Lucas assumed Wendy was upset about his time in the hospital. He hugged her around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Wendy, meeting you is the greatest blessing in my life."

Wendy never wore perfume—only the light scent of her shampoo lingered on her.

To Lucas, it was intoxicating. His breathing deepened, and he tightened his arms around her.

Pain shot through her abdomen, where she had undergone surgery just that morning. Wendy's face paled as she inhaled sharply in discomfort.

Lucas released her immediately, his expression filled with concern.

"What's wrong? You look terrible," Lucas asked.

She forced a small smile as she replied, "Nothing. Just some stomach cramps."

Lucas pressed his warm palm against her lower stomach and pulled her closer.

"Let me warm you up."

Wendy did not resist. She closed her eyes.

Yet, no amount of warmth could cure her disappointment.

Meeting Lucas had been the greatest misfortune of her life.

The next morning, Wendy woke up early.

Lucas was awakened by some noise. He opened his eyes groggily and saw Wendy stuffing all her clothes into a suitcase.

He sat up, an alarm flashing in his eyes.

"Why are you packing? Are you going somewhere?" Lucas asked.

"I'm going to visit the orphanage and donate these old clothes." Wendy continued folding her clothes without looking at him.

In two weeks, she would leave. Lucas, a man accustomed to luxury, would never keep the cheap clothes she had bought. She would give them to the children who needed them instead of letting them go to waste.

Lucas exhaled in relief subtly. He knew Wendy had always been grateful to the orphanage and visited every month.

"I'll go with you," he said.

He had accompanied her many times before, but she did not want him there that day. It would be her last visit, her final goodbye.

Before she could refuse, Lucas' phone rang. He glanced at the screen and quickly stepped into the bathroom to answer.

"It's my boss. I need to pick up this call."

However, sound traveled easily in their tiny rented apartment.

A sweet, spoiled voice carried clearly through the door. "Lucas, I'm in a bad mood today. You have to keep me company. Come shopping with me."

Lucas agreed without hesitation.

He wore his usual apologetic smile when he came out and said, "I'm sorry, Wendy. My boss called me to work. I can't go with you today."

She met his eyes calmly and nodded.

"Alright, go ahead."

Without a second thought, Lucas dressed and left in a hurry.

Wendy thought of all the times he had left her behind in the past two years, always claiming that his boss needed him.

She had pitied him, thinking he was overworked. She had even suggested he look for another job, but he had only pulled her into an embrace, resting his chin on her head.

"I don't mind the hard work," he murmured.

"I just want to earn enough money to marry you and give you a good life."

Such sweet words had moved her deeply.

From then on, she had taken on extra errands to earn a little more money, thinking they were working toward a shared future.

She finally realized she had been a complete fool.

Wendy stopped by the store on her way to the orphanage. Even with little money left, she bought snacks for the children.

As she struggled to carry two large bags toward the subway station, she passed a cosmetics store and overheard a familiar voice.

"Just buy the whole set. Testing them one by one is a hassle."

She turned her head toward the voice's direction and saw Lucas smiling indulgently at a well-dressed young woman.

Despite his complaint, he held out his arm obediently while she smeared lipstick on it.

Even though two years had passed since Wendy last saw her—it was Natelie.

So that was where Lucas had been whenever he said his boss needed him.

Natelie pouted and said, "You're happy to spend all your time with that lowly girl, but shopping with me is a chore?"

Lucas looked at her with a fond smile. "How could I? I did all this to help you teach her a lesson, didn't I? Let's buy these and continue shopping. You have me for the entire day."

He instructed the salesperson to pack up the entire lipstick collection.

The salesperson, seemingly familiar with him, moved swiftly.

"Mr. Lucas, that will be 14,000 dollars. Thank you for your purchase."

Wendy slightly swayed when she heard the amount.

In two years of dating, Lucas's most expensive gift to her was a silver bracelet worth 14 dollars. Most of his presents were cheap trinkets—bracelets that cost a few dollars and keychains from street vendors.

Yet, that 14,000 dollars seemed nothing to him when it came to pleasing Natelie.

That was the real Lucas—carefree, extravagant, and utterly indifferent to her struggles.

Wendy had seen enough. She turned to leave, but the flimsy plastic bag in her hands tore, and the snacks she had bought for the orphanage spilled onto the floor.

The loud noise caught Lucas' attention.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, she saw it—the flicker of panic in his gaze.

Guilt.

Fear.

Unease.

Those were all the emotions of a man caught in a lie.

"Wendy, weren't you going to the orphanage?"

Wendy glanced at the scattered snacks on the ground.

"I came to buy some things for the kids."

Lucas tried to hide his shopping bags, but his hands were full. "I—I'm just here shopping with my boss' daughter! He's busy today, so he's asked me to accompany her. These things aren't mine."

The more he explained, the more flustered he sounded, as if trying to cover something up. Wendy's eyes fell on the shopping bags. She might not recognize those high-end brands, but a single set of lipsticks costing 14,000 dollars spoke volumes.

"Your boss is really generous."

Lucas did not respond, afraid of making things worse. He set his bags down and moved to help Wendy pick up her snacks. However, before he could, a delicate hand rested on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Wendy, he's not helping you today—even if he's your boyfriend," a sugary voice said.

"He still has to shop with me—that's his job."

Lucas hesitated, looking at Wendy.

"Wendy, it's my boss' order. I—"

"I understand," Wendy said, interrupting him.

"I can handle it. You two go ahead and enjoy your shopping."

Without another word, she crouched to gather the scattered snacks. Lucas tried to help, but in the end, he let Natelie pull him away.

