"No! Don't!" Evelyn's whole body shook with panic. She tried to shove Daniel's hand away, but Noah lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Dad, now!" Noah yelled.

Noah was only six years old, yet his grip was so tight that Evelyn couldn't break free. The liquor hit her throat in one burning rush. It tore its way down.

The moment it hit her stomach, it felt like someone had poured fire straight into an open wound.

Evelyn dropped to her knees and gagged over and over, her body convulsing with dry heaves.

Noah froze, stunned.

Zoe, however, lowered her eyes, burying the flash of triumph. When she lifted her gaze again, it was all trembling innocence. "Daniel, what's wrong with Evelyn? Anyone who doesn't know better would think she's the one with cancer..."

Her words wiped the worry clean from Daniel's eyes.

"Evelyn, you really should've gone into acting. Your performance is unbelievable," he sneered.

Noah snapped out of his shock and quickly found his voice. "Yeah, Mom, you're faking it again! Grandma said you used to love drinking!"

Daniel's voice turned sharp and mocking. "You used to go out for business dinners every night and drink until you were throwing up in the bathroom. Now, you take one glass and act like it's killing you?"

Tears streamed from Evelyn's eyes, but this was just her body's reaction. Her throat burned with the metallic taste of blood. She couldn't say a single word.

Right then, Zoe pressed a hand to her stomach and winced. "Daniel, it hurts. My stomach hurts..."

Daniel and Noah panicked instantly and completely forgot Evelyn was there.

"Zoe, hold on! I'll get you to the hospital!" Daniel said urgently.

"Aunt Zoe, you can't get sick! I need you!" Noah cried.

Their voices faded, drifting farther and farther away.

Evelyn's pain was like a wave crashing over her. Just before she blacked out, she doubled over and vomited a mouthful of bright red blood onto the carpet, sending a shock through the men still in the private room.

"What the hell!" one of them choked out.

Another man's voice shook as he said, "Damn! Zoe said this was just for fun! Is she trying to get her killed?"

"This has nothing to do with me! I didn't do anything!" another quickly yelled.

"Let's go now!"

They bolted instantly, clearing out the room as if a fire alarm had gone off.

Evelyn, left alone on the floor, trembled. A laugh broke from her, wet with tears. So, this was the woman Daniel and Noah loved. This was the woman they'd chosen.

Evelyn only hoped that when the truth finally came out, they wouldn't choke on regret.

...

The next time Evelyn opened her eyes, she was in a hospital bed. The ward was quiet. No one was sitting beside her.

She asked a nurse what had happened and was told that someone had dropped her off at the emergency room after she passed out in pain, then left.

The doctor came in a few minutes later. His face hardened as he questioned, "Your body is already in this state, and you're still drinking? Are you out of your mind, or do you not want to live?"

Evelyn gave a bitter smile. She hadn't wanted to drink. Her husband and son had forced that glass down her throat with their own hands. She wanted to live a little longer. They were the ones who had pushed her toward death.

The doctor sighed. "Listen. You need to get this through your head. If you want to suffer less, you can't touch alcohol again."

Once the doctor left, Evelyn asked to be discharged. Whatever time she had left, she didn't want to spend it staring at hospital ceilings.

On her way out, she walked past a cluster of patients and visitors chatting just outside one of the wards.

"That woman in Ward 6 is lucky. Her husband and son hover around her day and night. They treat her like she's made of glass."

Another replied, "She really hit the jackpot with that man. Did you see what happened earlier? She said she felt like eating cake, and they ordered one of everything from every bakery in town. If she wanted the stars in the sky, I swear those two would try to find a way to get them down for her."

"Stop talking. They're coming out."

The group shuffled aside.

Evelyn lifted her head and saw Daniel and Noah walking out of Ward 6. Both of them froze when they spotted her.

"Mom?"

"Evelyn?"

Daniel's eyes dropped to her hospital gown, and his face went slack with shock. "What are you doing in the oncology wing?"

Noah panicked, his whole body going rigid. People didn't end up on this floor because of a mild cold.

Before Evelyn could answer, Zoe stepped out of the ward. "Daniel? Noah? Why are you just standing here?"

She slipped her hand through Daniel's arm as naturally as breathing. Then, she saw Evelyn, and her fingers went stiff around his sleeve.

Daniel immediately shook Zoe's hand off, his whole body going tense. He strode toward Evelyn in a few quick steps, staring straight into her face. "Tell me, why are you here?"

Noah rushed to her side as well. "Yeah, Mom. Are you sick?"

Zoe bit down on her lower lip, unable to hide the flicker of panic in her eyes.

Evelyn smiled. So, Zoe could be afraid, after all.

