"I fell. Anyway, my period just started—can you step out for a bit?" I said without emotion.

Nicholas froze for a moment before I pushed him out the door.

“What’s there to cry about just because your period came?” he muttered.

Leaning against the door, I slid to the floor, utterly drained.

I didn’t understand.

Three years ago, Nicholas would have made me hot chocolate, and prepared heating pads and hot water bottles without being asked.

Now, he complained that I was being dramatic.

How could a coma turn him into someone I hardly recognized?

The next morning, I spoke to my landlord and arranged to move into a small studio apartment.

Nicholas and I had shared this place, but with me ending the lease early, the two thousand dollar rent would now fall entirely on him.

Not that it mattered—I'd been the one paying the rent all along.

After packing my belongings, I was about to head out when I overheard hushed voices outside.

“Stop it! Why are you here so early today?”

“I wanted to bring you breakfast. Why are you being so mean?”

“What if my girlfriend sees us?”

"So, she’s your girlfriend? If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was your mom. Doesn’t staring at that lifeless face every day drive you crazy?"

I had reached my limit. I slammed the door hard and turned to face their stunned expressions with a smile.

"Ordering delivery this early?" I asked lightly.

The woman’s smile froze awkwardly on her face.

I glanced at her briefly. I had already looked into her background yesterday.

Pearl Maddon.

A streamer on a platform called TikTok. Her specialty was disguising herself as people in marginalized professions to conduct so-called "social experiments."

She must have pretended to be deaf and mute to record my reaction as content for her videos.

But her carelessness caused her to crash into me, ruining the footage and likely making it unusable for editing.

That explained why there had been no new updates yesterday.

Still, I couldn’t figure out how she had gotten involved with Nicholas.

I decided to take the lead.

“Oh, aren’t you the... deaf-mute lady from yesterday?”

She froze, visibly flustered. She nodded as she turned her gaze toward Nicholas.

He cleared his throat.

“The delivery’s here. You can leave now.”

I stopped Pearl from leaving.

“What’s the rush?”

I pulled out my phone and brought up the hospital payment records.

“I forgot to ask you for compensation yesterday. I don’t have health insurance, and the hospital bills drained half of my savings. I almost went bankrupt. So, what do you think we should do about that?”

“She’s deaf and mute—don’t be so aggressive,” Nicholas interjected instinctively.

“You’re helping her?”

I chewed on the words, smiling coldly. “Fine. Then you can pay for her.”

Nicholas assumed I was mocking him, and his anger flared.

“What are you implying? Do you think I’m broke? Don’t forget—I took care of you for a while too.”

I hadn’t forgotten.

At that moment, a deep sorrow welled up within me.

Yes, Nicholas had supported me, before he became comatose.

But I had handled every household matter.

When his mother had a stroke and was hospitalized, I had to take care of her, clean and change her, and also feed her every night.

The next day, I had dark circles under my eyes while washing their clothes and preparing their meals.

And in the end, it seemed like my care for him had been worthless.

“Well, you can pay for her then.”

I took a deep breath and repeated calmly, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—every one of your bank cards is under my control, and there’s not a single penny left in them.”

Nicholas’s anger exploded as he slapped me across the face.

I staggered and fell to the ground.

The pain on my face, the scrape on my wrist, and the look of disdain on his face—

It felt like ants crawling through my veins, slowly gnawing at my bones, tunneling into my heart.

It shattered the last shred of affection I had for Nicholas.

"Get out!"

I stumbled and collapsed to the floor, instinctively biting my lip.

The guilt on Nicholas's face vanished in an instant and was replaced by a surge of anger.

"Get out of here! I don’t ever want to see you again!"

With that, he stormed into his room and slammed the door with a deafening crash.

Pearl, I noticed, had already left at some point.

I stared at the empty room, and for the first time, I gave in to my emotions, letting the torrent of tears fall freely.

An hour later, I dragged my suitcase out.

My neighbor, Molly Price peeked her head out, concern written on her face.

