I wiped my lips instinctively. The crowd that lived for the drama was still stirring things up, and I could feel several stinging stares land on me.

A wave of fatigue washed over me. My stomach, which had been aching all night, lurched suddenly. Nausea hit me fast, and I stood, covering my mouth as I nudged aside the leg blocking the exit and bolted toward the restroom.

As I rushed out, dead silence descended upon the private room, but I didn't care. I'd never run this fast in my life.

Still, when I reached the sink, nothing came up. After a bout of dry heaving, I started coughing. It was the kind of cough that made it feel like my lungs were about to be ripped out of my chest. It was unbearable.

Eventually, I braced myself against the counter. I stared at the bloodstains in the sink, my vision darkening. After a moment, I looked at my haggard reflection in the mirror, finally feeling like someone on the verge of death.

Slowly, my complexion would grow paler and my face would become gaunter. I'd waste away beyond recognition, my hair falling out completely. I'd lie in bed, unable to care for myself, and finally die in the most hideous form possible.

I splashed some water on my face to sober myself up. I then touched up my makeup and sashayed back into the private room in my heels.

Everyone was staring at me when I returned, including Sean.

I smiled. "Sorry, I felt a little queasy earlier. Carry on, guys. Don't mind me."

Sean's expression darkened. I knew this was the prelude to him losing his temper, but I walked over to him regardless, oblivious to everyone else around me.

As soon as I sat down, however, someone yanked me up again.

Sean and I had been acting lovey-dovey when we got out of the car earlier. Now, we sat on opposite sides of the car, not speaking. The air felt like it was frozen solid.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

I blinked innocently. "I'm not."

Sean clearly had no patience for my games. I'd already provoked him several times that day, and I could see the unchecked anger in his eyes.

"Cassandra." He looked at me as he enunciated each word clearly. "Don't push it."

Was that it?

I couldn't help but giggle.

"Behave yourself and don't make me mad," he said.

I stared at him blankly. I could see my own reflection staring back at me in his eyes. He clearly didn't care for me that much, yet he insisted on putting on such a show of deep affection.

"Sean."

I looked like a mechanical doll, emotionless and worn out. I felt utterly exhausted, so much so that I no longer had the energy to keep up this charade.

"Let's break up."

The autumn wind was howling when he dumped me by the roadside. I shivered in the cold, slightly regretting my decision. I should have waited until we'd reached our destination.

The streets were deserted at this hour. Perhaps the alcohol had overtaken me, but I didn't feel like hailing a cab. I slipped off my high heels and walked barefoot on the ground.

The instant my feet touched the ground, a chill shot through me, followed by a surge of unprecedented clarity and exhilaration.

I skipped along the road. I knew Sean was trailing behind me in the car, waiting for me to give in.

Looking back, the past 24 years of my life seemed to have been stitched together by countless acts of submission and retreat. It was truly pathetic!

I marched on like that for the next two hours, walking ahead until both my feet became numb.

When I reached the building, I tossed my shoes aside, turned back, and waved goodbye to the car.

When I got home, I took a shower, my legs trembling. After that, I made myself a simple meal. As I walked to the window, I could see Sean's car still parked downstairs.

Sean was leaning against it, smoking. The ground around him was littered with cigarette butts. As if he'd sensed my presence, he looked up and met my gaze.

I couldn't quite name what I felt at that moment. Sean's emotions were unreadable, yet it still rubbed me the wrong way. I pulled the curtains shut, determined not to think about him anymore.

At midnight, I turned off all the lights in the house. I ordered an eight-inch black forest cake on DoorDash, sat on the floor and lit 24 candles for myself.

I had never been big on ceremonies. For years, my birthdays slipped by before I even realized it. Sean was the same. Come to think of it, during all our time together, we'd never really marked any meaningful occasions.

However, this year demanded something special. After all, who knew if it was going to be my last birthday on earth?

When the time came for me to make my wish, my mind went blank. I didn't know if the cancer was a punishment or a reward.

When the thought of dying crossed my mind for the first time, I felt relieved, like I was about to be set free.

Only when I began packing did I realize how much stuff I had. I'd grown up in this house before it was sealed off and later bought by Sean before the foreclosure auction. I'd lived here ever since.

Much of that stuff was useless to me now. Still, since I was leaving, I didn't want to leave it behind, so I decided to throw it all away.

It took me two days to sort and clear most of the stuff out. I threw away what could be discarded and moved on to getting rid of the rest. My time on earth was limited as it was, and I refused to waste any more of it on trivialities.

In the end, I packed only two suitcases. When I left, I felt as light as a feather.

I booked a hotel for a week. Although I'd decided against getting treatment, I still went to the hospital. My doctor was an elderly gentleman well past 60. He had graying temples and wore a thick pair of glasses.

He'd likely never encountered a patient who treated leukemia like it was nothing. Or perhaps he was simply a kind old man saddened by a young person giving up on life.

He tried everything to persuade me, from gentle advice to stern words. Still, I didn't budge.

Eventually, when I thanked him and took the prescribed medication from him, he simply patted my shoulder wordlessly.

That afternoon, I went to see my brother, Adrian Price, who refused to see me. He hadn't actually seen me since he learned I was still with Sean despite everything.

I could hardly fault him for it.

Our family had gone bankrupt, and Dad had jumped to his death while Adrian was implicated in the fallout and subsequently imprisoned. Despite it all, I'd remained by the side of the man responsible for it all, as though nothing had happened.

If Adrian wasn't behind bars, I had no doubt he would have strangled me himself for being such a disgrace.

I waited until visiting hours ended before leaving. I handed the letter I'd written last night to the guard.

Rain had started falling outside by the time I stepped out. I stood under the awning for a while before dashing straight into the downpour.

