The car rolled into the underground garage of the mansion complex.

Daniel unfastened his seatbelt and, for once, walked around to open the passenger door for me himself.

"I had my assistant pick up that seafood place you love. It should be here soon."

He held my hand as we walked toward the elevator. His palm was warm, yet it could not melt the chill buried deep in my fingertips.

The moment we stepped into the living room, his phone rang sharply through the silence.

The ringtone was custom-made. A sugary love song Sophie had once performed on a talent show.

Daniel paused mid-step, released my hand, and pulled out his phone.

"Hey, Sophie? What's wrong?"

His voice softened instantly, threaded with a nervousness even he himself probably didn't notice.

Faint sobbing drifted from the other end of the call.

"Daniel... the power suddenly went out at my place. I'm scared of the dark. And my stomach really hurts..."

Daniel's expression changed immediately.

He glanced at me, hesitation flickering briefly in his eyes.

"Don't cry. Stay where you are. I'm coming right now."

He turned and walked back to the entryway to grab his car keys again.

"Claire, something came up with Sophie. The old district lost power, and she's scared being there alone."

He spoke with calm rationality while changing his shoes.

"Just eat the seafood when it gets here. Don't wait up for me. I'll come back after I get her settled."

The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly turned around again, his shadow falling over me.

Instinctively, he reached out, probably intending to pull me into his arms or ruffle my hair, anything to ease the guilt of leaving me behind.

But just before his fingertips touched my hair, I tilted my head away naturally and stepped back half a pace.

No complaints. No anger. Just a quiet retreat stripped of emotion.

That half-step became a distance between us.

The hallway light fell across his face, and I clearly saw his hand freeze awkwardly in midair before his fingers curled slightly inward.

In the past, the moment I saw him frown even a little, I would obediently lean closer for his touch, even if my stomach was twisting in agony.

But today, I stepped back.

A flicker of unfamiliar panic crossed Daniel's eyes.

He parted his lips as if he wanted to ask whether my stomach was hurting again, but Sophie's sobbing conveniently echoed through the phone at that exact moment.

Suppressing whatever irritation was rising inside him, he forced himself to relax, withdrew his hand, and straightened his tie.

"Remember to eat the seafood while it's hot." He paused again at the door. Without turning back, he lowered his voice slightly. "Don't wait up. Just go to sleep."

I watched him hurriedly put on his shoes and smiled faintly as I stepped back into the shadows.

"Okay. Drive safely."

Daniel was left hanging there awkwardly. He stood at the doorway for ten full seconds without even touching the handle, as though he were waiting for me to ask him not to leave.

But I only stood there quietly.

In the end, he slammed the door shut and left in frustration.

Earlier today, the doctor had told me that if I stopped chemotherapy, I probably had no more than a month left to live.

I had originally planned to tell him tonight.

Ten minutes later, Daniel's assistant delivered the seafood.

But ever since six months ago, when I worked myself into a severe stomach hemorrhage pulling all-nighters to finish one of Daniel's projects, I hadn't been able to eat seafood anymore.

He had forgotten completely.

I picked up the container of food, walked into the kitchen, and calmly dumped it into the trash.

The crab and shrimp slid into the garbage together, just like the wholehearted love I had spent the last three years giving him.

I shook three strong painkillers into my palm and swallowed them down with icy water.

The pills scraped painfully down my throat, but by then, I was already used to it.

Too many hopes had ended in disappointment. At some point, even disappointment itself had become unnecessary.

Early the next morning, I took a cab to Central City Hospital.

It was the day I was supposed to pick up my follow-up test results.

The hospital corridors smelled heavily of disinfectant. Wearing a mask, I sat quietly on a bench waiting for my number to be called.

"Daniel, slow down a little. My legs feel weak."

A soft, delicate voice drifted from the far end of the hallway.

I looked up and spotted Daniel immediately through the crowd.

He was carefully supporting Sophie by the arm.

She wore a loose knit sweater, her complexion rosy and healthy, without the slightest trace of weakness.

Daniel held a stack of paperwork in one hand while quietly comforting her.

I remained seated, watching them walk closer step by step.

Then Sophie's gaze swept over me by accident, and she abruptly stopped walking.

"Claire?" Sophie covered her mouth in feigned surprise.

Following her line of sight, Daniel looked over as well, and his expression darkened instantly.

"Claire?"

Instinctively, he let go of Sophie and took two steps toward me, his eyes quickly flicking over the registration slip in my hand.

But Sophie immediately tugged at his sleeve and called softly, "Daniel..."

His footsteps stopped.

"What are you doing here?" He looked at me warily, defensiveness already creeping into his tone. "Didn't I explain everything to you yesterday? Sophie wasn't feeling well."

I watched him press his lips together in irritation.

He didn't even have the patience to ask why I was at the hospital in the first place.

"I'm just here to pick up some medicine," I answered calmly. My gaze fell onto the gift box Sophie was carrying.

The pink diamond from the jewelry store yesterday.

Noticing where I was looking, Sophie immediately hid the box behind her back, though the triumphant smile on her face remained impossible to miss.

"Claire, don't blame Daniel. I was just really scared last night, so I begged him to stay with me."

She stepped closer and affectionately wrapped herself around Daniel's arm.

"Oh, and Daniel even bought me chestnut cakes from the south side of town this morning. He said they'd help nourish my health."