“Beatrix, you and your boyfriend had a fight, didn’t you? Come on, come in and sit for a while, don’t be sad.”

I shook my head.

I handed Molly her sewing kit back.

“I used the black thread to fix the buttons, and I’ve replaced it for you.”

Molly patted my hand and looked at my suitcase with a sigh.

“You’re a thoughtful one. Your boyfriend is so ungrateful.”

I didn’t respond.

I declined Molly’s invitation to stay longer and said my goodbyes to Mr. Klein at the fruit stand, Amy at the breakfast cafe, and Gretta from the kindergarten downstairs.

All the memories I had over the past three years in the neighborhood would now be wiped away one by one.

The small room my new landlord had arranged for me was in Calico City.

Jobs were easier to find in the area, though the rent was a bit high.

With limited savings from the past three years, I left Nicholas ten thousand dollars in cash—enough to cover his rent and living expenses for the next few months.

If he couldn’t find work after that, his living costs would become tight.

I bit my lip at the thought.

At the bottom of my WhatsApp list, I pulled up a blank conversation window.

A familiar profile picture appeared.

He was one of the most sought-after figures in Calico City, involved in industries ranging from real estate to catering, beauty, and logistics.

His wealth was beyond a hundred billion dollars.

And the only connection he and I shared... was a woman.

As I stared at the screen, I realized I had accidentally clicked on his profile picture.

Just then, a new message popped up.

[Beatrix, your mom’s death anniversary is in a few days. Are you still not coming?]

I paused for a long while before typing.

[I’ll be there.]

Trevor Cooper was my mom’s ex-husband’s adopted son.

To put it simply, my mom Bella Pitt, and her ex-husband’s relationship resembled one of those melodramatic plots from a soap opera.

A wealthy family had taken my mom in, but she ended up falling in love with her adoptive brother, Samuel Cooper.

In pursuit of love, my mom left her family, and Samuel gave up his social standing.

They thought they would end up together, but no one expected that childhood love would be no match for fate’s interference.

The two parted ways, and my mom married my dad and had me.

Samuel never remarried and adopted Trevor.

Now that Samuel had become successful in his career, he visited my mom’s grave every day.

He also followed his father’s wishes to look after me.

“Stop it, Beatrix. What you need right now is money, and I have it.”

Trevor’s words echoed in my mind.

Back then, my pride had overshadowed everything.

I refused to contact him, unwilling to let Nicholas misunderstand the relationship I had with Trevor.

Now, I saw it all for what it was—a fleeting illusion.

As I left, I changed into a black suit dress.

I bought a bouquet of sunflowers from the flower shop downstairs.

My mom had always liked its golden, radiant color.

My mood lifted as I looked at them.

Just then, Nicholas's mother called me, crying and begging.

"Beatrix, please come back and see Nicholas! Something happened to him!"

Unable to find me, Nicholas had hurt himself in the rental house.

There was blood all over the floor, and the landlady had called the police out of fear.

People in the neighborhood were saying that Nicholas had lost his mind.

I was stunned, and quickly unlocked my phone.

There were numerous missed calls from Nicholas, and my WhatsApp was filled with his messages.

[What’s wrong with you, Beatrix? Why did you break the lease?

[Are you still mad at me because of that mute girl? I’ve already explained everything to you! Why are you being so aggressive?

[Look, I’ll pay the rent myself. Please come back, okay?

[I’ve been in a coma for three years. I can’t control my emotions. Can you forgive me just once more?

[Stop testing me, Beatrix. I promise I’ll marry you. Is that enough?]

Nicholas’s words made my head pound.

My chest tightened, and I felt a sudden chill come over me.

Was it raining?

“Beatrix.”

Through the misty rain, a man approached, holding an umbrella.

His well-tailored black coat accentuated his tall, upright figure, and sharp features.

“Get in the car. I’ll take you to see your mom.”

Sitting on the warm leather seat, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Trevor broke the silence abruptly.

“The cemetery is pretty high up the mountain and the temperature will drop by at least ten degrees. There’s a women’s down jacket in the back seat. Put it on.”

