“As long as you don’t cause trouble, you’ll always be my one and only husband, and our children will always be Sienna Lyon’s sole heirs.”

Her words sent a sharp, stinging pain shooting through my stomach when I was just starting to feel better.

I looked at her face, which was still as radiant as ever. Yet I could not see even a trace of the girl from my memories who once loved me with all her heart.

Sienna had changed. Or perhaps I had never truly known her from the very beginning.

After speaking, she set down the apple and turned to leave.

By the end of the afternoon, the doctor declared me fit to be discharged.

Sienna intended to take me home. However, just as we stepped out, a nurse informed us that Matt had woken up.

Her hand paused around my clothes. She rubbed her forehead and looked at me with a hint of apology.

“Callum, Matt has no family here. He needs someone to stay with him for now. You should go home on your own today.”

I nodded calmly, letting go of the last shred of hope in my heart.

Sienna seemed quite pleased with my reaction.

“Good boy. I’ll make it up to you later.”

I stared at the peeled apple. After an afternoon, its skin had already oxidized and turned yellow.

No matter how expensive the variety, it ultimately could not withstand the passage of time.

It was just like Sienna’s love for me.

It was once so fiery and warm. Yet after all these years, it had turned into bland, tasteless tap water.

On my way home, I picked up the cake I had ordered three days earlier.

The words “Happy 10th Anniversary” written in strawberry jam on the cake topper were clearly visible.

It was a ten-year promise between Sienna and me.

We had spent every single anniversary together. Then, Matt came along.

For the first time, Sienna missed my birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Couples’ Day.

This was the fourth time this year that Sienna has missed our special day.

Unlike the previous three times, I did not wait until dawn while dialing her number over and over again, only to find she had turned her phone off.

Back then, I was so frantic with worry that I called everyone I could think of to ask about Sienna’s whereabouts.

I simply blew out the candles calmly and devoured the cake.

My phone pinged, and a friend request popped up.

I instinctively tapped “Accept.” The very next moment, a message arrived.

[Mr. Sutton, Ms. Lyon’s phone is dead. I’m letting you know that Ms. Lyon said she’ll be staying at the hospital with me tonight. You shouldn’t wait up.]

Accompanying the message was a photo of Sienna’s sleeping profile.

In the corner of the photo, their intertwined fingers were visible.

[Mr. Sutton, I made Ms. Lyon look so good in this photo. You don’t mind if I use it as my profile picture, do you?]

Before I could reply, his profile picture changed to that photo of Sienna.

His social media feed was updated as well.

[Thank you, Ms. Lyon, for staying by my side. You’re the best CEO in the whole world.]

In the comments section, people tacitly flooded the post with “heart” reactions.

Matt replied to each one, pretending to be shy.

[Ms. Lyon just didn’t want to leave me alone in the hospital. Everyone, please stop teasing me. I’m afraid Mr. Sutton might get the wrong idea if he finds out.]

His true intentions were plain to see. It was not that he was afraid I would misunderstand. He was terrified I would not find out.

I had no heart to pay him any mind. I stood up and tossed the remaining unfinished cake into the trash can.

I opened my phone and dialed the number I once thought I would never dial.

Early the next morning, I went to the hospital.

I arrived early, so it was not very crowded.

While I was checking in, Sienna was supporting Matt as they walked past me.

She might have been too preoccupied with Matt because she did not notice me at all.

Matt did see me, though. He just gave me a smug smile and tightened his arm around Sienna’s shoulder.

They had looked this way yesterday morning as well.

Back then, witnessing that moment felt like a knife cutting through my heart.

At this moment, my heart no longer stirred.

Seeing that I had come alone, the doctor frowned and gently advised me, “Mr. Sutton, the process of cancer chemotherapy is very painful. We recommend that a family member accompany you. It’s best if you get through this difficult time together.”

The doctor’s words brought tears to my eyes. I struggled to hold back the ache in my heart.

“I don’t have any family left.”

I used to, but she had now become Matt’s family.

My memories drifted back to that summer—to the car accident Sienna and I got into when we were eighteen.

I pushed Sienna out of the way with all my strength, but a shard of glass pierced my lung.

The doctor issued three critical condition notices in quick succession.

Sienna cried herself hoarse outside the operating room, saying she would not live if I died.

I had been drifting in and out of consciousness, but hearing those words jolted me awake.

24 hours later, I was wheeled out of the operating room. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Sienna.

Sienna, someone who always prided herself on her beauty and neatness, appeared before me in a state of disarray for the first time.

Her eyes were red and swollen. Her makeup was smudged.

Flames seemed to dance in her eyes as she said softly in my ear, “From now on, nothing will ever separate us.”

I, too, once believed that after we survived life and death together, nothing could tear us apart.

Then came Matt, a man who had been in our lives for just one year.

He shattered everything.

After being diagnosed with stomach cancer, my first thought was, ‘What about Sienna?’

She was so dependent on me. What would she do if I were gone?

When I arrived at the first floor of the office building, what I saw was Sienna holding an unconscious Matt. Her face was pale with shock.

Sienna was so panicked that without even glancing at me, she shoved me aside.

I was already in a daze from the stomach cancer diagnosis. I could not dodge in time and was sent tumbling down the stairs.

Sienna passed by me, still holding Matt. In that moment, I realized I had been deluding myself.

In Sienna’s heart, there was already someone more important than me.

My first round of chemotherapy was over.

Even though I was usually pretty good at handling pain, I had to rest in the chair for a long time before I could sit up straight.

As I was getting ready to be discharged, I ran into Sienna in the hallway, who was discussing something with a doctor.

