That night, Ansel never returned.

Odessa lay in the bathtub, scrubbing endlessly at the dirt and shame embedded in her skin. But no matter how fiercely she scrubbed, the painful memories of last night clung stubbornly.

She wept until exhaustion took her, and in the fog of unconsciousness, she felt a pair of warm hands lifting her.

"Odessa!" a familiar voice echoed urgently.

As she fought to open her eyes, she saw Ansel standing above her, his usually cold expression replaced by unmistakable panic.

"Odessa, stay with me! I'm taking you to the hospital!"

She looked at him through the haze clouding her mind, and for a brief moment, the past came rushing back.

When she was 17, a devastating earthquake had shaken Brightmoor. Just before a classroom beam came crashing down, Ansel had thrown himself over her, using his body as a shield.

They were trapped beneath the rubble for five harrowing days. Without food or water, Odessa's grip on reality began to slip, and her will to survive started to fade.

But Ansel never let go. He called her name again and again, pulling her back whenever she began to drift away.

After surviving that nightmare together, they became inseparable.

Deep down, Odessa believed that she and Ansel had already conquered life and death—that no matter what storms came their way, they would face them together.

She never imagined Ansel would betray her by their third year of marriage.

When she finally woke, she found herself lying in a hospital bed.

The first thing she noticed was Ansel, slumped beside her.

He was still in the same clothes as the day before, looking as though sleep hadn't touched him all night. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his face was drawn with exhaustion.

After staring at him silently for a moment, Odessa reached out and gently traced her fingers across his cheek.

Ansel stirred suddenly. The moment his eyes met hers, he embraced her tightly.

"Odessa, you scared me to death yesterday! Thank God you're okay! I shouldn't have said those things last night!"

That morning, he had returned home to discover her lying motionless in the bathtub. Her eyes were shut, and the cold water was tinged with red. In that instant, he feared she was gone forever.

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Odessa swallowed a sob and gently pushed him away, a faint smile flickering across her lips. "Ansel, can we please have a proper conversation?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Anything you want. Just promise me you won't do anything reckless again, okay?"

"Last night, I—"

Before she could finish, Ansel's phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and quickly declined the call, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. "Go on, Odessa. What were you saying?"

But it was too late. Odessa had already noticed the name glowing on the screen—"Sydney Baby".

In that instant, something inside her gave way. "Never mind. You should answer it. I'm just a little tired… I think I'll try to rest."

She lay back down without saying a word.

Ansel shot her a brief glance before quietly slipping out of the hospital room.

Moments later, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. "Come to the underground parking garage. I dare you."

Odessa clenched her fists, determined to ignore it. But against her better judgment, she found herself heading for the exit.

In the underground garage, Sydney gripped Ansel's sleeve, tears streaming down her face. "Please, can I keep the baby? It's our first. I don't want to lose it!"

Ansel's brow knitted tightly, his voice cold and distant. "Odessa and I don't even have a child yet. How can you have one before her? Once that happens, you can have as many as you want."

Sydney sobbed harder. "But an abortion hurts… I'm scared. You promised you'd take responsibility when you slept with me!"

Ansel let out a weary sigh and pulled her close. "Alright, I'll go with you. After that, I'll buy you some properties. No, I'll get you anything you want. Just say the word."

Sydney slipped her arms around his neck. "I want you to propose to me. Even if I'm not your real wife, at least I can be your pretend one, right?"

Ansel said nothing, his brow tightening.

Sydney immediately pouted. "See? You're going back on your word again!"

"Alright, alright, I promise!" Ansel's heart softened the moment he caught the pleading look in her eyes.

Her tears quickly gave way to a bright smile. "I also want the same ring and wedding dress Odessa had!"

"Sure, no problem."

"And I want to go to the castle too!"

"Anything you want," Ansel said indulgently.

Ansel smiled affectionately, his eyes fixed on Sydney's flushed lips. Unable to resist, he gently lifted her chin and kissed her.

One kiss led to another, and soon they slipped into the car. The vehicle began to rock with a steady rhythm.

Hidden behind a nearby pillar, Odessa stood motionless, her face drained of color. She pressed a hand over her mouth, fighting to hold back a sob as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ansel had gotten Sydney pregnant.

He had told Odessa she was the one he loved most, yet here he was, sharing their most private moments with another woman.

For a fleeting instant, she felt the urge to scream at them for answers. But instead, she quietly turned away.

She didn't even realize how she left. Rather than returning to the hospital, she wandered aimlessly through the streets.

Not far ahead stood the Halberg Group's headquarters, its massive LED screen looping a video from two years ago.

The footage captured the wedding that every woman in Brightmoor had once envied—a fairy-tale castle, adorable flower girls, and a tearful Ansel and Odessa exchanging vows.

It all felt as though it had happened only yesterday.

As Odessa watched the screen, tears quietly began to stream down her face once more.

All of a sudden, a message from Ansel lit up her phone. "Hey Odessa, there's a last-minute meeting at the office. I won't be home tonight. Let's talk tomorrow, okay?"

Tears dropped onto the screen as a bitter, hollow laugh escaped her lips.

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow was a luxury she no longer had.

Before she discovered the affair, Ansel often sent messages like these, insisting he had "emergency meetings" to attend.

Now, looking back, maybe every single one of those meetings had been a lie—perhaps he'd been with Sydney all along.

"Are you with Sydney?" Odessa typed back.

The typing indicator flickered almost at once, but no message followed.

After what felt like forever, Ansel finally replied, "You're overthinking things. If you don't trust me, feel free to ask my assistant."

Odessa said nothing.

Moments later, a message from Sydney popped up.

"Hey Odessa, I'm sure you heard everything in the parking garage. To be honest, it's only a matter of time before I take your place.

