Cara went to the marriage registration office at the city hall and retrieved her marriage registration form from the puzzled staff.

It was quite an ironic situation, after all. Austin had only just been crowned mayor of the city. Worried that their marriage would negatively impact his work, Cara had postponed the submission of their marriage form.

Little did she know that she had actually given herself a way out of her current situation now.

She rode home on her bike and heard quarrelling coming from inside the mansion through the narrow door.

Winter was crying bitterly. "Austin! We weren't like this in the past! We could hug and hold hands with each other! Why can't we do it anymore?"

Austin, who was standing opposite her, refused to hug her. He said, "I'm going to get married soon. We can't do this."

There was a loud crash. Winter had grabbed the ashtray on the table and flung it at Austin's head with all her might.

"Then don't marry her! You're already the mayor! We don't need her charity anymore!" Winter screamed.

Austin had a deep gash on his forehead, but he was still as gentle as ever with her. He sighed softly and pulled the trembling Winter into his embrace, patting her softly on the back. "Just wait, okay? Just wait for me."

Winter continued sobbing in his arms. Austin restrained himself as much as possible and kissed the top of her head.

Cara witnessed everything from outside and felt her blood completely freeze over. She clapped a hand over her mouth and slumped to the floor, her mind replaying Austin's words over and over again.

What had Austin meant by telling Winter to wait? What was he waiting for?

Was he waiting until the dust settled before he finally abandoned her?

Cara didn't want to continue thinking about it.

She was going to leave the country very soon. She didn't want to continue being toyed with by Austin and Winter anymore.

That evening, Austin had to leave the mansion because something urgent came up at work.

Winter had locked herself in her room, so Cara took the opportunity to pack up everything she owned in the mansion.

She had been with Austin for five years, and yet, everything she owned could be fitted inside a 26-inch cardboard box.

Before going to sleep, Cara drank the mug of warm milk on her placed on the bedside table as usual and fell into a deep sleep.

She could feel someone tearing her clothes in her dreams, and her body was also very hot and warm to the touch.

Cara naturally thought that it was Austin. Then, she tugged open her collar as she opened her eyes.

When she did, however, a stranger's face suddenly appeared before her.

"You're awake, Cara."

Cara screamed and woke up immediately. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"

The man, Rocky Smithson, smiled, flashing his dirty, yellowed teeth. He kept inching closer to the terrified Cara, cornering her.

"Don't you want a baby? The Smithson family has good genes! I promise I can give you a baby boy just like you wish!"

Cara was sweating and felt her vision going blurry, and she knew that she'd been drugged. Rocky's hands were reaching for her chest and were about to tear off her bra when Cara suddenly gritted her teeth and grabbed the pair of scissors she kept on her bedside table. Then, she stabbed it right through Rocky's arm.

Blood began gushing from Rocky's arm. Cara then screeched at him, saying, "If you lay another finger on me again, I will kill you first, and then myself!"

…

It was early in the morning at the police station when Cara was there with just a thin shawl over her shoulders. She had only just managed to call Austin on his phone.

"Austin, I'm at the police station."

There was a slight pause at the other end of the line. Then, Austin said, "I'm busy with work. Settle things yourself."

He ended the call right away without giving Cara another chance to speak.

The police sitting opposite Cara saw how upset she looked. He then shifted his attention toward Winter, who was sitting on the other side of the table.

"Alright. Spill. Why did you bribe Rocky into doing this?" the police questioned.

Winter lowered her head and refused to say anything.

The policeman knocked on the table and gave her an ultimatum. "Something as serious as this could land you in jail for three days. Aren't you afraid of leaving a permanent criminal record, Ms. Langford?"

Cara recalled how she had also "sponsored" every single penny of Winter's college fees last time, and now, this was how Winter repaid her.

When Winter heard what the policeman said, she finally showed a different kind of emotion on her face.

"I'm calling my brother!"

When Austin arrived, his forehead was beaded in sweat, and his shirt was a little disheveled from running too quickly as he rushed to the police station.

It had only been about ten minutes since Winter called him.

"What happened, Winter?" he asked.

Winter looked like she'd just met her lifesaver and hid behind him, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

"Hasn't Cara always been asking you for a baby? Does it really matter who the baby's father was? I've already done my research and found out that the Smithsons have really good genes that would definitely give her a baby boy!

"How could Cara not be grateful that I'd done such a huge favor for her?"

Austin listened to her quietly, his eyes occasionally darting to the deep scratches on Cara's chest. Then, he asked Winter and Cara to leave the room for a while.