When she saw me, she frowned at first. Then, she walked over to ask, “What are you doing here at the hospital?”

When she saw the gastroenterology medical records in my hand, the coldness in the corners of her eyes faded.

She smiled and reached out to rub my cold, aching abdomen.

“Is your stomach hurting again? I told you not to drink and to stick to a regular resting schedule, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look, here come the aftereffects!”

She said it so casually, as if I simply enjoyed drinking and living a chaotic lifestyle.

However, Sienna had forgotten that back when Lyon Corporation was on the brink of bankruptcy, she was constantly wearing a worried expression.

To land clients, I, someone who never touched a drop of alcohol, forced myself to be a heavyweight drinker.

I spent years traveling between major cities on business trips, often pulling all-nighters without even a bite to eat.

Sienna had long forgotten the sacrifices I had made on my own accord.

Matt emerged from the hospital room. His face was pale. He raised his head and struggled to force a strained smile.

“Is Mr. Sutton having a stomach flare-up? In that case, Ms. Lyon, you go keep him company. I’ll be fine on my own. Don’t let me come between you and Mr. Sutton. He can’t stand me anyway.”

Sienna instinctively pulled him into her arms and soothed him patiently.

She said, “It’s just a stomach flare-up. He’s a man. There’s no way he’s that delicate. Don’t read too much into it.”

After saying that, Sienna turned to me. “Right, Callum?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone left no room for doubt.

I found it absurd and laughable. Without so much as a glance at him, I turned to leave.

However, someone grabbed me. Instinctively, thinking it was Sienna, I shook her off forcefully.

A moment later, Matt let out a cry of pain.

When I turned to look, Matt was already lying on the floor. Sienna started to help him to his feet.

She looked at me with that disappointed yet calm gaze. “Callum, you really disappoint me. When did you become like this?”

As she helped Matt up, she shoved me aside with force. I lost my balance and slammed into the corner of a chair.

A sharp, stabbing pain mixed with a dull ache made me nearly lose my footing. I clutched my abdomen and crouched on the floor.

I looked up and saw Sienna hurrying away while holding onto Matt.

She did not look back even once.

When I woke up again, it was already afternoon.

I took a cab home.

As I entered the code on the lock, I realized that nothing I tried worked.

However, in the next moment, someone opened the door from the inside.

Matt was wearing my pajamas. When he saw me staring at the lock, he stuck his tongue out at me and gave a bashful smile.

“Mr. Sutton, Ms. Lyon changed the code, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet.

“My memory is terrible. I couldn’t remember your wedding anniversary, so Ms. Lyon changed the code to my birthday.”

I looked up at Sienna, but she averted her gaze.

“Matt is an orphan. I’m taking him home to look after him for a while. Don’t read too much into it.”

I nodded calmly. There was nothing to read into.

Matt pulled me along enthusiastically. “Mr. Sutton, this afternoon, Ms. Lyon and I went out together to pick out a bunch of 10th-anniversary gifts for you. Please don’t hold a grudge against Ms. Lyon anymore.”

As he spoke, he took my hand with one hand and Sienna’s with the other.

Together, they walked to the guest bedroom.

The room was already piled high with video game consoles and clothes.

Matt introduced each item to me one by one. Sienna looked at Matt with an affectionate expression and said to me, “We skipped dinner so we could go shopping for you this afternoon.”

I cut her off immediately, saying, “It’s not necessary.”

Matt’s face turned pale in an instant. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“I know you don’t like me, Mr. Sutton, but Ms. Lyon and I picked all of these out together. If not for my sake, then do it for her sake. Please keep them.”

I gave a self-deprecating smile and repeated, “I don’t need them.”

I really did not need them anymore. Our tenth anniversary had already passed.

Sienna looked somewhat displeased. “Callum, how long do you plan to keep acting like this?”

My lips curved into a smile. How ridiculous.

Sienna had abandoned our past and future because of Matt.

Yet she imagined I would stay put and wait for him.

“Callum, think it through carefully. Don’t assume I’ll do whatever you say just because of our past.”

Think? I had already made up my mind long ago.

I had spent countless late nights tossing and turning as tears streamed down my face.

I had already made up my mind. I would end everything with her.

This ordeal left me physically and mentally exhausted. So, I slept exceptionally soundly.

When I regained consciousness, I felt a sharp pain in my face.

I opened my eyes groggily to find Matt standing right in front of me.

He looked at me smugly. “Mr. Sutton, you’re finally awake. You really kept me waiting!”

With that, he pulled out a knife and walked toward me with a savage grin.

“Mr. Sutton, why can’t you be sensible and leave Ms. Lyon sooner?

“She has already slept with me. She belongs to me, body and soul. I’m younger than you and in better shape. How can you possibly compete with me?”

The knife plunged viciously into my abdomen.

Tears streamed down my face from the pain, and I screamed for Sienna.

However, Matt just smiled at me.

Then, he used the knife to cut the ropes binding my limbs and threw them out the window, before turning the blade on himself.

When Sienna burst through the door, she saw Matt lying on the floor, with blood pooling all around him.

I was covered with a blanket. My wounds and blood were hidden beneath it.

She held Matt closely and looked down at me.

“Callum, how could you be so cruel! How did I never notice this before? If anything happens to Matt, I won’t let you off the hook!”

Sienna hurriedly left, still holding Matt.

The memory of that girl from years ago, crying herself hoarse outside my hospital room, slowly faded from my mind as she walked away.

I, too, was finally free from clinging to those hopeless memories. I was done waiting in vain and dwelling on them.

It was just as well that it all ended here.

I hoped we could part ways and move on. Then, we could pursue our own happiness.