"Why'd you go through my things?" Gemma panicked as she avoided Murphy's question entirely. "I'm 18 now. You can't just barge into my room and rummage through my stuff!"

Murphy's expression darkened as he slammed the ashtray on the table. "Is that the main point here?!"

The ashtray hit the floor with a dull thud, and Gemma flinched in fear.

"Gemma, you've misunderstood your uncle." At the height of the tension, Evangeline stepped in with a false air of concern. "He didn't go into your room. It's my fault. I didn't have any clean clothes, and the ones I wore yesterday… Well, they got ruined by your Uncle Murphy…"

She blushed, feigning shyness as she paused for effect before continuing, "I had nothing to wear, so I went into your room to borrow an old outfit of yours. But while looking, I accidentally came across this cancer diagnosis on your desk."

She was lying. Gemma had locked the cancer diagnosis away on the very first day she received it.

Yet in Evangeline's story, it sounded as if Gemma had deliberately left the diagnosis in plain sight, waiting for them to find it.

"Gemma, you're so young. How could you possibly have cancer?" Evangeline clutched her chest, her expression a delicate mix of sorrow and beauty. "Be honest with me. Is this diagnosis real, or is it some cruel prank?"

Gemma turned to Murphy, realizing for the first time that his gaze held more anger than concern.

Clearly, Evangeline had whispered enough poison in his ear before she got home. Murphy did not believe she was sick; he thought she was pretending to have cancer just to get his attention.

Gemma thought maybe it was better this way. At least her secret would remain hidden.

"It's a prank," she admitted softly. "I was just messing around with my friends. I didn't expect you to find it and—"

Before she could finish, Murphy, who had been sitting silently on the couch with a grim expression, stood up abruptly. "We're going to the hospital right now for tests."

Whether it was a prank or not, the hospital would reveal the truth.

"Uncle Murphy…" Gemma protested weakly. She did not want to go.

Yet one cold, piercing look from Murphy crushed her resistance. She knew him well enough to understand there was no escaping this.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, it was midnight. Normally, no departments except the emergency room would take patients at this hour.

However, Murphy had called the hospital director beforehand. Unwilling to offend someone as powerful as Murphy, the director arranged for a team of doctors to conduct a full examination on Gemma.

Cancer tests would take at least two hours to yield results. For Gemma, every second of those two hours was sheer torment.

She could not help but wonder—if Murphy found out she was dying, would he feel sad for her?

Or was she merely a burden to him now? A jealous, twisted nuisance he could not wait to be rid of? She did not know how long she waited, but eventually, the doctor came out with the results.

"Mr. Townsend, the tests are complete. Ms. Kirk is in excellent health. She doesn't have cancer at all."

Gemma was stunned. After all that agonizing waiting, this was the result she received?

She turned sharply to look at Evangeline. She did not need to guess to know that this had to be one of her manipulative schemes.

"Oh, thank goodness." Evangeline exhaled a long breath, her tone one of exaggerated relief. "So, it was just a prank? Gemma's fine… Murphy and I can finally stop worrying."

Murphy said nothing. He looked at Gemma intently, his gaze lingering as if he was seeing something for the first time.

Gemma's face was deathly pale, completely devoid of color.

The cherished rose he had nurtured so carefully seemed to be wilting right before his eyes.

"Although there's no sign of cancer, Ms. Kirk is currently in poor health and severely malnourished," the doctor said, as if sensing Murphy's doubts.

He added calmly, "Has she been dieting to lose weight recently? It's normal for young women to want to look their best, but extreme dieting is harmful—especially for someone like Ms. Kirk. Her health is already seriously affected.

"Look at how pale her face is. No wonder you mistook it for something as serious as cancer."

Murphy's expression darkened immediately.

Gemma had not been eating properly recently, which was not surprising. She was sick, after all, and Murphy was cold and dismissive toward her. She felt unwanted. How could she be in the mood to eat well?

Yet in Murphy's eyes, this painted a very different picture.

"You've gone so far as to destroy your health just to fake an illness and deceive me?" His gaze turned icy, cold enough to freeze the heat of summer.

"What's your goal? To make me pity you and agree to be with you? Gemma, wake up!"

"That's not true…" Tears slipped uncontrollably down her cheeks. She knew he would not believe her, but she still tried to deny it, saying, "I really didn't do that."

Her denial, however, seemed feeble in the face of the evidence.

Murphy looked at her with deep disappointment. "How did I raise you to become like this?"

At that moment, Gemma felt as though her heart had been pierced by a thousand arrows.

Murphy left her alone at the hospital as he walked away with his arm around Evangeline.

For the next week, he did not speak a word to her. Gemma tried several times to mend their relationship, but each attempt ended in failure.

It was not until the day before Murphy and Evangeline's wedding that she spoke to him again.

"Uncle Murphy, you're getting married tomorrow. Are you still unwilling to talk to me?" Gemma's long lashes cast faint shadows under her sorrowful eyes, her expression filled with sadness.

Murphy's gaze remained cold. "Have you given up yet?"

Gemma's eyes reddened as she nodded. "Yes, I have. I swear I'm not lying this time."

This time, she truly was not lying—because she would soon be gone. Once she was gone, surely, her heart would give up too.

Murphy glanced at her tearful eyes, clearly skeptical of her words.

Nonetheless, he softened. After all, she was the rose he had nurtured. How could he truly ignore her forever?

"Come to the wedding tomorrow and sincerely give us your blessing. If you do that, I'll forgive you," Murphy said coldly. "Don't try any tricks. I'm marrying Eva no matter what you do, and nothing will change that!"

Gemma kept her gaze down. "I won't make a scene."