"Half of Ansel's heart already belongs to me. I'm younger, and I know how to make him happy. If you don't want to end up being just another discarded trophy wife, do yourself a favor and get that divorce."

Attached to Sydney's message were several photos of torn stockings and an open condom wrapper.

Odessa's hands shook as she stared at the screen.

She might have wanted a divorce after her death, but that didn't mean she was prepared to endure such a blatant and humiliating insult.

A sudden crack of thunder ripped through the sky as rain began to pour.

Raindrops traced the curve of her pale jaw, blending with her tears.

Finally, she typed a message to Ansel, "Let's get a divorce."

By the time she got home, night had already fallen. Odessa collapsed onto the couch, her fever burning through her veins.

A bitter laugh escaped her. She was nothing but a ghost, lingering on borrowed time… yet even a ghost's fragile body could succumb to illness.

After a long, heavy silence, Odessa forced herself to stand. She climbed onto a chair and reached for the wedding photo hanging on the wall.

Her fingers hesitated briefly on the frame before she ripped it apart with a pair of scissors.

After discarding the shredded photo, she pulled out every album and frame in the house. One by one, she tore each picture of her and Ansel into jagged, broken pieces.

Next, she gathered every gift Ansel had ever given her.

The valuable items were sold off at a steep discount, while the handmade pieces were smashed and thrown away without hesitation.

At last, Odessa entered the exhibition room.

Behind the spotless glass case hung the wedding dress she had worn years ago. She paused for one last look before ruthlessly cutting it apart.

Also on display was the exquisite diamond ring crafted by Ansel himself, its pink diamond alone worth tens of millions.

Odessa held onto the ring for what felt like an eternity before finally flushing it down the toilet.

She and Ansel had once shared a profound love. Those memories were too sacred to be tarnished by anyone else. So, with that in mind, she decided to be the one to destroy them.

When it was all said and done, Odessa collapsed to the floor, utterly exhausted.

Just then, Ansel stormed through the door.

As Ansel took in the wreckage around him, his expression darkened instantly. His eyes burned with fury as he shouted, "Odessa! What the heck are you doing? When is this going to stop?

"These were the things we promised to cherish for the rest of our lives. Why would you destroy them like this?"

Odessa lowered her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "When love turns ugly, holding on to the remnants only brings more pain. It's better to let it all go."

She swallowed hard, forcing back a sob. "Let's get a divorce."

"Odessa, how many times have you said that in the past two days?" Ansel snapped. "I rushed back the moment I saw your message. Can you stop overreacting?

"I've already told you—what I have with Sydney is just a fling. Why are you being so petty and jealous over her?"

Odessa shook her head. "It's not that I can't tolerate her... It's that she can't tolerate me."

Ansel's expression stiffened as he roughly pulled her to her feet. "Look, your entire family's gone. Without me, what do you have left?" he snapped.

His words sliced through Odessa like a knife.

After her parents' sudden death, all her relatives had turned on her like vultures. It was Ansel who had been her sole support.

From that moment, Odessa saw Ansel as her only family. He was like a piece of driftwood in a stormy sea, the only thing she could cling to in order to survive.

But now, she was already dead. Such threats no longer affected her.

Still, she never imagined Ansel could be so heartless.

More often than not, it was those closest to her who knew exactly where to cut the deepest.

"Why…" Odessa's voice quivered, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Ansel froze, suddenly realizing how cruel his words had been.

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, his tone softening. "I'm sorry, Odessa. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Odessa pushed him away, pain flickering in her eyes. "Why did you stop loving me all of a sudden?"

Ansel pulled her back into his arms, pressing gentle kisses to her tears. "Don't be absurd. I never stopped loving you."

"Then let's get divorced." Odessa's voice was faint, yet the words struck like a blade.

Ansel's restraint shattered. Overwhelmed by rage, he shoved her against the wall. "Why, Odessa? Why are you so determined to divorce me?"

"Because I'm already dead, and my final wish is to divorce you. I want to sever every last thread between us.

"After you left that night, I was dragged into an alley by a thug…"

Odessa began to tell him everything, but the moment she mentioned returning from the dead for seven days, Ansel's patience snapped.

"Odessa, you're 27 years old, for heaven's sake! I'm not an idiot. Can you please stop with these ridiculous stories?

"If you really can't stand Sydney, then just go abroad for a while!"

With those dismissive words, he turned to leave.

"So you'd rather ship me off than end things with her?"

Ansel's steps faltered, but he didn't turn around.

"Think whatever you want!" he snapped. "Once I'm done fooling around with her, I'll come back home."

Odessa slumped to the floor, shaking her head in despair. She knew she wouldn't live long enough to see that day.

From that point on, a cold war began between her and Ansel.

With just five days remaining, her anxiety grew heavier by the hour.

She eventually decided to message Ansel. After a long wait, his reply finally came. "I won't be home for the next few days. Just try to calm down. Once you're feeling better, we can talk."

Odessa's hands trembled as she read his cold, distant words.

While suppressing her emotions, she got into her car and drove straight to Halberg Group. But the moment she stepped into the lobby, she was stopped.

"I need to see Ansel!" she insisted.

The new receptionist answered politely, "I'm sorry, miss. It's currently lunch break, and Mr. Halberg isn't seeing visitors right now. If you'd like to meet him, please schedule an appointment."

"I'm his wife."

The receptionist blinked in surprise. After a brief pause, she shook her head. "Ms. Wainwright has made it clear that no one is allowed to disturb her and Mr. Halberg—not even you."

A bitter laugh slipped from Odessa's lips. It had been ages since she last stepped into the office. She never expected things to have changed so drastically.

"Odessa!"

Just then, Sydney walked over, dressed in a vibrant dress that made her glow. In her hand, she carried the season's latest designer handbag.