On our long-awaited wedding anniversary, Everest ditched me countless times, just to set off fireworks with Selene and her son, Jace Madden.

That was when I finally understood. It wasn't that Everest didn't like kids, but he didn't want the two of us to have a baby together.

"By the way, honey. Since you're still weak after just having your surgery, I submitted your resignation for you. The position is vacant anyway, so why don't you write Selene a recommendation letter?

"You know her husband died in the line of duty. Life is going to be really tough for her if she doesn't have a job," Everest said.

I watched in silence as he pulled a pre-written recommendation letter from his pocket and eagerly waited for my signature with a face full of hope.

"Sure."

Ignoring the pain from the stitches, I signed my name with a trembling hand under his expectant gaze.

He seemed surprised that I agreed so easily and instinctively tried to soothe me. "Don't overthink it. It's just a job, and once you're feeling better, I'll find you a new one."

At that moment, it felt like grains of sand had gotten into my eyes, making them sting. I didn't say a word and just nodded.

He excitedly pulled me in for a hug. "I know you'd understand. You've always wanted a child, haven't you? We'll adopt one of our own once you're better."

He had made this promise countless times, but this time, I felt nothing.

On his wrist, he still wore the red fertility bracelet I had once knelt 9,999 steps to pray for.

My eyes stung, and when I reached up to wipe them, my hand came away wet.

Maybe I did get what I once wanted, but in the end, I was left with nothing but a bloody mess.

I yanked the red bracelet off his wrist and reminded myself that it was time to leave. I had a few days left, and for once, I was going to live for myself.

…

After packing my bags, I ignored the nurses' protests and checked myself out of the hospital.

The moment I got home, I ran into Everest. He saw me and immediately took off his military coat to drape it over my shoulders. His voice was a mix of reproach and concern.

"Honey, you're still not well. I told you to stay in the hospital a couple more days, didn't I? Why did you come back?"

His coat carried the scent of Selene's perfume. His acting was flawless, and I couldn't bother to call him out.

Not noticing anything different about me, he continued, "Honey, Selene is moving and has nowhere to stay for a couple of days. You wouldn't mind if she and Jace stayed here with us for a while, would you?"

I forced a calm smile. "I don't mind. Bring them over."

Startled by my composure, he asked, "Aren't you… mad?"

"No. She's lost her support system, so it's only right that you help her."

Everest beamed with joy and gave me a tight hug. "I'm sorry to put you through this, honey. I'll make it up to you once they move out."

I nodded and stayed silent.

I didn't want the compensation anymore, and I didn't want him either.

Everest noticed my silence and assumed I was upset. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an emerald bracelet, sliding it onto my wrist.

Then, he lied and told me it was a family heirloom. But at a single glance, I recognized it as the bracelet Selene had dumped last month.

At that moment, everything suddenly clicked. It turned out that I was never his first choice; I was just his backup plan and the compromise.

"Oh, and honey, I remember you have a gold safety pendant. You usually don't wear it, so why don't we give it to Jace?"

I looked up at him. He seemed to have forgotten that the pendant was the final keepsake Dad had entrusted to him before he died.

When Everest delivered the pendant to me, he had proposed through tears. "Your family died because of me, so from now on, I'm taking care of you."

But Everest didn't seem to remember any of the vows he had once made.

Fighting back my tears and disappointment, I said, "Alright."

Everest froze, like he couldn't believe I had agreed so easily. Just as he turned to head back to grab the pendant, I stopped him and handed him the medical bill folder from the hospital, with the divorce papers I had prepared tucked between the pages.

"These are the hospital bills. Take a look and sign if everything's fine."

"Sure!"

Without even glancing at the documents, he grabbed a pen and hurriedly scrawled his name.

My heart felt cold as I watched him leave. I couldn't believe Dad and my older brother, Archer Lane, had sacrificed their lives to save a man like him.

Seven years ago, during an overseas operation, Dad took a bullet meant for Everest and died in the mud just to get him out of an enemy encirclement. To cover Everest's retreat, Archer was captured and hung from a city tower, exposed to the scorching sun for three days and nights.

They even threatened him with Dad's body to make him talk, but he chose to bite off his tongue and die rather than give up Everest's location.

As for my younger sister, Seraphina Lane, she was kidnapped as revenge against Everest and died on her 15th birthday.

When they found her, her body was stripped bare, and there wasn't a single unbroken patch of skin. Every bone in her hands and feet was crushed.

When I received the news, I lost all will to lie and nearly took my life. It was Everest who knelt before me and begged me to stay alive. Under the Unit's arrangements, he gave me a grand wedding and promised to treat me well for the rest of my life.

But I never imagined that seven years of love and devotion wouldn't stand a chance against two months of Selene. The difference between love and apathy was as clear as day.

As the thought crossed my mind, I forced down the metallic taste rising in my throat and pulled out the divorce papers under the recommendation letter Everest had just left.

All he had to do was flip just one page further, and he would have seen our divorce papers. The ink was still fresh with his signature.

I recalled what the nurse had hesitantly said in the hospital.

