"Darling, I heard there are a lot of blood tests today. You’re always afraid of pain, but don’t worry, I’ll be right here with you," Dave said, holding her tightly, almost as if he was more nervous than Kate.

Kate quietly waited in line, holding the form in her hand. After she finished the first vial of blood, Dave's brow furrowed with concern as he looked at her. His face reflected his worry and it was clear he felt the discomfort on her behalf.

He gently comforted Kate, saying, "Does it hurt? Don't be afraid, I'm here."

In the past, when he said these words to Kate, her heart would warm with a sense of comfort.

But now, she felt nothing at all. She gently nodded her head. The pain of the blood draw was nothing compared to the hurt caused by him and Leona.

At that moment, the familiar ringtone sounded. Kate immediately recognized it— it was Leona's exclusive ringtone.

He answered the phone behind Kate's back, his voice laced with panic.

"What's wrong?"

"Wait for me, I'll come over right now."

His concern was evident in his eyes, though he tried to hide it. He pursed his lips before speaking. "Something happened at the company. I need to go there now. I'll come back to find you later."

Kate didn’t ask any more questions. She knew very well what Dave was about to do. But the constant lies, over and over again, had grown tiresome.

Kate was left alone, having had six vials of blood drawn.

Usually, she was most afraid of pain. When her period arrived, the cramps would make her cry in agony. But now, as she watched the needles pierce her veins one by one, there was no trace of fear in her.

Her nose tingled and the fire in her heart burned and died, but she couldn’t say a word. In the end, there was only numbness left.

She returned home alone, where it was nothing but more torment.

Looking at the new post from Leona, a bouquet after bouquet of flowers were arranged in a high-end restaurant, accompanied by the caption:

“Today, the ones I love are all by my side.”

In the photos, her parents were beaming with smiles, while a figure sat quietly in the corner, almost unnoticed. Even without seeing the face, Kate could tell it was Dave.

It turned out, her whole family had been keeping her in the dark all along.

Kate's hands trembled slightly and as she thought of these years, her eyes unconsciously began to redden.

She understood it all in her heart.

This family never truly had a place for her.

Even though she was the biological daughter of her parents, it seemed as if nothing she said would make a difference.

They only cared about what they thought in their hearts.

She no longer wanted to endure these days devoid of light. So, she wished them a lifetime together, never to be apart.

Dave didn’t come home all night, sending only a message to Kate: [Darling, I have to work overtime at the company. Go to bed early.]

Even on the eve of their wedding, he was still with Leona.

Kate could only feel the irony. Keeping him by her side at this moment was perfectly in line with Leona's character.

She couldn’t be bothered to pursue it. Rather than having a big argument with them, she preferred to leave this place as soon as possible. Staying for even one more minute made her feel disgusted.

"Your ship will arrive at dawn tonight. Will you come during the day or...?"

Before the person on the other end could finish speaking, Kate interrupted. "I’ll go at dawn."

"Alright, we’ll wait for you."

With Dave not at home, it saved her a lot of trouble.

She packed everything up and sent it away, leaving only Dave’s belongings behind.

The news of their wedding tomorrow had already spread throughout the circle and she watched as messages flooded in.

"Wish you a happy marriage!"

"Happy wedding! Wishing you lots of happiness!"

"I’ve always felt that you and Dave are a perfect match."

One message after another with blessings, but they were all just polite words.

Kate felt a sharp pain in her eyes as she read them. Wedding? Impossible.

She couldn't be bothered to reply to a single one because she never intended to marry Dave.

She went to the wedding venue in advance.

Looking at the floral decorations, they were exactly what she had once imagined her wedding would look like.

But the people around her were no longer the ones from that time.

She looked at the photo of them, their smiles radiant.

In an instant, she tore the wedding photo in front of her.

Turning to the attendant beside her, she calmly said, "Take down all these photos. I don’t want to see them."

The attendant didn’t ask further, simply thinking that she didn’t like them.

"Why get so angry? You're about to get married and yet you still don't know how to be a bit more mature and steady?"

A voice came from beside Kate's ear. She looked up and met the gaze of Melanie.

Kate didn't say anything. Since she was young, Melanie had always demanded that Kate be mature and steady, while Leona was allowed to be lively and mischievous.

Kate had long been used to her mother's words.

With a look of disdain, Melanie took a gift box out of her bag. "This is your wedding gift."

Kate was taken aback for a moment. Upon careful thought, it seemed that her mother had never given her anything before.

Her emotions were mixed and it wasn’t until after Melanie left that she opened the gift.

A sparkling diamond necklace appeared before her eyes.

She froze for a moment, the smile on her lips stiffening.

She remembered this necklace.

It was the one her mother gave to Leona on her fifth birthday.

And when her mother saw that Kate liked it too, she had promised to give it to her when she turned ten.

However, this wait stretched on for over ten years.

What Leona could easily get, she had to wait years for.