Her calm, submissive demeanor pricked at his heart. An inexplicable irritation swept over him, and he turned his gaze away, unable to look at her any longer.

At that moment, Gemma spoke up again, "Uncle Murphy, I'll attend your wedding, but could I ask for one thing after it's over?"

Murphy and Evangeline's wedding was a garden-style ceremony, with all events expected to conclude by noon.

"Tomorrow is my birthday. You've always spent my birthday with me. Could you celebrate it with me one last time?

"I know it's selfish to ask this on your wedding day, but I won't interfere with the ceremony. Just come by at 4:00 pm when everything's over and have a slice of cake with me. Just wish me a happy birthday—that's all I'm asking for."

Her request was so humble that Murphy could not bring himself to refuse. In a stiff tone, he gave a curt, "Fine."

Gemma barely slept that night. She lay awake until dawn, then got up, dressed carefully, and prepared to attend Murphy's wedding.

The wedding was lively, filled with notable elites and socialites who came to celebrate. Dressed in a voluminous, grand wedding gown, Evangeline leaned happily into Murphy's embrace.

Murphy wore a sleek black suit that day.

"Uncle Murphy looks so handsome," Gemma thought. He was mature, composed, and exuded an air of elegance, seemingly untouched by time.

Thirteen years had passed, yet he looked just as he did when he carried her out of the wardrobe—still so handsome and dashing.

Her gaze lingered on him, and she was unable to look away. She watched him with a quiet longing for several moments before finally stepping forward to present the wedding gift she had prepared.

"Uncle Murphy, congratulations on your marriage," she said sincerely. She truly wished him happiness and peace in the future.

Murphy accepted the gift and took a deep look at Gemma. He did not say a word, but something unspoken stirred within his eyes. It was an emotion he could not allow to surface, and he left it to roil beneath his composed exterior.

However, Gemma did not notice it.

After giving her gift, she slipped quietly away from the wedding.

She was a coward. She simply did not have the courage to witness her Uncle Murphy marrying Evangeline with her own eyes.

She was sorry, but she was not strong enough for that. She truly wished Uncle Murphy well, but she could never bring herself to accept Evangeline.

After leaving the wedding, Gemma went to the cemetery to lay one final bouquet of flowers on her parents' graves.

"Mom, I think I finally understand why you chose to end your life," she murmured softly.

"Being alive is so painful. But why didn't you take me with you? You hated Dad so much, but you took him with you. You always said you loved me the most, yet you left me here alone."

The world felt so vast, yet she had never felt more alone.

It seemed as though no one had ever truly chosen her, loved her unwaveringly, or refused to abandon her—not even her mother.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You didn't love me that much, and as my foster father, Uncle Murphy has already done more than enough. If you're watching over me from above, don't bless me. Bless him instead."

With that, Gemma leaned down and kissed her parents' tombstones before turning to leave.

She went to a restaurant alone and waited patiently for Murphy to join her for her final birthday.

In the distance, fireworks lit up the sky. Even from so far away, she could clearly see the words sparkling in the explosions: "Congratulations, Murphy and Evangeline on your wedding!"

Daytime fireworks. How extravagant.

It was extravagant but romantic. Murphy was truly the kind of man who would shower the woman he loved with the utmost adoration.

It was just unfortunate that the woman he loved… would never be her.

Time passed slowly. The wedding remained lively in the distance, and even in the restaurant, people were enthusiastically discussing it.

They talked about how Evangeline's wedding dress was worth millions as it was adorned with real diamonds and how Murphy adored her so much that he spent a fortune hiring her favorite singer to perform at the ceremony.

Gemma listened quietly. The world was so noisy, yet she sat here all alone in silence and solitude.

Finally, it was 3:00 pm. "Uncle Murphy should be coming soon, right?" she thought to herself.

At 4:00 pm, the agreed-upon time had arrived, but there was still no sign of him. Maybe something had delayed him?

At 5:00 pm, the wedding had long since ended, and even the chatter about it in the restaurant had faded. Gemma still waited, but Murphy never appeared.

Her phone vibrated suddenly, displaying a notification. It was a post from Evangeline's social media: [The wedding is over, and the honeymoon begins. First stop: Prudenz. We'll be leaving now!]

Beneath the caption was a photo of two overlapping plane tickets. The top ticket was Evangeline's, and there was no doubt who the bottom ticket belonged to.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 5:30 pm.

At that moment, Gemma finally understood—Murphy was not coming.

The cake on the table had already started to melt. Gemma picked it up and, like a soulless puppet, mechanically brought a piece to her mouth.

Why was the frosting salty? It did not taste good at all…

She forced herself to finish the entire thing, paid the bill, and walked out of the restaurant.

"Gemma, unhappy birthday to you. May you find peace in death."

Those were the birthday wishes she gave herself.

She drove to the cryogenic experiment facility. Inside, the staff were already in position, waiting for her arrival.

Her birthday had gone uncelebrated, but at least there were people present to see her off into death—even if they were strangers.

Gemma thought for a moment, then pulled a letter from her bag and handed it to Andre.

"If someone comes looking for me, give them this letter. If no one does… just throw it away."

It was not anything important anyway.

Andre accepted the letter. "I'll take care of it."

With that, Gemma turned and walked step by step toward the casket that awaited her. She climbed inside, just as she used to hide in the wardrobe whenever her parents fought. The confined space of the wardrobe had made her feel safe.

The world was so vast, so complicated. She simply could not handle it.

So, she chose to return to her "wardrobe".

"All systems ready. Begin cooling!"

At Andre's command, the cold began to envelop her. In an instant, Gemma lost consciousness.

"Goodbye, Uncle Murphy. I wish you a happy marriage."