Winter crossed her arms and looked smugly at Cara as they stood outside in the cold. "Wanna bet that Austin's going to take my side no matter what?"

Cara didn't bother answering her.

Half an hour later, Austin pushed the door open and walked straight toward her.

Cara didn't know why, but she actually caught herself harboring some hope as she looked into his eyes.

"Don't bring this up again next time. Rocky will be sent to jail, and you will not hold this against Winter anymore."

This was an answer that Cara didn't expect. Her lips trembled as she exclaimed, "Austin Langford! Your sister was behind that the whole time!"

Austin sounded impatient. "Well? You're still alive."

It was just a single line from him, but that was enough to strip Cara of all her energy then and there. Her arms fell limply to the sides.

Just as she thought of saying something to him, it began raining outside.

"Let's go, Winter," Austin said, holding up an umbrella with one hand and putting his other arm around Winter's shoulders. They then disappeared into the rain.

It was as if none of them realized that Cara needed an umbrella to get home.

The rain only got heavier and heavier after that, falling on Cara's face until she didn't know if they were raindrops or her tears anymore.

Unexpectedly, Cara got a high fever after the rain that night.

While she was recovering at home, Austin somehow became less cold toward her and personally cooked for her, making sure she was taken care of and that she ate her medication.

If this were in the past, Cara would have been touched and grateful toward Austin. But now, she just found it pathetic.

Austin was merely atoning for Winter's sins. It wasn't because he actually felt sorry for her at all.

If he did, then he wouldn't have just pretended to tell Winter off at home or run into her bedroom later that night to apologize and make it up to her because he felt terrible about it.

Cara finally recovered completely and was eating lunch downstairs one day. Winter was sitting at the head of the table, wearing an eye-catching, glimmering crystal bangle around her wrist.

The crystal bangle had been an heirloom that Cara's mother, Diana Fontaine, had left for her after her death. Cara had kept it away safely in the attic upstairs, and she didn't know how Winter had managed to get her hands on it.

Cara marched up to Winter, pointed at the bangle, and asked sharply, "Where did you get this bangle from?"

Winter didn't look the least bit guilty. She even showed it off proudly to Cara and said, "Austin found it in the attic and gave it to me. It matches the dress I'm wearing for tonight's club."

Cara didn't want to waste her breath on Winter anymore and demanded that she return the bangle to her at once. However, Winter refused.

"You're going to marry Austin anyway! That means everything you own will be his, and everything his is also mine! Why can't I wear it, then?" Winter shot back.

Cara was just about to grab the bangle back by force when Winter suddenly slapped her so hard on the cheek that Cara swore she saw stars.

The bangle flew off during the altercation and fell to the floor, breaking into a few pieces. A few broken pieces bounced off the ground and cut into Cara's legs, making her bleed.

At that moment, Austin stormed into the dining room.

"Austin! My finger's bleeding!" Winter cried, showing him her finger that was just mildly scuffed. At once, Austin took her finger and put it in his mouth to lick it and stop the "bleeding".

Cara watched as Austin's eyes grew increasingly unfocused and his breathing got faster and more rapid.

At the most crucial moment, Austin suddenly got up and headed straight for the bathroom expressionlessly.

He never looked at Cara at all as he chided her, "It's just a bangle. I will never forgive you if anything happens to Winter!"

He didn't even ask if Cara had been hurt.

Cara just looked down and laughed at herself pitifully. She then fetched the first-aid kit, cleaned the wound, disinfected it, and dressed it herself. However, she could hear quarreling downstairs.

It sounded like Winter was insisting on going out to party at the club, but Austin wouldn't let her. In the end, Winter stormed out of the mansion in a fury and slammed the door behind her.

…

That night, Austin suddenly walked into the room, looking genuinely concerned.

"Is your leg okay? I'll bring you to the hospital if needed," he said.

Austin was always playing games like this, giving Cara the stick before rewarding her with a carrot. It almost felt as though he was a cat toying with its prey, constantly keeping Cara's heart on edge as he pushed and pulled on her heart that was pounding with anxiety and insecurity.

"Forget about it," she replied.

He didn't care about her refusal and dipped a cotton swab in iodine before gently applying it to her wound.

Cara hissed lightly, making him chuckle.

"You're behaving just like a kid."

A fruit-flavored lollipop suddenly appeared in her lap. She recognized the packaging. It was from a handmade sweets shop in Sothernia, and one would have to queue for at least a few hours to get in.

She picked up the lollipop and unwrapped it, feeling the sticky sugar coating her fingers.

Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening downstairs.

Austin immediately got up and walked out, throwing the cotton swabs down onto the floor.