But after she became an adult, the first money she earned was enough to buy it for herself.

She remained silent for a long time. After stepping out, she threw it into the trash bin.

She no longer needed it.

Today was also the last time they would meet.

The day before the wedding, Dave and Kate could not stay in the same room. So, it also made it easier for her to leave that night.

For the first time ever, Kate received a blessing from Leona.

"Wish you a happy wedding, Kate. May you always be happy."

Perhaps when she sent this message, she was lying in Dave's embrace.

Of course, Leona was happy. Once the wedding was over tomorrow, their goals would be achieved.

Kate curled the corners of her lips into a smile as she looked at the boxes, big and small, in front of her and replied, "Thank you for your blessing, Leona. I will always be happy. By the way, I bought you a gift. You’ll receive it tomorrow."

A few polite and hollow words.

Kate handed the gift she was going to give to Leona to the courier.

Right on time, when the wedding began, it would be the moment she received the gift.

Kate packed everything and put it into the car.

She turned around and looked at the home in front of her, feeling no sense of attachment.

She picked up her phone and scheduled a message.

"Sorry, Dave and I have canceled our wedding."

"Please attend Dave and my sister's wedding."

She then attached a few intimate photos of Dave and Leona.

They met so frequently that taking a few candid shots was an easy task.

Once she boarded the ship, these messages would be sent out automatically.

This was also one of the gifts she was giving them.

Half an hour later, she saw the cruise ship that looked exactly like the model.

“Miss, may I ask where you are going?"

Kate looked out at the sea, a stretch of darkness that was impossible to see through.

Fortunately, there was light ahead.

"To Polarisia."

As she watched the cruise ship sail farther and farther away, she pulled out her card and threw it into the sea.

She didn't want anyone to contact her.

Thoughts flooded her mind and her eyelashes fluttered. She would never return to this place again.

Dave was woken up by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Hurry up, the wedding is about to start. Why can't I reach Kate?"

It was his mother on the other end of the line, sounding a bit anxious.

Dave answered lightly and hung up the phone.

At that moment, Leona, who was beside him, was also woken up by the noise.

"Dave, will you still like me after you marry my sister?"

She looked at Dave with watery eyes, her fingers continuously poking his arm.

Dave pulled her into his arms. "Of course, everything I'm doing is for you."

He looked at Leona affectionately and kissed her hard.

"Alright, baby, let's get ready. We need to head to the venue."

After Dave finished getting ready, he immediately called Kate.

He dialed once, twice and on the third call, it went unanswered. An inexplicable feeling of dread settled in his heart.

Did something happen to Kate?

Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed his things and made to leave for home, regardless of any objections from others.

At that moment, he also received a call from an unfamiliar number.

It was Kate's voice.

"It's me. My phone had some issues. Don't worry, I'll be at the venue waiting for you. I want to give you a surprise."

Once Dave heard Kate's voice, he finally felt a sense of relief.

Seeing that everyone was still looking for Kate, he smiled and reassured them.

“Kate just called me. Don't worry, she's preparing a surprise for me. Just wait a bit."

He smiled as he spoke, radiating happiness and joy. Even at a time like this, she was still thinking of giving him a surprise, really making him feel valued.

Upon hearing this, his friends began to tease him.

"After all this time, you're still so affectionate. Truly happy!"

"Wow, wow, wow, that's so sweet!"

***

As the wedding ceremony was about to begin, Kate still hadn't been seen by anyone.

Dave's mother whispered in Dave's ear, "Do you think she's running away from the wedding? It's been so long and we still haven't seen her. If she dares to run, I won't let her get away with it."

Dave tugged at his mother. "She wouldn't. She loves me so much, how could she run away? Besides, she said she was going to prepare a surprise for me!"

Even at this point, he still didn't realize that this was no simple matter.

As the officiant began urging them to take the stage, Dave started to panic.

He could only stand shakily on the stage, trying to come up with an excuse for Kate's lateness.

"Please, everyone, bear with us for a moment. Our wedding will start soon..."

Before Dave could finish, murmurs began spreading from the audience. People started taking out their phones and looking at him on stage.

Melanie rushed up to the stage, pulling him down and holding her phone in front of his face.

"What's going on? Kate posted on her social media!"

Before meeting Dave, Kate had been a well-known designer. She was seen as a symbol of freedom and love by her fans.

But no one ever expected that such an outstanding woman would end up in this situation.

Dave stared at the post Kate had shared, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The Kate he remembered was thoughtful, obedient, understanding and always so kind to him in every way.

Dave didn’t expect that she had known about his relationship with Leona all along, but had been hiding it. How did she find out?

In an instant, he felt like a joke, being casually pointed at by others.

At this moment, he finally understood that everything that had happened today was all part of Kate's plan.

And the so-called surprise he had been talking about was this.

A loud ringing sounded in his head and in an instant, his mind went blank. He stood frozen in place.