I glanced at the label. It was a best-selling winter item, and its official price tag far exceeded what I had in my savings.

“Thanks. I’ll clean it before returning it,” I muttered.

“No need. It’s yours,” Trevor replied indifferently.

As I placed the flowers on my mother’s grave, I caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance—someone who bore a striking resemblance to Pearl.

Could she have come here to gather material?

I shook my head, amused at my thoughts.

By the time Trevor drove me home, it was already past one in the morning.

The neighborhood entrance was dimly lit by a few flickering street lights that had been broken for weeks without repair. The security guard sat inside his booth, wearing headphones and engrossed in a drama.

Trevor didn’t sign in at the gate but followed me upstairs.

“New Year’s Eve is coming,” he said after clearing his throat. “Are you planning to spend it alone in your rental?”

I paused, surprised for a moment. “Are you asking me out?”

“Only if you’d like to come,” he replied.

As I lowered my head, trying to make sense of his words, something near the door caught my attention.

“Who is that?”

A figure emerged from the shadows.

It was Nicholas, his face dark and brooding as he rose to his feet.

His sharp gaze was fixed on me.

I had just moved into this place—how did he find it?

My first thought was that my address had been leaked.

Before I could react, Nicholas grabbed my wrist tightly. "Come back with me!"

"Let go of me!" I snapped, my gaze flicking to the scars on his wrist.

For a moment, I froze, but then I struggled with all my might.

"Let her go."

Trevor stepped forward and punched Nicholas squarely in the face.

Nicholas crumpled to the ground instantly.

He had not recovered and couldn’t withstand such a blow.

I instinctively wanted to help him up, but I forced myself not to react.

Nicholas noticed my hesitation and a bitter smile crept onto his face.

"Beatrix…," he murmured, his voice heavy with sorrow.

"What have I done to upset you so much? Why did you leave me?"

Why?

I drew a deep breath to steady myself.

"Nicholas, answer me honestly," I said, my voice trembling with emotion.

"Have I not done everything for you and your mother? Have I not been more than fair?

"I took care of you for three years—so much that I worked myself into perimenopause—only to have your mother scream at me, calling me a barren hen!"

I felt my chest tighten, but I didn’t stop.

"And how did you repay me? Think about that!"

Nicholas’s face turned ashen, drained of all color.

I refused to linger any longer so I grabbed Trevor’s arm and pulled him into the apartment.

The moment I locked the door behind us, tears rolled down my face, uncontrollably, in heavy, silent streams.

A packet of tissues landed in front of me, interrupting my downward spiral.

Only then did I remember I wasn’t alone in the room.

Hastily, I wiped away my tears, my face burning with embarrassment.

"Have you figured out what you’re going to do next?" Trevor’s voice broke the silence.

His tone was calm, but an undercurrent of emotion—perhaps anger—made me uneasy.

"I used to work as a palliative care nurse," I murmured, hesitant. "But now..."

I paused, uncertainty creeping into my words.

I had chosen that job because of those three years spent caring for Nicholas.

The endless hours in hospitals had made me a reluctant expert in the process.

But now? Now, I had no idea where to begin.

"Come work at my company," Trevor said suddenly as he stood by the door.

"You can start as an office clerk," he added, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.

I stared at him in surprise, unable to respond.

"The company has employee dormitories with excellent security," he continued, opening the door.

"You can move in and avoid dealing with any... strays."

His gaze flicked toward the spot where Nicholas had been moments earlier.

All that remained now was a small, dark stain of blood.

Still frozen in place, I was startled by a familiar notification tone from my phone.

The sound brought back a memory.

To ensure Nicholas’s safety, I had installed discreet cameras around the apartment when we lived together, fearing he might hurt himself during his darker moments.

I had assumed he would have removed them after I left, but apparently, he hadn’t.

The cloud storage had saved a considerable number of videos and was set to delete automatically if I didn’t intervene.

I hadn’t intended to invade his privacy further but…

My thumb hovered over the delete button when a figure in the live feed caught my eye.

It was a woman.