Nicole came back to her senses, gazing at the fireworks as she murmured, "The flowers still bloom in the gentle spring breeze, but the face I long for has vanished."

"Why say something so sad?" Tristan pulled her into a tight embrace. "I love you, Nicky. Please, don’t leave me."

Love?

Nicole found it laughable. She wanted to ask him how he could profess love to her right after being with another woman in their bed. How could he feel no shame? How could he be so utterly brazen?

She sighed. Forget it—all of it. She had already made up her mind. She would leave him for good.

That night, the party went on until late. One by one, the guests eventually left.

As usual, Tristan left early the next morning.

Nicole picked up her phone and noticed a text message.

"Open your phone and watch Lisa Evans’s livestream. You’ll see what you want to see."

The number was unfamiliar, but she had a pretty good idea of who it could be.

She searched for Lisa’s livestream and clicked into it. Sure enough, Lisa was streaming live.

Today was her birthday, and the celebration was lavish.

But what caught Nicole’s attention was the house. It was all too familiar—the rows of dresses and high heels behind Lisa were also familiar.

They were the same ones Tristan had brought for Nicole to choose from that day, with the rest sent to Willow Manor.

It hit her. This was their property at Willow Manor.

Lisa had moved in.

Nicole’s hand trembled as she held her phone. Her disappointment in Tristan had reached its limit.

"Hello, everyone," Lisa said cheerfully. "Today is my birthday, and this party was arranged by my boyfriend."

The comment section was full of admiration.

"What a grand party! Lisa’s boyfriend is amazing."

"Exactly! It’s just as extravagant as the birthday parties Tristan Ford throws for Nicole Snow!"

"Wait, is Lisa living in Willow Manor? The property prices there are twenty thousand dollars per square meter! I can’t believe she’s living somewhere so luxurious!"

"Lisa, when will your boyfriend make an appearance? I’m so jealous of your love story!"

…

Seeing the flood of blessings in the comments, Lisa smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, it’s not convenient. I need to protect his privacy."

The next moment, a series of extravagant virtual gifts lit up the screen.

"Wow, who is this? So rich!"

Nicole tapped on the sender’s profile. It was a blank account with no posts or information.

But her instincts told her it was Tristan’s alternate account.

As the livestream continued, Lisa proudly showcased the Ferrari she had received—a car identical to the one Tristan had given Nicole the night before.

The comment section exploded, the barrage of messages moving so quickly that Nicole couldn’t make out a single word.

She lowered her head and quietly turned off her phone.

Her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. The time read July 15.

Her planned death date was tomorrow.

Nicole glanced around the cold, lifeless house, her resolve hardening. She was ready to end it all.

But even in death, she wouldn’t let Lisa and Tristan have their way.

Pulling out her phone, she sent Lisa a text message, inviting her to meet at Northern Gate Bridge the next day.

Lisa replied almost immediately, "Sure, so you finally decided to confront me, Nicole. I guess you’re not as stupid as I thought."

Before Nicole could respond, another message followed. It was a photo.

It was Tristan, wearing an apron, cooking in the kitchen.

"See this? He made me dinner for my birthday. Has he ever done that for you?"

Nicole stared at the photo, and her heart tightened painfully.

Ten years. She had known Tristan for ten years, and in all that time, he had never once cooked for her.

But for Lisa, he was willing to step into the kitchen?

She let out a bitter laugh. Ten years of love and devotion—all of it had been for nothing.

Nicole picked up her phone and called Tristan.

"Hello? Nicky, what’s up?"

"Are you coming home today?"

"I’ve got a lot on my plate at work. I probably won’t make it back tonight."

"Alright."

Nicole hung up, her voice calm as she murmured to herself, "Tristan, I gave you one last chance to see me, and you chose not to take it. So, this is goodbye—forever."

She called for the housekeeper and instructed her to bring their bed down to the yard.

"Bring me a torch.”

The housekeeper froze, thinking she must have misheard.

"Ma’am, what did you say?"

She had assumed Nicole wanted the bed cleaned or aired out.

"I said, bring me a torch," Nicole repeated, her face emotionless.

The housekeeper hesitated for only a moment before rushing off to fetch it.

Nicole took the torch without hesitation and set the bed ablaze.

The sheets, the bed, and everything they had bought together during their first year of marriage went up in flames, reduced to ashes.

The housekeeper stood silently nearby, too stunned to ask why, her eyes fixed on the fire.

"Tristan, consider this my parting gift to you," Nicole said coldly.

Watching the fire die out, she let out a bitter laugh. It was over—everything was truly over.

The next evening, Lisa arrived as promised.

She pulled up in the Ferrari Tristan had gifted her, her flashy entrance drawing the attention of everyone passing by.

Nicole smirked. This was exactly what she wanted—to put Lisa squarely in the spotlight, with nowhere to hide.

"You’re here?"

"Make it quick. I’m exhausted. My boyfriend and I have been busy all night and day, and I’m really worn out," Lisa replied with a smirk, casually tilting her head to reveal the marks on her neck.

Nicole remained unmoved, her expression calm despite Lisa’s provocative demeanor.

"Pass a message to Tristan for me," Nicole said, her voice steady as she articulated each word. "Tell him... I hate him."

"What?" Lisa frowned, confused by her tone.

"Why don’t you tell him yourself?"

After all, she was here to assert her dominance, not play messenger.

"Because I’m about to die."

The next second, she climbed onto the railing, standing precariously at the edge of the bridge.

Lisa froze, startled, and instinctively reached out to grab her. "What are you doing? You’re not serious about jumping, are you? If you’re going to kill yourself, go ahead, but don’t drag me into this!"

Before Nicole could jump, her phone rang.

"Miss Snow, your post-mortem service is now active. We’ve arrived at the location, and everything is ready. Shall we proceed immediately?"

Nicole let out a cold laugh. "Yes, I’m on my way."

She threw the phone to the ground, pried Lisa’s hand off her arm, and jumped.

Lisa stood frozen in shock as the sound of a loud splash echoed. The water, thirty meters below, exploded into a burst of white foam.

Nicole struggled against the current for a few moments before vanishing beneath the surface.

For a brief moment, Lisa could only stare, her mind blank. The sight of Nicole’s sudden death left her trembling. As a crowd began to gather, Lisa didn’t wait. She got into her car and sped away.

The moment Nicole hit the water, memories flashed before her eyes.

Her body sank deeper and deeper, the sunlight above fading until it disappeared entirely.

Finally, she was free from her past, free from Tristan’s lies and deceit.

She would die, and in doing so, she would make Tristan regret it for the rest of his life. He would carry the weight of her death, haunted by guilt forever.

Nicole believed that only in death would she find her rebirth.