"Ms. Lane, your body is aggressively rejecting the transplanted heart. If we don't intervene immediately, you likely won't make it past the next three days."

I ran my fingers over the paper and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"What a relief, Everest. I'll finally be free of you in just three days."

…

Before leaving, I distributed all the vegetables I had grown in my yard to my neighbors. Then, I carried my basket to the local shop.

My eyes swept past the window and landed on a red coat displayed, and I paused.

In seven years of marriage, I had never been able to justify spending that much money on myself.

Before I could speak, the shop assistant, Monica Rhodes, teased me warmly, "Colonel Quentin bought a coat and perfume here just a couple of days ago, and now he's asked me to set aside the latest arrival. You're really lucky, Ms. Lane."

My hands holding the basket froze.

I had always been frugal, and Everest had never bought me such an expensive gift.

The scent of that perfume was familiar, which was the same scent I had smelled on his coat. I realized then that he had bought those for Selene.

As his wife, I had spent seven years painstakingly caring for all his needs, yet I hadn't earned so much as a bottle of perfume or a new coat. Selene did nothing, yet she got everything so easily.

I wasn't sure if I felt more heartbroken or disappointed. When I looked up and met Monica's envious eyes, I said, "Give me a bottle of perfume and the red coat. I'm buying them for myself."

Now that I was at the end of my life, I wanted to be kinder to myself.

When I got home, Everest was nowhere to be found. Instead, I saw a photo of my parents on the table, and my heart gave a sharp, uncontrollable throb.

I was a sickly child, and Mom had always brewed chicken soup for me.

"You're the most precious girl in the world, deserving of love, Aurora," she used to say. "You have to stay healthy so you can grow up strong!"

At the thought, I swallowed my grief and entered the kitchen before making myself a bowl of chicken soup, just like Mom used to.

Just as I was about to take a sip, I heard the faint sound of voices from the yard.

"Everest, what if Aurora finds out about everything and demands a divorce?"

"That's impossible," Everest coldly replied. "Her dad and brother are dead, and her sister's gone. Now, she's lost her womb and heart, and she doesn't even have a job.

"She has no choice but to rely on me, so where else could she go?"

Selene gave a satisfied smile, which was laced with pure contempt for me.

Jace, however, caught a scent coming from the kitchen. "Something smells so good."

Everest's expression shifted. When he pushed the door open and met my exhausted gaze, his eyes were full of panic.

"Honey, when did you come back?"

My pale lips tugged as I tried to speak, but Jace, drawn by the smell of chicken soup, darted in before anyone could notice.

"Daddy Everest, I want some chicken soup…"

"Sure," Everest said, smiling dotingly.

Without even bothering to ask me, he picked up the bowl of chicken soup I had painstakingly brewed and handed it to Jace, who gulped it down in one go.

At that moment, the last thread connecting me to this world snapped.

Seeing the ugly look on my face, Everest was about to step forward and say something when Selene held him back. She pulled Jace behind Everest and feigned a frail, aggrieved act.

"Aurora, Jace's a naive kid. It's just a bowl of chicken soup, and I'll make you some more when I get back. Please don't get mad at him."

As she spoke, she gave Jace a subtle pinch, and the latter immediately burst into loud tears.

Everest's heart broke for him. He pulled Jace into his arms, then snapped his head around and chided me, "It's just a bowl of soup, Aurora. Since when did you become so petty?

"Apologize to him now!"

I felt utterly exhausted looking at all three of them, at their flawless acting and the way they twisted the truth.

I gave Everest a calm look and didn't bother to argue. Just as I turned to leave, Jace seized the chance to throw his bowl at me with all his might.

"You bad woman! You witch! Nobody wants your stupid soup! Why don't you just die!"

Shards from the shattered porcelain tore through my brand-new red coat.

Everest instinctively shielded Jace behind him and frowned as he tried to explain. "He's just a kid… Don't take it to heart."

But the wound on my chest had torn open. The pain was so sharp I could barely speak, and my heart, pressed against my ribs, beat at a different rhythm.

I knew my time was running out, so I decided to let it slide and turned to walk away.

Everest stared at my back. I looked so thin and fragile, like a sudden breeze might blow and scatter me apart.

He felt a sharp, sudden unease, as if I would completely disappear from his world once I walked away.

He moved to chase after me and explain, but Selene tugged at his clothes with tears in her eyes. "Everest, I cut my hand on a shard from the bowl, and it hurts so much. Could you help me bandage it?"

Everest's panic instantly vanished. He swept her into his arms and rushed toward the military clinic.

As he passed me, he threw out one last sentence. "Don't be petty with a kid. I'll take you shopping to buy a new coat when I'm free tomorrow."

He had no idea that I didn't want anything else. All I wanted was to leave him, and luckily, I could do that tomorrow.

…

Early the next morning, Everest eagerly busied himself with preparations for Selena's housewarming party. He decided to move it to our yard.

The yard that had never been decorated for our wedding was now covered in fresh floral garlands and a "Welcome to Our New Home" sign.