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.

Lucas grabbed Wendy's hand as soon as she woke up.

"Wendy, you scared me."

She pulled her hand away calmly.

After two years together, she refused to believe he did not understand her personality. Yet, he had done nothing when she was humiliated by Natelie.

She finally realized that the man who once shielded her from harm was gone.

"Why did you faint so suddenly?"

Before she could answer, the doctor walked in with her test results. He looked solemn.

"Wendy, your results show that—"

"I know, Doctor."

She interrupted him before he could finish.

The doctor glanced at Lucas, sighed, and left the room.

Lucas felt a sudden panic.

"What is wrong with you? Are you sick?"

His voice trembled.

Wendy forced a small smile.

"It's not a big deal—just low blood sugar. I've had this issue for a long time."

Lucas knew she had low blood sugar. He sighed in relief.

Looking at her pale face, he hesitated before speaking.

"I'm sorry, Wendy. I didn't mean to keep quiet today. She's my boss' daughter. I could lose my job if I upset her."

He avoided her eyes as he spoke.

After all, he had chosen Natelie's side earlier.

Wendy ignored the sharp pain in her chest and pulled the blanket over her head.

"I understand. You should go back. Don't let work pile up," she said.

Lucas felt a pang of guilt. Wendy, who was frail, was still considerate of him. He stood there for a long time. Finally, he placed his hand on her head over the blanket.

"I'll never let you suffer again."

What a touching promise, but it was just a lie.

The fraud accusation was resolved. Wendy graduated and completed the procedure to study abroad. The doctor advised her to stay in the hospital for a few more days, but she insisted on leaving.

When she returned to her apartment, everything was exactly as she had left it. Lucas had not gone back at all.

She opened the news that popped up on her phone notification bar.

[Breaking news! Lucas and Natelie have announced that their engagement is in seven days!]

Her breath hitched—that was what had kept Lucas busy the past few days.

There were only six days left until she left that place.

With a quiet sigh, she gathered all the his-and-hers items in the apartment—matching toothbrush cups, towels, and keychains.

They were no longer needed.

After packing them into a box, she headed downstairs to throw them away.

Just as she stepped out, she ran into Lucas.

He looked at the familiar items they had once carefully picked out together. His voice trembled as he said, "Why are you throwing them away?"

"They're not needed anymore. You can buy new ones later."

After all, he and Natelie would have plenty of new things once they got married.

Wendy threw the box away and headed back upstairs. Just as she reached the door, she heard Lucas speaking in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry, Nat. I'll make sure she comes to our engagement party."

A sweet, playful voice responded on the other end of the call, saying, "Hmph, I want to see her face when she realizes her boyfriend of two years is now my fiancé. She loves attention, doesn't she? I will make sure she gets plenty of it!"

Wendy tightened her grip uncontrollably.

She forced a stiff smile—as if their plan would fail next.

Sure enough, Lucas handed her an invitation when she went back in.

"Wendy, there's an event in seven days. Come with me, okay? You have to be there."

She looked at him for a long time before taking the card. Her voice was calm.

"Alright."

She prepared a gift for them even if she would not attend it.

Lucas did not return home for the next few days, using work as an excuse. Wendy took the time to pack her belongings.

Two days before she left, the university hosted a graduation party.

Although she had moved out of the dorms, she had a good relationship with her classmates. She wanted to bid farewell to them before she left for two years.

She had not expected to see Natelie and Lucas there.

Natelie held onto Lucas' arm, a bright, innocent smile on her face.

"I heard you're graduating today, Wendy. I gave your boyfriend the day off to celebrate with you!"

Wendy knew well of Natelie's intentions. She took a step back and kept some distance between them.

Natelie, pretending not to notice, moved even closer.

Wendy did not realize she was standing near a champagne tower.

Natelie's eyes flickered before she suddenly gasped and lunged toward Wendy.

Wendy stepped back on instinct, and her elbow hit the table.

The champagne tower collapsed instantly.

The glasses shattered, and golden liquid spilled everywhere.

Without thinking, Lucas shielded Natelie.

Wendy crashed to the ground.

Glass shards pierced her skin. The floor was a mixture of her blood and champagne.

The alcohol seeped into the wound on her abdomen, fresh blood oozing from the barely healed incision.

Her face turned deathly pale.

Through blurred vision, she saw Lucas carefully inspecting Natelie for injuries. His hands trembled as he checked her arms and shoulders.

For a moment, she saw the Lucas from two years ago—the one who used to stand in front of her.

She tried to reach out to Lucas with her shaking hands. However, before she could do so, her strength gave out. Her arm fell limply to the ground.