Zoe really didn't need to worry. Evelyn had no intention of telling the truth. She would wait until after she was gone. Then, Daniel and Noah could finally find out what had really happened.

That kind of grief and regret, when there was no way to make things right, would follow them for the rest of their lives.

"I heard you were here, so I came to see you," Evelyn said calmly. Her expression was so mild that both Daniel and Noah visibly relaxed.

"So, you came over from another department?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah," Evelyn replied.

Daniel let out a breath, but his brows stayed furrowed. "What are you in for? You're in a hospital gown."

Evelyn's mouth curved in a mocking smile. "Stomach issues."

The words landed, and both Daniel and Noah exchanged an uneasy look. Daniel knew she'd had stomach problems for years. He just hadn't thought they had gotten bad enough for her to be hospitalized.

Before he could say another word, Zoe walked up, her eyes misty and her voice shaking. "Evelyn, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't made you drink that glass of liquor, you wouldn't be in the hospital."

The moment she started crying, Daniel and Noah softened instantly.

Daniel hurried to steady Zoe. "This isn't your fault at all! There's no way one drink landed her here! That would be a little too dramatic!"

"Yeah, Aunt Zoe! Don't be sad," Noah chimed in. "Mom definitely did this to herself! She probably skipped her meals on purpose and made herself sick just to get me and Dad to pay attention to her!"

To make Zoe feel better, Noah could say such cruel things. Evelyn couldn't help wondering when he had become this way. She remembered raising him to be better than this.

Zoe's expression finally softened. She pressed a hand to her chest and whispered that she felt a little unwell. Daniel and Noah immediately fussed over her, guiding her back into the ward. By the time they came out again, Evelyn was gone.

Daniel didn't think much of it. If there really was something wrong with Evelyn, she would say so. Evelyn was the type to cry over a minor scratch. There was no way she could face a serious illness without saying a word. If she wasn't talking, that meant she was fine.

Besides, Zoe didn't have much time left. He needed to be there for her while he still could. Once she was gone, he would make it up to Evelyn.

...

Evelyn picked up her prescription painkillers and went home. They were the only thing that could ease the pain.

There were eight days left before she left for the island. She didn't want anything to go wrong before then.

To keep her health from collapsing, she allowed herself to rest for the first time in years. She slept until noon every day.

She didn't have to prepare Noah's meals, worry about his school schedule, or lie awake at night wondering if Daniel would come home drunk from another business dinner.

It turned out living alone could be so comfortable.

A few days later, her parents called.

"If you're free today, come over. We should all get together," her mother, Tiana Dunn, said.

For the first time since Zoe's so-called cancer diagnosis, they were finally reaching out to Evelyn. Ever since they decided she was lying, they even blocked her on messaging apps.

Evelyn glanced at the calendar on the wall. It was the 21st, her birthday. She agreed to go, just for one last birthday with her parents. After that, they could all consider things settled.

When she walked into the Wynn residence, there was no cake nor presents—just her parents' strange expressions and a heavy, suffocating silence. Seeing her at the door, they exchanged a look.

"Since you're here, sit down," her father, Owen Wynn, said.

Evelyn sat on the couch.

Tiana watched Evelyn for a moment, then said in a low, conflicted tone, "On the 26th, Daniel's supposed to hold a wedding for you, right?"

Evelyn frowned, not sure where this was going yet. Before she could answer, Tiana continued, "Let Zoe have the wedding instead."

Evelyn's whole body went still.

Tiana went on bluntly, "You know Zoe likes Daniel. Daniel and Noah like her too. Their bond is already stronger than what you have with them! If this were any other time, I'd never step in. But Zoe has cancer. She doesn't have much time. I want to help her fulfill her wish and let her marry Daniel, even if it's just in name."

For a second, it felt like Evelyn's blood was boiling in her veins. Help Zoe fulfill her wish? What about her? That was her husband and her wedding. But her parents were asking her to hand them over like it was nothing. It was ridiculous.

"Have you thought about me at all?" Evelyn asked quietly.

Owen's expression darkened. "What's wrong with you? Are you the one dying?"

Evelyn's lips lifted into a thin smile. "Yeah. I'm the one who's dying."

The next second, a loud slap smacked across Evelyn's face. She raised a hand to her cheek and felt blood at the corner of her mouth.

"You're so stubborn!" Owen shouted. "How did I end up with such a cold-blooded daughter?"

Tiana's face was full of disappointment and disgust.

"As her sister, how can you be this heartless? You won't even agree to Zoe's last wish. If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I never would've had you! If we hadn't been so busy looking after you, Zoe wouldn't have gone missing back then. You're nothing but a curse on my life!

