In the desperate struggle for life, Allison saw Braydon dive into the water.

He wrapped Kathleen in a tight hold though and swam hard back to the shore.

He chose Kathleen.

That realization cut deeper than the autumn lake water.

Her body sank slow. Darkness swallowed her vision bit by bit.

Allison refused to accept it. She did not want to die like this.

She had no way out though.

Just as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, a passing doctor stepped in and hauled her to the surface.

She coughed for ages. When she looked up, she saw Braydon kneeling by the bank. He patted Kathleen's back with worry.

Only after he confirmed Kathleen stayed safe did he lift his head. He spotted Allison soaked through.

Color drained from his face in a flash. He rushed over in a frenzy. "Allison! How did this happen to you? I did not know. I did not know it was you in the water. The water was too murky. I just saw someone thrashing. I..."

Allison raised her hand. She cut off his rambling excuses. "It does not matter."

Her voice rasped. "It really does not matter anymore."

Braydon froze in place. That utter calm unnerved him.

He would rather she cried. She raged. She hit him or yelled at him.

Not this. Not like she looked at a stranger.

Allison turned her gaze away coolly. She thanked the doctor who saved her in a soft voice.

Then she turned. She walked away step by step.

Each one crushed the old self who loved Braydon deep underfoot.

The man who swore he would always protect her, in her hour of greatest need, he pushed her into the abyss himself.

The heart could truly die this completely.

Allison returned to the marital home she shared with Braydon. She started packing her things.

She took only the clothes and jewelry she bought before marriage. As for the gifts he gave later, she didn't touch them.

Braydon rushed back. He caught sight right away of the staff loading a set of her favorite costumes onto the car with care.

His face went pale as a ghost. He grabbed Allison's wrist. His voice shook with fear. "Allison! What's the meaning of this?"

Allison glanced at him flatly. "The show starts next week. Some costumes need to go to the theater early."

That explanation did not fully ease Braydon.

He bolted into the house. He flung open the walk-in closet. He saw plenty of her usual clothes and bags still there. He let out a long breath of relief.

He tried to pull her into his arms. His voice carried the relief of a close call. "You scared me to death. I thought you meant to leave this home."

Allison sidestepped his touch. A mocking curve touched her lips. "Why would I leave?"

Braydon faltered. He stammered half a minute before he forced out. "Allison, Kathleen is just my subordinate. Back in the water, what she yelled about the child came from her muddled head after choking. Do not overthink it."

Allison nodded in vague agreement.

She stopped caring.

He signed the divorce papers already. The marriage existed in name only.

Who he cared for or fathered a child with stayed far from her world now.

"I will not stay home the next few days." Her tone stayed flat, like a simple notice. "I booked a room at the hotel near the theater, so I can focus on the show."

Braydon's eyes rimmed red. Pleading edged his voice. "Allison, you are still mad at me, right?"

"I am not mad." Her gaze stayed even. "I just need to concentrate."

He clutched her hand in haste. "Then I will stay with you at the hotel."

Before the words settled, his phone rang.

Allison's eyes flicked to the screen. She read the flashing name clear as day. Kathleen.

Braydon's little pregnant woman caused trouble again.

She claimed the drowning left her unwell.

Braydon had to lie once more. "Allison, wait for me at the hotel. A project hit a snag. Once I sort it, I'll come find you."

Yet he never showed up that night. Not even a call.

The lake water gave Allison a high fever.

Delirious from the burn, she grabbed her phone on instinct. She dialed Braydon without thinking.

That time she burned up. Her mind fogged over. When she picked up Braydon's call, she burst into tears.

Braydon stayed abroad on business then. He heard her sobs and ditched an important meeting right away. He flew back overnight to care for her.

They stayed together nearly seven years. When sick, she turned to Braydon. It rooted deep in her bones.

After long rings, a soft woman's voice answered. "Hey, Ms. Palmer. What do you need with Mr. Saunders?"

Allison snapped awake.

What did she do? They divorced already. Why did she still lean on him?

She moved to hang up. Kathleen giggled though. She said with loaded meaning. "Mr. Saunders wore himself out. He sleeps sound now. Whatever it is, can it wait till tomorrow?"

Allison drew a deep breath. Her voice turned icy. "Kathleen, let me remind you. Every penny Braydon spent on you, from the apartment you live in to the bag on your shoulder, counts as marital assets. I can reclaim it anytime I want. So in front of me, you better keep your head down."

Kathleen went speechless. She stammered awhile. She dared not say another word.

Allison ended the call sharp. She pulled up a delivery app and ordered fever meds. She asked the hotel for hot water too.

As she swallowed the pills and sipped the water, she made her mind.

From here on, she had to get used to life like this. She needed to learn to look after herself.

The Braydon who fretted over her slightest cold died in the past. He would never return.

Allison saw no sign of Braydon the next week.

She got one or two calls from him. He claimed a business trip.

