It was the first time Sylvie blurted out the truth, but unfortunately, the sound of Connor's phone ringing drowned out her voice.

Connor rushed to take the call.

Anna's voice came through the speaker, "Connor, I got an allergic reaction from my dog's fur. Can you come see me?"

Connor's expression stiffened. He quickly grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, forgetting all about Sylvie.

As she watched him leave, she sighed helplessly, remarking, "What a shame. You almost got to hear the truth."

Thanks to Connor's extended lovemaking session, Sylvie came down with a fever. During her groggy state, she dreamed about the day she rescued Connor.

At the time, he was only a seven-year-old boy. His eyes gleamed like marbles as he addressed her politely, asking, "Will I be able to see you again?"

His voice was sweet and gentle enough to make one's heart flutter.

Smiling, Sylvie had replied, "Will you be able to recognize me then?"

"Of course!" the young Connor declared, his eyes shining.

…

When Sylvie woke up, her pillow was wet, and it felt like her throat was on fire. She got out of bed to get herself some water.

As she approached the living room, she heard the sound of laughter.

Anna's voice rang out, "I never would've guessed that you're such a good cook, Connor. I'm going to come over for meals a lot more from now on."

"Just make yourself at home. I'll cook for you whenever you want."

Sylvie entered the living room just in time to see Connor feeding Anna himself. The dining room table was laden with steaming hot food.

Despite being married all these years, this was the day she learned that Connor could cook.

Connor was caught off guard when he saw Sylvie. "Didn't you message me saying you were going to the hospital?"

Sylvie didn't answer. She had indeed planned on heading to the hospital for a checkup, but thanks to him, she got a fever last night and ended up missing her appointment.

Anna took Sylvie's silence as a sign of jealousy. With a smug expression, she remarked, "Why do you look so exhausted, Sylvie? Did you spend the night with some random guy again, cheating on Connor behind his back?"

Connor's expression became a little unpleasant. "Don't say that. She's still my wife."

Sylvie couldn't be bothered to deal with them. She was about to head back to her bedroom when Anna stopped her.

"Connor has agreed to let me turn your bedroom into a room for my pet."

Turning back around, Sylvie tried her best to keep her tone calm as she asked, "Aren't you allergic to dog fur?"

Cocking an eyebrow, Anna said, "It's precisely because of my allergy to dog fur that I need to find a new place for my dog. Your bedroom gets a decent amount of sunlight, so it's the best one to turn into its new home."

Sylvie looked at Connor, who turned away. Seemingly feeling a little guilty, he dared not meet her gaze.

Anna thought Sylvie would refuse, but to her shock, Sylvie simply smiled and nodded. "Fine."

She looked at Connor and said, "In the future, you don't need to inform me of these things. Do whatever makes you two happy."

Connor abruptly felt a sense of… anxiety. From the way Sylvie reacted, it was as if she didn't care about him anymore. However, he soon rejected that possibility. Just yesterday, she was still throwing herself at him. There was no way she would've stopped caring about him.

While eating, Anna asked Connor to accompany her to an auction.

"This auction only happens once every five years, Connor. The last item up for auction is the Pearl of the Merpeople. I hear it costs a fortune! Come on. Take me there so that I can broaden my horizons."

"There's no such thing as merpeople, Annie," Connor said somewhat helplessly. "The auctioneers are just using that to trick people."

"I don't care. You're coming with me!" Anna immediately cajoled.

Unable to dissuade her, Connor had no choice but to stroke her hair and say, "Alright. Whatever you say."

After hearing the exchange, Sylvie lowered her gaze. It seemed like Connor had truly forgotten that she'd saved him when he was young.

Anna took Connor's arm and started heading for the door when, all of a sudden, she thought of something.

"Come with us, Sylvie."

Brows creasing, Connor lowered his voice and asked, "Why do you want to bring her along?"

With the sweetest smile on her face, Anna said the most cruel words, "We'll need someone to help us carry all the things we get from the auction. It's the perfect job for a doormat like her."