"If you refuse, I might as well move out and live with Zoe. Then, I won't have to see you and feel sick!"

Evelyn ran her tongue along the blood on her lip.

"You don't have to go with Zoe. I'll leave," she said.

She would go somewhere none of them could ever find her.

If they all ended up in heaven someday, she'd gladly go to hell instead.

Evelyn left the living room with her cheek still stinging, her palm pressed over the swollen skin. She almost walked straight into three people coming up the steps.

She instinctively shrank back into the shadow of the entryway and watched as Daniel and Zoe climbed out of the car. Noah stood between them, happily holding each of their hands. The three of them looked exactly like a family.

"Aunt Zoe, are you feeling better?" Noah asked.

Zoe smiled and ruffled his hair. "Much better."

"Great! Now, you can finally play with me again!" Noah kicked a pebble out of his way, grinning from ear to ear.

"Mom is boring and annoying. You're the only one who gets me. Good thing she didn't show up today. She would've ruined everything."

Zoe's smile deepened. She put on a gentle, helpless tone. "Noah, you can't talk about your mom like that."

"Why not?" He puffed out his cheeks. "She's awful! She's mean and always pretending to be pitiful! She wouldn't even drink one glass of liquor for you! If anyone should get cancer, it should be her!"

The words hit Evelyn like a bolt of lightning, and her body went rigid. The rest of their conversation blurred into a distant drone.

She stayed where she was, hidden in the corner like a ghost. She waited until she heard their laughter drift from inside the house. Only then did she turn and walk away.

She felt her life had become painfully pathetic, miserable beyond words. She had carried Noah for nine months, yet he wished her dead without a flicker of hesitation.

Tears spilled over as she walked away.

As they wished, she was the one with cancer. Once she was gone, Zoe would take over her place without a hitch. Noah would get what he wanted.

...

Back at the villa, Evelyn went through every room and cleared out anything that belonged to her. Then, she threw it all into a brazier and lit it in the backyard. She burned their wedding photo, their family photo, and every gift she had chosen for Daniel and Noah over the years.

When Daniel came home and saw the fire, his eyes widened in panic. He ignored the heat and pain, reaching straight into the blaze to grab for their photo. He managed to pull out half of a photo. The rest had already turned to ash.

His eyes went bloodshot as he shouted, "Evelyn! Are you insane? These are our family's memories. Why would you burn them?"

Noah stomped his feet in a fit of fury. "Those stuffed toys were my favorites! Why did you burn them?"

Evelyn said expressionlessly, "Doesn't Zoe buy you new toys now? You tossed those stuffed toys into the storage room yourself. What else would they have been good for?"

Noah's cheeks flushed bright red. He did love the toys Zoe bought. Who wanted old when they could have new? But those stuffed toys were all handmade by Evelyn.

Noah's hands balled into fists. His anger surged up uncontrollably, and he shoved Evelyn hard. "Bad mom! I hate you!"

He grabbed the only half-burned toy that hadn't fallen into the flames, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and ran back into the house.

Evelyn hit the ground hard. The brazier toppled, embers and burning wood rolling toward her. A piece of hot coal landed against her bare forearm. The sear of it made her gasp as the skin blistered and burned.

Daniel didn't notice at all. He was still staring after Noah.

When he finally looked back at her, his voice was cuttingly cold. "Noah shouldn't have pushed you, but you've gone too far! This isn't how you throw a tantrum. Get those photos restored from the negatives today. If you don't, then don't show up at the wedding!"

With that, he stormed off.

A cold, mocking smile tugged at Evelyn's lips. This was the excuse Daniel had been waiting for. If she didn't show up to the wedding, it would make things a whole lot easier for him to stand at the altar with Zoe instead.

It was fine. She hadn't planned on going anyway.

By the time Daniel put a ring on Zoe's finger, Evelyn would already be on a ferry to her own private island.

...

Over the next few days, Daniel and Noah froze her out on purpose. They didn't even greet her when they saw her.

Evelyn didn't care at all. She packed the few clothes she planned to take and was ready to leave at any time.

Tomorrow, she could finally leave this place.

Just then, her phone buzzed. Zoe had sent her a photo.

Evelyn opened it, and her eyes widened in shock. It was a photo of the one keepsake her grandmother had left for her. She was the only person who had ever truly loved her. Right next to the keepsake was a brazier.

Evelyn called Zoe immediately. "Zoe, what are you doing?"

"Come find me. I want to make a deal," Zoe said.

Evelyn grabbed her keys and rushed out the door. She had barely stepped outside when a hard blow slammed into the back of her neck. She collapsed instantly, her vision fading into darkness.

Right before she passed out, she heard Zoe's voice. "Tie her tight. Don't let her run away."