The momentary thrill of walking in the rain came at a cost. That night, I developed a high fever and was eventually sent to the hospital by the hotel's housekeeping staff.

Since I didn't have my phone with me, I clung to consciousness just long enough to ask the nurse to arrange for someone to stay with me. After that, the next three days passed in a blur.

On the fourth day, I forced myself to get up and returned to the hotel. There, I showered, put on some makeup, then left to buy a new phone.

On the day I confronted Sean, I'd already submitted my resignation to the HR department. They told me to come in as soon as possible to finalize my resignation.

Since the next day was the weekend and I still had some things to collect from the office, I decided to go in.

When I walked through the entrance of the company, all eyes immediately turned to me.

I was, after all, known for keeping the boss happy in more ways than one. Now that I was suddenly quitting without warning, I was bound to become the talk of the office for quite a while.

The more blatant their stares, the brighter I smiled. I breezed through each department, collecting signatures as per the exit procedure. Finally, only one department head's signature remained.

Clutching the paperwork, I knocked on the company president's door.

"Come in," he said.

As soon as I entered, I felt his piercing, almost aggressive gaze settle on me.

I kept my gaze steady. My heels sank silently into the carpet as I placed the form on his desk.

"Your signature please, Mr. Thompson."

Sean didn't move. His right hand rested on his desk as he twirled a pen with a slow, lazy flick.

He had strikingly beautiful eyes. They were the kind that gave you the illusion that he cared whenever his gaze met yours. I knew that bastard's dirty tricks by now, so I stared vehemently at the glass window behind him instead.

I didn't believe he was the kind of person who could part ways amicably, nor did I think he'd make any foolish attempts at reconciliation that would only bruise his ego. So, I waited quietly for him to speak.

"Got everything you wanted?" he asked.

I nodded. "Pretty much."

He probably hadn't expected me to abandon the pretense entirely and simply lean into the mess.

The corners of his eyes lifted slightly as he leaned back in his chair. He was clearly smiling, yet his smile felt utterly insincere.

"I've underestimated you," he said.

My lips twitched.

Sean continued casually, "You seem very eager to bail Adrian out. What, is prison life not treating him well?"

"That's no longer any of your concern," I replied before turning to leave. I didn't feel like wasting another word on his snide bullshit.

Just as I was leaving, Sean called me back. "What's on my schedule today?" he asked.

His itinerary for the next two weeks was etched into my mind. I found myself replying instinctively. "You have a meeting with R&D at 3:00 pm and dinner with Mr. Julian Brosnan at 6:30 pm."

Sean let out a meaningful, "Oh." The pen between his fingers clattered onto the desk.

"I seem to recall you were the one who arranged this dinner with Julian," he remarked.

My brows twitched.

Sean continued, "If the host can't even be present herself, how can we expect anyone to trust our company's commitment to this partnership?"

His smile was faint. "I'm not against you leaving your job. But you should see things through to the end, Ms. Price."

My desk had already been cleared, so I didn't linger for the spectacle of my colleagues crowding around me and asking what happened. Instead, I hailed a cab back to the hotel, rested for half the day, then arrived at the agreed-upon hotel restaurant half an hour early.

Sean's words didn't faze me. I was dying, and his project schedule ranked pretty low on my list of priorities. I'd come merely because Julian had been closely involved with Dad prior to Price Corporation's collapse, and there were many things I wanted to understand about that.

When I arrived at the private room, the coffee in front of Julian seemed to have already turned lukewarm. When he saw me, he stood cheerfully before pulling out a chair for me. I took off my coat and sat down, silently wondering why Sean had yet to show up.

Since I'd blocked Sean's number, I called his assistant instead. She answered quickly, informing me that the company meeting wasn't over yet and that I should handle things there on my own.

Damn that bastard!

I apologized to Julian on behalf of Sean. He simply waved me off, saying it wasn't a big deal.

I breathed a sigh of relief before accepting a cup of coffee from him. I took a sip of it and set it aside. I'd never been much of a coffee drinker anyway. Moreover, I had no idea what kind of beans he'd used or where he'd gotten them from. Something about the taste felt off.

Julian was quite the smooth talker. For 30 minutes, he managed to dodge every one of my questions with small talk. My head grew foggy as he steered the conversation toward me. He asked me why I'd quit my job, why I fell out with Sean, and whether I would be interested in being his secretary instead.

It seemed Julian was surprisingly well-informed.

I deflected his questions, my answers vague and evasive. I only realized something was terribly wrong when my vision blurred.

Julian's hand reached out toward me. I stood abruptly, fighting the sudden weakness in my legs.

"Mr. Brosnan, what are you doing?" I asked.

He grinned brazenly.

"You're a smart woman, Ms. Price. Now that you've broken up with Sean, you might as well come with me. I promise you'll be as well provided for—if not better."

A chill ran down my spine. Julian's two bodyguards had just stepped outside, and the click of the lock behind them sent a jolt through me.

Julian inched toward me. My whole body burned. I saw my phone, which I had left on the table, light up. I reached for it, but someone blocked my path before I could do so.

Julian dragged me toward the lounge round the back. I struggled hard, but despite all my strength, I couldn't break free from his grip. My mind went blank as I was thrown onto the bed.

I could hear his lecherous chuckle as he began tearing off my clothes. I trembled uncontrollably.

His greasy hands roamed over my body. Disgust rolled deep within my gut. I bit my lip until it bled, the pain sending a flicker of clarity through me. I summoned every last bit of strength I had to fight back, my arms flailing wildly until my fingers closed around a bottle of wine.

Without hesitation, I smashed the bottle hard against Julian's face.

He screamed in agony. But before I could feel any relief, he snatched the bottle from my hand.

"Stupid bitch!" he cursed, then slapped me across the face.