Uninterested in arguing with Anna, Sylvie agreed to join them.

As they got to the car, Anna hopped into the front passenger seat before giving Sylvie a taunting look. Alas, to her dismay, Sylvie simply got into the backseat without reacting in any way.

Anna turned red with anger when she failed to get the reaction she desired.

Meanwhile, after glancing at the expressionless Sylvie in the back, for some reason, Connor felt uneasy.

The sky was already dark when they got to the auction.

Connor truly doted on Anna. He didn't hesitate to buy every single item Anna took a liking to, even though each one cost millions of dollars.

Everyone around them began gossiping among themselves.

"Mr. Shaw is such a generous man! Look at all the money he's spending on Anna."

"Isn't his wife here, too? I don't think this is appropriate."

"You haven't heard yet, huh? Mr. Shaw has remained celibate the whole time. Anna is the only one he loves. He has never even laid a finger on Sylvie. Sylvie fooled around with another man a while back, and I heard she even got pregnant!

"Mr. Shaw is already showing her a great deal of grace by not divorcing her."

After overhearing these conversations, Connor glanced at Sylvie. Her expression remained neutral. He couldn't tell what she was feeling. For some reason, it gave him a strange feeling.

"Have you fully recovered yet?" he asked with some difficulty.

After being married for seven years, it was his first time expressing any kind of concern for her.

"I'm fine," Sylvie replied.

Connor was about to speak once more when Anna abruptly grabbed his arm and said, "Connor, it's time for the last item on auction!"

The staff on stage took off the red cloth, revealing a dazzling pearl within a glass case. It gleamed brightly in the light.

"This is the fabled Pearl of the Merpeople! It is said to be so rare that only one can be found every thousand years. The bidding will start at 100 million dollars."

Sylvie instantly recognized the pearl. It was the one she spat out when she took on a human form all those years ago.

She raised her auction paddle and called out, "I'm bidding 500 million dollars."

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd burst into commotion.

Connor looked at Sylvie in shock. "Have you lost your mind? Even if you're jealous, you shouldn't be hiking up the price like that."

Sylvie couldn't even be bothered to look at him as she replied, "It's none of your business. I'm not spending your money."

When she first came to the human world, she pawned off many of the treasures she brought from the underwater realm. All that money was stored in her private bank account, and she had more than enough to buy the pearl.

Anna was displeased to see Connor talking to Sylvie. "Connor, I want you to help me get the Pearl of the Merpeople!"

For the first time, Connor was a little hesitant when it came to fulfilling one of Anna's requests. Shaw Group was currently facing a bit of a financial crisis. He didn't quite have enough cash on hand to buy something that would cost him over 500 million dollars.

"Annie, I've already bought so many treasures for you today. Let's just forget about this one…"

"No! I must have it!" Anna insisted angrily. "Have you forgotten? You said when you were little, you dreamed that I became a mermaid and saved you from the ocean. Let's make the Pearl of the Merpeople the symbol of our love, okay?"

The auctioneer's voice rang out once more, "500 million going once. 500 million going twice…"

"Connor!" Anna urged frantically.

Connor gritted his teeth and raised his paddle, calling out, "550 million!"

That was the most he could fork out right now.

Smiling faintly, Sylvie didn't even hesitate to double her bid. The crowd was in an uproar, and Anna turned pale with fury.

After the auction, Connor approached Sylvie and held his hand out. "Give me the pearl."

"What are you talking about?" Sylvie asked in confusion.

Connor was taken aback. "Weren't you bidding on it for me?"

Sylvie found that notion laughable. She looked straight into his eyes and said, "This belongs to me. Why should I give it to you?"

Alas, Anna's voice drowned out her retort. "Connor, to make it up to me, you need to watch the fireworks with me tonight."

Connor had failed to catch what Sylvie said.

…

Once Sylvie got back to the house, she called up a moving company and had them collect her things to be trashed.

When the movers saw the exquisite clothes and shoes that filled the closet, they were rather hesitant. "Are you sure you want to throw everything out, Ms. Waverly?"