At the orphanage, the children's laughter filled the air as they excitedly tore into the snacks. As she watched their bright smiles, Wendy felt a warmth she had not experienced in a long time.

Noticing she had come alone, the orphanage director asked, "Where's Lucas? He usually comes with you."

Wendy could not respond.

The director gently patted her shoulder and said, "Wendy, you grew up here. I know how much you've longed for a family of your own.

"Lucas works three jobs to save up to marry you. He stands up for you, takes care of you, and he's wonderful with the kids here. He's a good man, someone you can rely on. If you two had a fight, don't be stubborn—just talk it out."

Bitterness filled Wendy's heart.

She had never told the director about Lucas' supposed illness. No one knew she had sold a kidney to save him—only to find out it was all a lie.

Lucas had been good to her over the past two years, but she had been good to him, too.

When she got home, Lucas was already there, waiting with dinner.

"Wendy, I had no choice but to leave you there today. It was for work. Once I've earned enough money, I'll never leave you behind again. I swear," his voice was laced with guilt as if he truly regretted it.

Wendy had heard the same sentence countless times before; the words had lost their meaning. She merely hummed in response and sat down to eat.

Perhaps Lucas had nearly been caught that day; he seemed more on edge than usual. Dinner was unusually quiet.

After they were done, Lucas pulled out a small box, his face lighting up with anticipation.

"Wendy, thank you for taking care of me these past few weeks. My boss' daughter was in a good mood and gave me a bonus today. I used it to buy you a gift. Open it."

Wendy accepted the box and lifted the lid. It was a single lipstick.

It was the same luxury brand she had seen earlier at the mall—the one Lucas had gifted Natelie.

She ran her fingers along the bottom of the box, feeling the faint stickiness where a price tag had recently been peeled away. She could not help but lift the edge of her lips because of a fresh wave of sarcasm.

He had just pulled off the sticker. The gift he gave her was a freebie, while Natelie got an entire luxury set.

Perhaps a girl like her—a penniless orphan—was only worth a complimentary product in Lucas' eyes.

Lucas frowned at her lack of reaction.

"What's wrong? You don't like the color? I had the salesperson pick it out for you."

Wendy set the box aside and shook her head. She said, "You don't need to spend money on me."

After all, they would not be together for much longer. She wanted to cut ties between them.

Lucas, however, seemed relieved.

"Oh, you're just worried about money." His usual affectionate smile returned.

"It's only fair that I spend it on you. After all, you used all your savings on me, didn't you?"

Wendy curled her lips into a faint smile but said nothing.

She was exhausted from the day's events. After washing up, she went straight to bed.

The next morning, she was still half-asleep when her phone rang.

She answered it.

"Wendy, your thesis has been reported for falsifying data," Professor Wayson said, his anxious voice coming through the phone.

"The university is launching an investigation!"

Wendy jolted awake.

Falsifying data was a serious crime. It was a career-ending disaster for a researcher. If she were accused of fraud, she would not only be unable to graduate but also lose her chance to study abroad.

She had spent a month working late nights to gather the data for her thesis. She could not figure out who would accuse her of fabrication.

"Professor, you know I conducted the experiments myself. There was no way I plagiarized."

Professor Wayson let out a heavy sigh. "My trust isn't enough. You need evidence.

"But there's only less than two weeks left before graduation. Even if you submit a timeline of your experiments, it will not be reviewed in time for your graduation.

"The only way is to talk to the person who reported you and convince them to withdraw the complaint."

"Who reported me?" Wendy immediately asked.

"Natelie."

Wendy felt extremely helpless when she heard the name.

She had no idea why Natelie would not leave her alone.

Natelie even wanted to ruin her academic career.

Meanwhile, Lucas was nowhere to be found.

She did not have direct contact with Natelie and had no idea where to find her.

With no other choice, she searched for Cole Corporation's address online and rushed over, hoping to run into her.

She stood outside for four hours without drinking a single drop of water. Her body had not fully recovered from the kidney removal surgery; she could not endure such standing and hunger.

Just as she was about to collapse, two familiar figures walked out of the building—Natelie and Lucas.

Wendy struggled and stepped forward to block their way.

Lucas was startled to see her there, his voice uneasy as he said, "Wendy, why are you here?"

All Wendy wanted was to get Natalie to withdraw the report—nothing else mattered.

"Ms. Cole, I gathered all my data through experiments. There was no fraud. Please withdraw your complaint."

Lucas had no idea about the situation. "What—"

Natelie interrupted him with a smile. "What if I have doubts? The university will investigate whether it is genuine, and they will decide."

The investigation would take at least two weeks. She did not have that much time.

"Ms. Cole, tell me. What will it take for you to withdraw the complaint?"

Wendy knew Natelie did that on purpose. She decided to be straightforward.

Natelie did not even spare her a glance.

"You ruined my shopping mood yesterday. What about this? Stand here and apologize loudly. I will withdraw the complaint when I forgive you. What do you think?"

Lucas frowned, but he remained silent.

Wendy took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions surging in her heart.

She stood at the company's entrance, where people constantly came and went.

Then, she said, "I am sorry. Please forgive me."

People turned to look at her, their gazes filled with curiosity and ridicule.

Wendy had never felt such humiliation. But she had no choice.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Natelie chuckled.

"Why is your voice so soft?" Natelie asked.

Wendy shut her eyes, ignoring the pain in her abdomen, and raised her voice.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

She had lost count of her repeated words. The mocking stares and Natelie's amused expression blurred in her vision.

The pain in her stomach got stronger. Her body could no longer hold on. She collapsed.

At the last moment, she saw Lucas running toward her in a panic before she closed her eyes.