Lydia threw herself into Eddie’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

When he saw the red slap marks on her face, Eddie turned to me without a second thought—and shoved me to the ground.

“Juliana, how could you be so heartless? She’s sick and you still hit her?”

The sharp ringing in my ears mixed with the pain shooting through my body.

And just like that, I was dragged back to that nightmare of a week.

On foreign streets, surrounded by gunfire.

I had wandered like a rootless water lily, teetering between life and death.

Back then, it was this very man, Eddie, who had pulled me from the flames and promised to love me forever.

Yet now, for Lydia’s sake, he used that same hand to push me into a bottomless abyss.

The pain of the past collided violently with the present and my whole body began to tremble.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.

Eddie, suddenly realizing what he had done, looked shaken. He rushed toward me.

“Juliana, don’t cry, I didn’t mean it. I just acted on impulse... I wasn’t thinking…”

Lydia stood quietly beside him, eyes shimmering with tears.

“This is all my fault,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have come here and caused more trouble.”

“Juliana, I’m already married. I know I did terrible things to you before, but now I just want to live a quiet, happy life with my husband.”

“If you really hate me that much… then I’ll disappear from your life forever!”

With that, she bolted into the street, straight into traffic.

Eddie looked at me, conflicted.

He hesitated for just a second—then ran after her.

I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat and wiped away my tears.

Under the curious, judging eyes of passersby, I slowly picked myself up and left.

On my way home, a message from Eddie lit up my phone.

[Juliana, don’t be angry. Lydia is an important client of our company. I only gave her the medical plant for the sake of business cooperation.]

[I didn’t mean to hurt you—I mistook her for someone else. She’s not well, so please be understanding. Don’t hold a grudge against a sick person. I’ll make it up to you when I get home.]

A weak excuse. A half-hearted explanation.

He truly didn’t care about the damage he’d done.

He believed I loved him so deeply that I’d keep forgiving him, over and over again.

But how could a woman whose heart has long turned cold still believe in love?

Brice’s betrayal had already left my body and mind shattered.

And Eddie’s lies… had finally broken me.

I didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore.

I turned to the passing scenery outside the car window and let out a silent sigh.

Eddie, when you see my “body” tomorrow,

I hope you’ll be just as indifferent as you are now.

When I got home, I began sorting through all the gifts Eddie had given me over the years.

Gifts that had once moved me to tears.

But now, with clear eyes, I saw them for what they were—tokens meant to earn points in Lydia’s game of affection.

Then there were the photos.

Eddie held my hand, smiled at the camera…

But his eyes had never really looked at me.

It was as if he were gazing through the lens at someone else—someone he was still dreaming about.

Biting down the pain, I gathered everything and threw it all into the trash.

Along with Eddie’s “love,” I deleted him from my world.

By the time I finished, the sun had already risen.

Eddie still hadn’t come home.

Instead, he sent his assistant, who arrived with armfuls of expensive gifts.

The assistant gave me an awkward smile. “Mr. Trulock really does love you, Madam. He’s just so busy with work right now… but even so, he made sure to send you these gifts.”

I didn’t respond.

After he left, I opened the string of messages Lydia had sent me.

There was a video of Eddie carrying her into the hospital.

Photos of him kneeling to massage her feet.

The latest post showed the two of them at a church.

Suddenly, I remembered—back when Eddie had first rescued me, I was so traumatized I couldn’t sleep for days.

He had scoured the city looking for the right incense to help calm my nerves.

Just like when we were kids, he stayed by my side night after night.

Moved by that old kindness, I decided to give him one last chance.

I called Eddie over video.

He declined three times before finally picking up.

“Juliana, I know you’re still mad at me. I didn’t know what else to do, so I came to the church where we first met to pray for your safety. Look, I wrote this myself.”

He held up a white silk ribbon toward the camera.

Scrawled across it in a rush was: May Juliana and her child be safe.

I cut him off.

“I’m not feeling well. Can you come be with me?”

“Where does it hurt? Is the baby alright? I’ll have my assistant take you to the hospital right away. But… I have an important meeting later. I really can’t get away…”

His answer didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

No pain. No disappointment.

I ended the call calmly and began putting my fake death plan into motion.

On the way to the airport, Lydia kept bombarding me with messages.

[Don’t even think about using that child to steal Eddie from me. Every man you meet ends up falling in love with me!]

[You and that bastard in your belly aren’t worth a thing. Don’t believe Eddie is really praying for you. He’s just pretending and you’re too dumb to see it.]

[When I was sick, Eddie went to every church to pray for me. He donated tens of millions in offerings. Not once did he think of you while doing all that.]

I opened the video she sent me.

The screen filled with fluttering white silk ribbons dancing in the wind.

The bluish white stretched endlessly—each strip inscribed with blessings for Lydia.

Every word pulsed with deep, unwavering affection.

Then the video cut to a conversation between the two of them.

Lydia clutched his arm, eyes filled with fear.

“Eddie, I’m scared. I heard that giving blood to a mother during childbirth can help reduce complications during surgery. But at that time, Juliana had just given birth. What if something went wrong…?”

“Don’t worry. I signed the consent form for her,” he said without hesitation. “Life and death are up to fate. Whether she makes it out or not… that’s her destiny.”

Then, almost as if trying to convince himself, he added,

“She survived a war. Donating a little blood is nothing to her. She’ll be fine.”

And finally, his voice softened.

“Lydia, for you, I gave up a lifetime of happiness.”

“I gave Juliana a name, a legal status and a peaceful life. I owe her nothing now. The only thing I regret… is not being able to be with you. If there’s a next life, I hope you’ll give me another chance.”

Such unwavering love. Such painful honesty.

Anyone would be touched by it.

If it hadn’t been me they sacrificed… I think I might’ve cried too.

But at that moment, my face was expressionless as I turned off my phone and boarded the plane.

Meanwhile, social media erupted with sensational news.

[Wife of ‘wife-obsessed’ CEO Eddie dies in tragic car crash. Suspected suicide after catching her husband cheating—two lives lost.]