Sylvie nodded at once. She was severing all ties she had formed with the human world in the last seven years and returning to her own world, unburdened by anything.

She took out the notebook. Seeing the numbers that filled the pages, she silently reminded herself that she only needed one last time. Then, she could leave Connor for good, never to cross paths again.

However, she had prepared to give him a gift after the final round.

Sylvie had set up a camera in the worship room where the altar was.

What Connor wanted to protect the most was his persona as the religious, celibate man.

Well, Sylvie was going to use the camera to record her final bout of intimacy with him and upload it for all to see. That was the "surprise" she was giving him before her departure.

Sylvie counted the days and knew that Connor would have an episode tonight.

True enough, he returned in the middle of the night. As soon as he came in, he impatiently pulled Sylvie into his arms.

Feeling woozy from the sudden barrage of kisses, Sylvie just barely managed to ask, "You're not hanging out with Anna?"

Instead of replying, Connor deftly took off her sleeping gown and carried her to the home altar. She closed her eyes and silently told herself this was the last time.

Fueled by the effects of his compulsive sexual disorder, Connor was like a famished beast, fiercely feasting on Sylvie. She had to admit he was incredibly proficient at this.

After the first round, Sylvie had to rest for some time before she finally felt like herself again. However, just as she got up to put her clothes back on, Connor put an arm around her waist and pulled her back toward him.

"That wasn't enough. I need more."

Only after spending seven whole hours at it did Connor's symptoms finally ease. He tossed a white handkerchief at Sylvie and said, "Clean up after yourself. Don't sully God's eyes."

Looking at the blinking red light of the camera in the distance, Sylvie couldn't resist smirking. After seven years, she had finally completed her mission.

Two hours later, she was going to sever all ties with Connor. They would never see each other again.

Sylvie was in a pretty good mood as she took a shower. Keen to get some souvenirs for her parents, she headed out of the house. As soon as she entered an alley, someone bashed her head with a bat, knocking her out.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a dark hut. Anna was standing in front of her with a furious expression.

"Connor was watching the fireworks with me last night. Why did he suddenly ditch me and run off to look for you? What kind of spell did a seductress like you put on him, Sylvie?"

Without waiting for Sylvie to speak, Anna clapped her hands, and a group of beggars immediately surrounded Sylvie.

Anna's expression became rather twisted as she continued, "Do you know what the most cunning scheme is? It's when you use yourself as bait."

Just then, Connor came storming into the hut.

Anna swiftly changed into a frail, helpless demeanor. She cried pitifully, "Connor! Sylvie got so jealous that she hired a bunch of people to violate me! Thank goodness you came over in time, or else I would've…"

Connor's eyes flashed with anger. "I made things clear with you from the start, Sylvie! There's no way I'd ever love you. Why did you try to hurt Annie like that?"

He didn't even give Sylvie a chance to clarify the truth. Nevertheless, she had completed her mission already. In just ten minutes, she was supposed to turn into a pile of dust and vanish from this world for good. Therefore, she simply eyed him in silence without saying anything.

For some reason, when Connor saw her still gaze, he felt a tinge of apprehension. It was as though something was about to disappear.

Anna took Connor's arm and said with an aggrieved expression, "Connor, you promised me you'd see the fireworks with me. Tonight's the last night for the fireworks show."

Connor glanced at Sylvie, and Anna noticed that, too.

"There's nothing to worry about, Connor. Sylvie hired these beggars herself. Why would they hurt her?" she said in dissatisfaction.

Connor hesitated briefly before taking Anna's arm and turning to Sylvie, saying, "You can stay in this hut and reflect on your wrongdoing."

The moment the door closed, the beggars began salivating as they lunged at Sylvie with perverse expressions.

Sylvie closed her eyes.

It was such a shame. The final gift she was leaving to Connor in this human world would end up being a brutally assaulted human corpse, mangled beyond recognition.

The real her would be returning to the ocean—and her freedom.