"Why did you come back like this? You're not allowed to go to the club anymore!" he warned.

Cara walked out and saw Winter hammering her fists against Austin's chest.

"You can't control me like this! I'm going to keep drinking and keep going to clubs at night! I'm going to find other men, fall in love with them, give birth to their kids, and call them cute nicknames!"

Austin immediately pulled Winter into his embrace, the veins on his neck popping.

Winter was still loudly shouting angry, hurtful words at him in a muffled voice as if she finally had a venting outlet. Austin quickly lowered his head and kissed her on the lips, trying to calm her down.

"Winnie… Baby… My baby…"

Cara stood at the stairway and heard the sound of them kissing passionately.

She had heard Austin calling her "baby" once after a party. That time, Austin had taken the initiative to kiss her, repeatedly calling her "baby".

She used to treasure that memory in her mind, never imagining that she was just a substitute for someone else, or perhaps, a tool for someone else's sexual gratification.

Cara's eyes lowered. She put the lollipop into her mouth, but somehow, the taste was bitter on her tongue.

She spat it out and threw it in the trash.

It might have been five minutes, or it might have only been just one, but finally, the two people kissing downstairs stopped after Winter passed out from the alcohol.

Austin carried her up in his arms and brought her upstairs.

Cara hid behind the door, watching as they both entered the room together and never came out for the rest of the night.

…

The next morning, it was drizzling.

When Austin came out of Winter's room, his face was cold and expressionless.

They went to the cemetery in the hills to pay their respects to Austin's parents, like they did last year, on their death anniversary. However, this time, Cara didn't chat or banter much with them anymore, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

"Go out first. I have something I want to tell Mom and Dad," Austin suddenly said to Cara.

Half of Austin's head was hidden in the dark at the cemetery, and Cara couldn't quite see the expression on his face.

She didn't go down the hill as she was told. Instead, she hid behind a tree nearby and eavesdropped on him.

Austin fell to his knees before his parents' tombstone.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry. I did something I never should have done with Winter. But don't worry. I won't overstep my boundaries again. I'll only continue protecting her silently as her older brother for the rest of her life."

Winter's voice could be heard not too far off. She had arrived at the cemetery with an umbrella in her hands and was walking slowly toward him.

"Austin! I'm here to bring you home!" she exclaimed.

Austin wasn't as affectionate with her as usual. He made Cara stand between himself and Winter, and he refused to make any eye contact with her.

Halfway home, Winter suddenly stopped and began to cry, tears rolling down her face like waterworks.

"You're abandoning me after introducing Cara to Mom and Dad, aren't you? Should I just move out and live on my own after today?" she asked.

Austin looked at her in confusion.

"What are you trying to say? Winter! Watch out!"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and struck the cherry blossom tree by the roadside. A huge branch broke off the tree, sending both Cara and Winter tumbling down the path until both their bodies hung precariously over the cliff.

Austin immediately jumped down and grabbed both Cara's and Winter's wrists at the same time, tiny rocks tumbling down from the top of the cliff.

His hand was split, and his blood dripped onto Cara's pale, terrified face as the rocks under her feet began cracking with a bone-chilling sound.

Winter suddenly screamed, "Austin! Austin, let go! You'll get dragged down with us!"

Austin's pupils constricted. The weight of their bodies, interlocked together by their fingers, was slowly causing the rocks to break and chip off.

At the most crucial life-and-death moment, he suddenly felt Cara's fingers loosen from his grip. He looked at her broken face and heard her whispering, "You've already decided who you're going to save anyway, haven't you, Austin Langford?

"Why are you still pretending to hesitate?"

"Shut up!"

Austin was just distracted for a split second, but he never felt more panicked or flustered than before. Then, Cara watched expectantly as he yanked Winter back to safety.

Rocks flew everywhere. He saw Cara reaching toward a dried, broken branch protruding by the side of the cliff, but it was rotten and beginning to make cracking sounds under Cara's weight.

Cara was literally dangling mid-air with the deep valley beneath her feet.

Austin's expression changed drastically. He tried to rush forward to save her, but Winter quickly hugged him from the back.

"Austin! You can't go there! It's already collapsed. You'll never save her!"

"Winter! Let go!"

Cara watched as the two of them continued getting entangled with each other, but she remained unusually calm.

"You don't have to save me, Austin. I just wish that I'll never meet you again in my next life, if there's one. I'll just find someone who loves me, have a family with him, and spend the rest of my life with him."

Right after Cara spoke, a sickening crack was heard as the branch she was standing on snapped in half.

A split second before Cara plummeted into the valley, she suddenly saw a figure dashing toward her.