson, Miss Bennett does have potential, but Aria's professional expertise—"

"Two million." Julian suddenly smiled, his eyes stabbing straight at Aria. "Another million. To buy her silence."

Aria stood frozen as a roaring hum filled her ears.

She watched the director finally nod, watched Lila lift her chin in triumph, watched four months of her work get priced, sold, and discarded.

She didn't cry.

She only turned away, went into the restroom, and vomited until the world spun, the pain in her stomach nearly knocking her to the floor.

Three days later, at the model exhibition.

Lila took the stage as the director. Under the spotlight, her makeup was flawless, but her nerves showed.

She stumbled on her very first line. "Thank you… thank you all for coming… um, for supporting my… my…"

Whispers rippled through the audience.

Sweat pooled in Lila's palms. She rushed through the rest and fled the stage.

Then the disasters came one after another.

The international supermodel scheduled for the finale was absent due to visa issues. The backup model, never having rehearsed the walk, froze at the center of the runway, looking around in confusion.

The guest singer arrived forty minutes late, leaving the intermission painfully empty.

Most fatal of all, the brand's promotional video meant for the big screen cut straight to black.

The venue erupted. This million-dollar launch became the biggest joke in the fashion world in the past five years.

Social media exploded instantly, trending topics filled with Lila's name.

"Lila Bennett's debut is a total disaster!"

"A pretty face playing fashion director?"

"Has the Lawson Group lost its taste?"

The investor's representative was livid. "Miss Bennett! Do you know how much brand value evaporated today? Thirty million dollars! Thirty million!"

Lila's legs gave out. She lunged at Julian, her voice shaking. "Julian… it wasn't me… it was Aria! She deliberately didn't tell me the international model needed a visa in advance! The schedule was wrong too! She just wanted to humiliate me!"

All eyes turned to Aria in the corner, wearing a badge labeled "Assistant," silent from start to finish.

Julian looked at her, his gaze cold as a blade.

One second. Two.

Then he spoke, his voice carrying clearly across the venue. "It was indeed Aria's mistake. Lila didn't know anything. She was completely kept in the dark."

He paused, then delivered the final blow. "Effective immediately, Aria is relieved of all duties at this company."

Just like that, Aria was thrown into the media spotlight, drowned in a storm of abuse.

Julian stared at Aria, waiting for her to charge over like before, to explode, to wreck the venue, to grab his collar and demand, "Why are you doing this to me?"

But Aria didn't argue.

She simply unclipped her badge and set it down.

Dragging her exhausted body back to the apartment she had lived in for ten years, Aria sensed something was wrong the moment she slid the key into the lock. The lock had been changed.

She found the spare key under the rug. After opening the door, she froze in the entryway.

The ceramic vase she had made by hand for Julian, the birthday gift he once said felt warm and thoughtful, was gone.

In its place stood a cold, lifeless metal sculpture.

On the living room wall, the photo of her and Julian in the snowy fields had been taken down, replaced by a solo art portrait of Lila, her makeup bold, her gaze openly provocative.

The sofa had been replaced with pale pink velvet, and a couple's scented candles sat on the coffee table.

Even the pothos she had cared for for five years was gone, the windowsill left completely bare.

"Do you like it?" Julian's voice came from behind her.

Leaning against the doorframe, he spoke casually, as if showing off a renovation. "Lila said the place felt outdated, so I let her redo it however she liked."

Aria didn't speak. Her fingers brushed over the empty windowsill, where she used to water the plants every day.

"Move out for a few days first," Julian stepped closer, his tone leaving no room for argument. "When Lila gets tired of living here, you can come back."

Come back after Lila got tired of it?

Aria nodded and turned to the bedroom to pack the last of her belongings.

After all, she had only two days left before her flight. She didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't want to hurt anymore.

Julian frowned. "You're just leaving like that? No crying? No scene?"

He had expected her to smash things, to beg on her knees, to cling to him the way she always had.

But Aria simply zipped up her suitcase and said calmly, "I wish you happiness."

That detached calm only infuriated Julian.

"What are you pretending to be so noble for?" he sneered. "Playing hard to get again? Waiting for me to come begging you back?"

Aria was exhausted. She didn't even have the energy to explain, pushing her suitcase as she walked out.

"Get out!" Julian shouted after her, furious and unrestrained. "Don't ever show up in front of me again!"

Late at night, a twenty-four-hour convenience store.

Wearing an ill-fitting uniform, Aria scanned items behind the checkout counter.

It was a temporary job she'd taken just to scrape together enough money for the airport shuttle.

The doorbell chimed.

Lila walked in on high heels, her smile syrupy sweet. "Oh? Aria? What a coincidence."

For the next half hour, she treated Aria like a servant.

"Get me a bag of chips."

"Forget it. I don't want it. Put it back."

"What about beef jerky? Make it the spiciest one."

"Oh, I don't feel like eating anymore. Throw it away."

Aria kept her head down and said nothing.

She couldn't lose this job. She had to save five hundred dollars for the trip.

Then Lila pointed at the hot soup station. "Add some more broth for me."

Just as Aria lifted a ladle of steaming broth, Lila suddenly shoved her arm. The entire bowl of scalding liquid splashed over Aria's arm and chest.

Agonizing pain exploded. The exposed skin on Aria's arm instantly swelled and reddened.

Aria bit down on her lip to keep from screaming, her eyes locking onto Lila. "You did that on purpose."

Lila gave a provocative smile, then clutched her stomach and stepped back, her voice shaking. "Y-you scalded me on purpose? Are you trying to kill me and my baby?"

At that moment, Julian pushed the door open.

Lila immediately rushed to him, tears streaming. "Julian! She hates that I'm pregnant. She wants to destroy our baby!"

Julian didn't even look at Aria, irritation filling his eyes. "This again? At least have some limits when you're being jealous."

Aria opened her mouth to explain, but he shoved her away hard.

Her lower back slammed into the sharp edge of the counter.

"Ah!"

The pain was tearing and blinding. Her vision went dark as cold sweat soaked her back.

Julian had already scooped Lila up in his arms and strode toward the door.

He left behind only a cold sentence. "Get close to her one more time, and I'll make sure you won't survive in this city."

Only Aria remained in the convenience store, curled on the floor, one hand pressed to her waist, trembling in pain.

The store manager peeked out and asked hesitantly, "Should we call the police?"

Aria shook her head and slowly pushed herself upright. "No. I still have to work."

She had thirty-five hours left.

Thirty-five hours later, she would board a flight to Scoyjan.