Sophie pulled a familiar paper bag from her purse and held it out toward me.

"Claire, do you want some? There are tons of crushed peanuts inside. They smell amazing."

I stared at the paper bag and suddenly found the whole thing absurd.

I was severely allergic to peanuts. Even the smallest amount would leave me covered in rashes, and in serious cases, could send me into anaphylactic shock.

Daniel frowned faintly, as though he had remembered something. His lips parted slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

Instead, he only said flatly, "Sophie means well."

His brows knitted tighter before his tone softened a little. "Claire, don't take things so seriously with a younger girl."

I made no move to accept the bag.

Looking up into Daniel's eyes, I suddenly smiled.

"No thanks. You two can enjoy it yourselves."

I stood up, walked past them, and headed straight toward the chief physician's office.

Behind me, Daniel called out sharply, "Claire, stop right there."

But I neither turned around nor slowed my steps.

When I entered the consultation room, the doctor handed me the report.

"Ms. Parker, the cancer cells have fully spread. Given your current condition, it's possible that at any moment..."

The doctor trailed off, looking at me with quiet pity.

"I understand." I slipped the report into my bag. "Doctor, please prepare a treatment refusal consent form for me."

By the time I walked out of the hospital, the sunlight burned painfully against my eyes.

I pulled out my phone and called my lawyer, William Harris.

"Mr. Harris, I need you to draft a will for me. And I want to put the old house under my name up for sale."

Shock flashed through his voice on the other end of the line.

I gave no further explanation and calmly ended the call.

When I returned to the mansion, I dug a few cardboard boxes out of the storage room.

Then I began sorting through the things that belonged to me, one item at a time.

There really wasn't much.

Every corner of this house carried traces of Daniel and Sophie.

Sophie's favorite throw pillows were scattered across the couch. Imported snacks she liked sat casually on the coffee table.

As for me, it felt as though I had never truly existed here at all.

I folded the cheap everyday clothes from my closet and packed them neatly into the boxes.

Then I tossed my toothbrush and towel from the bathroom counter straight into the trash.

Finally, I opened the drawer and took out the plastic bag containing the plain ring band.

I placed it squarely on the center of the coffee table, impossible to miss.

The sound of the keypad lock echoed from the front door.

Daniel walked in with his tie loosened slightly, exhaustion clinging faintly to his face.

In his hand was the bag of chestnut cakes I had refused earlier.

The moment he noticed the boxes scattered across the floor, he stopped dead in his tracks. His grip around the paper bag tightened instantly.

"It's getting colder. Makes sense to reorganize your clothes for the season." He tugged at his tie and forced out a strained smile before reaching for the packing tape in my hand. "Leave it alone. We can have the housekeeper deal with it tomorrow."

In the past, whenever he offered me even the smallest olive branch, I would end up throwing myself into his arms with tears in my eyes.

But this time, I didn't even pause my packing.

The tape ripped apart with a harsh tearing sound, sharp enough to feel like the final thread between us snapping clean in two.

Avoiding his hand, I said quietly, "Daniel, let's cancel the marriage registration next month."

His fingers curled sharply in midair.

For the first time, a flicker of panic surfaced in those always-confident eyes.

"Claire..." His voice came out hoarse, even trembling slightly, though he still struggled to maintain the composure and authority he was so used to. "Don't joke about something like this. I've had a long day."

"I'm not joking." I looked at him calmly. "And one more thing. I can't eat chestnut cakes with peanuts in them. I'm allergic."

The color drained from Daniel's face instantly.

He drew in a deep breath, walked over to me, and pulled an unlimited black card from his wallet before placing it on top of the box beside me.

"Claire, throwing a tantrum has its limits. Take the card. Go buy yourself something you like. Stop taking your anger out on yourself just to upset me."

I stared at the black card while violent cramps twisted through my stomach hard enough to leave a sheen of cold sweat across my skin.

Then I lifted my head and smiled at him with impossible gentleness. "Daniel, you don't need to spend money buying yourself peace of mind anymore. For the past three years, I've been the one constantly backing down. I'm tired of climbing down from that ledge over and over again. From now on, I won't put you in a difficult position anymore."

Daniel's pupils constricted sharply, but within seconds, he tightened his jaw and forcibly shoved every surging emotion back down.

"Fine. Claire, if you insist on leaving, I won't stop you. Starting today, your card access is suspended." He straightened his suit jacket with his back facing me, his voice lowered almost to a whisper. "When you've calmed down and thought things through, come back to me."

At the doorway, his hand clenched around the handle so tightly that his knuckles turned ashen.

After several long seconds of silence, he finally said without turning around, "I'll wait for you to come back."

But his tone stayed cold and unyielding, as though he was simply waiting to see how long I could keep this up without him.

A second later, the front door slammed shut with a violent bang.

I remained standing where I was as cold sweat slid from my face and dripped onto my collar.

My stomach churned violently, and this time, I couldn't hold it back anymore.

A thick metallic sweetness surged straight up my throat.

I doubled over suddenly and vomited a mouthful of blood onto the carpet.

My body collapsed helplessly to the floor, fingers digging desperately into the thick fibers beneath me.

Yet as I stared at the shocking splash of crimson spreading across the carpet, a relieved smile slowly curved across my lips.