She knew he tended to Kathleen. He could not spare time.

She bothered not to call him out. She prepared her solo ice show as usual. She acted like he never existed.

The performance day arrived in a blink.

Allison rose at dawn. She drove to the theater.

She held this show dear. It might stand as her last figure skating performance in this country for years.

She wanted to bid her domestic fans a proper goodbye.

She drove along. In her head, she ran through the evening's routine.

At an ordinary crossroad though, the light turned red. She stopped.

Bang! A brutal force slammed her from behind.

Her body lurched forward out of control. Her head smacked the steering wheel.

Still shaken, her mind blank, the second hit followed fast.

That car rammed her driver's door from the side rear.

This blow struck deadlier.

The airbag burst open in a flash. It pounded her face and chest hard.

The world spun wild. Harsh metal twists and glass shatters pierced her ears.

Blood trickled from her temple. It blurred her sight.

Through the spiderwebbed windshield, the sky and street she saw drowned in glaring crimson.

Allison's long-awaited farewell performance fell through in the end.

She suffered a car crash and landed in the hospital.

She picked up multiple soft tissue bruises, a broken right leg, and a mild concussion. She lay in bed unable to move.

When she woke, she found Braydon seated by her bed. Worry etched his face.

"Allison, you finally came to." He gripped her hand tight. His eyes rimmed red. "You have no idea how I dragged through these past two days."

Allison pulled her hand free. She asked softly. "Who hit me? Did they catch him?"

Braydon's face turned awkward in a flash.

Just then, Madison pushed through the door. She carried a bowl of soup and cut in with a beaming smile. "Allison, I meant to tell you about that. The young guy who hit you just got his license. His family struggles too. It truly was no accident on purpose. We signed the forgiveness letter for you already."

As she spoke, she lifted the spoon to Allison's lips. "Here, sip some soup to build your strength."

Allison spotted the oil slick on the surface and bone bits at the bowl's bottom. She knew at once this came from someone else's leftovers.

Likely the tonic soup meant for that pregnant woman.

Rage and hurt flooded her chest in an instant. Yet right now she could barely roll over. She dared not push back hard.

She turned her head away. She said lightly. "I am tired. I want to be alone."

Madison kept her fake smile plastered on. "Fine. Rest up. We will go now."

Braydon lingered reluctant. Madison dragged him out of the room by force though.

Before the door shut, Allison caught Madison's murmur. "She did not die anyway. What is there to fuss over?"

Those words stabbed like a knife into her heart. Even her ribs ached with it.

She itched to leave Eldoria. The farther from the Saunders family, the better.

Three days later, she managed to stand on one foot. She dialed that number. "Mr. Fuller, I want to head to Norland to recover. Can you set it up?"

A low chuckle came from the other end. "I waited for those words, my figure skating queen."

She hung up just as Braydon walked in. "Allison, does it still hurt?"

He leaned down. He reached to stroke her hair. His tone brimmed with ache. "Do not worry. I called in the top orthopedic specialist. You will heal good as new."

Allison looked into his teary eyes. She felt only bitter irony.

He kept saying he loved her, pitied her.

Yet last night, pain jolted her awake in the dark. She overheard him on the balcony phone with Kathleen.

That very call revealed the driver who hit her went by Cade Murphy. Kathleen's own brother.

The Saunders rushed to sign forgiveness because they feared jail time for Cade would disrupt Kathleen's pregnancy.

What chilled her most came when Braydon soothed the phone line tender. "Allison just took a minor hit. Nothing serious. You focus on resting now. Do not dwell."

He knew better than anyone what a leg meant to a figure skater.

In his words though, it turned to a mere scratch.

Nausea welled up strong.

Allison turned her head. She dodged his touch.

"Can you leave?" Her face stayed distant cold. "I do not want to see you."

Braydon's hand dangled awkward in the air. He stared at her stunned. "Allison, did you find out something?"

Before he finished, Madison barged in uninvited. Her smile stayed fixed. "Braydon, a relative landed in the hospital too. Upstairs. Come with me to check on them. Do not slack on manners."

Allison sneered inside.

What relative. Just a rush to visit the bearer of their prized grandson.

Her face paled. She shut her eyes. She looked away from them.

Braydon hesitated a beat. In the end he murmured yeah and trailed Madison from the room.

Soon after he left, a helicopter touched down on the hospital roof pad.

Allison sat in a wheelchair. Bodyguards escorted her aboard.

Out the window, city lights faded one by one.

She whispered in her mind. "Goodbye, Braydon."

His betrayal, his drifting, his wounds all turned to yesterday.

From now on, Allison answered only to herself.

This farewell would not slip quiet though.

She ruffled her long hair wild. She smeared lipstick across her cheek in fake blood streaks. Then she raised her phone slow. She hit record.

Amid the engine roar, she cracked a broken smile at the lens.

This divorce gift suited Braydon well.