Uriah thought he had lowered himself enough, but he still could not understand what exactly Irina was so upset about.

He said, "Irina, what more do you want from me? I saw all those messages you sent Sophie. Yes, Sophie and I grew up together, but I only see her as a sister, so why do you have to imagine things so dirty between us?"

He continued, "Ms. White is like a mother to me. You lied about having an ectopic pregnancy, and I didn't get mad. You went to the hospital today to spy on me, and I could still forgive that, so can you stop being so unreasonable already?"

"I'm exhausted. You should just leave," Irina said flatly.

"You're telling me to leave?" Uriah could not believe it.

This was their home, so where was he supposed to go?

Before he could process it, the phone beside him rang. He composed himself and answered the call.

"Uriah, Mom's coughing up blood. Please, come quickly! I'm so scared."

Sophie's panicked voice came through the phone, and Uriah immediately got out of bed. He said, "Don't panic. I'll be right there."

Listening to the sound of Uriah hurriedly getting dressed and then leaving the apartment, Irina closed her eyes.

...

At the hospital, Uriah held Beth's hand, his face full of concern.

Beth opened her cloudy eyes and looked at Uriah pleadingly. "Uriah, the only thing I can't rest easy about is Sophie. I know this is an outrageous request, but I'm begging you... Could you marry Sophie and take care of her for the rest of her life?"

At those words, Uriah froze. He could take care of Sophie for life, but there was no way he could marry her. Besides, he had sworn that he would never abandon Irina.

Seeing Uriah's conflicted expression, Beth immediately started coughing violently. Blood once again soaked the tissue Uriah handed her.

Sophie cried as she tried to comfort Beth. "Mom, Uriah is already married. Please don't put him in such a difficult position."

"But you two are meant to be together. It's all my fault... I shouldn't have taken you abroad. It's all my fault..."

As Beth grew more agitated and struggled to breathe, Uriah stopped hesitating and tightly grasped Sophie's hand.

"Ms. White, I promise you that I'll marry Sophie. I'll take care of her for the rest of her life."

"Y-You have to swear... S-Swear on it..."

Somehow finding strength, she clutched Uriah's shirt tightly.

Uriah had no choice but to raise three fingers. "I swear I will marry Sophie. If I ever break this promise, may I die a terrible death."

Hearing this, a relieved smile appeared on Beth's gaunt face. "I don't have much time left. You have to have the wedding before I die."

Perhaps from talking too much, Beth soon fell unconscious again.

Outside the hospital, Uriah sat on a bench, smoking, something he rarely did.

Sophie came over with two cups of coffee and sat down beside him. "Uriah, I know Mom's request is outrageous, but she's dying, and I don't want her to leave with regrets.

"Don't worry, though. It'll be a fake marriage. I'll explain everything to Irina myself."

"There's no need for that. I'll tell her myself. She's understanding, and she won't be upset."

"Are you sure she won't be upset? But she..." Sophie trailed off hesitantly.

"What about her? Did she message you again?"

Before Sophie could answer, Uriah grabbed Sophie's phone and opened the chat app.

The text read, [Sophie, you witch. Why won't your mom just die already?]

Looking at that message, Uriah almost smashed the phone. He never imagined Irina could be this vicious, because she had never been like this before.

"Don't be angry, Uriah. Irina just loves you too much."

As Sophie cried pitifully, Uriah put out his cigarette and pulled her into his arms. "She's gone too far. I'll make sure she apologizes to you."

Sophie nodded with a choked sob, but in her eyes, hidden from Uriah's view, swirled a triumphant gleam of calculation.

The lawyer worked fast, and the divorce agreement was ready the next day.

Irina skimmed through it and was satisfied. She and Uriah did not have many assets to divide between them. The only property they shared was the house Uriah had bought before they got married, though Irina had paid for all the renovations.

From the design to the finishes and furnishings, Irina had been involved in every aspect of this penthouse. The money she had spent was no less than what the house itself had cost.

Irina had poured her heart and soul into creating their love nest, and every corner of this house reflected her hopes and dreams for their future together. That room she had prepared early for their future child was the masterpiece she was most proud of in her entire life.

Everything in this house was like a joke to Irina after everything that had happened.

Not wanting to dwell on painful memories any longer, Irina ended her medical leave and returned to work, planning to start the handover process while she was there. She was going to resign. She was done with this long-distance marriage and was ready to go back home to be near her parents.

In the parking garage below her office building, Irina had just parked her car when she saw the two people she least wanted to see.

Uriah looked utterly disappointed, while Sophie stood behind him with tears in her eyes.

He said, "Irina, I need you to sincerely apologize to Sophie. I know you didn't mean the things you said."

Aside from demanding an apology, Uriah also intended to discuss with Irina how to help Beth fulfill her final wish.

Meeting Uriah's accusing gaze, Irina smirked, finding it amusing. "Mr. Parker, what exactly did I say that was worth making this special trip to find me?"

"You are still denying it? Sophie, take out your phone," said Uriah.

Sophie shook her head pitifully. Then, she stepped forward and tightly grabbed Irina's arm. "Irina, you can say whatever you want about me; I don't care. But my mom doesn't have much time left, and she wants to see Uriah and me get married before she dies..."

"Wait." Irina flung Sophie's hand away and cut her off. "What exactly did I say to you? Make yourself clear."

"I..." Faced with Irina's questioning, Sophie immediately shrank back like a frightened animal and hid behind Uriah.

Seeing Sophie so distressed, Uriah stepped forward immediately. He barked, "Irina, that's enough! Sophie is being the bigger person here, and you're still pushing it?

"Wishing death on someone's mom, calling her a homewrecker and a witch... Irina, did all those years of education go to waste? Is this how your parents taught you?"

With a sharp crack, Irina used every ounce of her strength to slap Uriah across the face.

Uriah never expected Irina to actually hit him. For a moment, his eyes were filled with nothing but shock. "You hit me?"

Irina sneered. "Yes, I did. Did it hurt? That's right, I did call her a homewrecker and a witch. I do want her mom to die soon. So what? She's not my mother; I couldn't care less about her. She just asked me to step aside for the two of you. Sure. I'm free tomorrow. Let's settle this at the courthouse."

Without sparing Uriah another glance, Irina turned and walked away.

Uriah watched her slender figure retreat. Inexplicably, panic rose in his chest.

He wondered why Irina looked so completely indifferent and why she agreed so easily when she heard he was going to marry Sophie.

Was this really the Irina who used to smile at him and act sweet with him every day?

Sophie gently touched Uriah's cheek, her face full of concern. She whispered, "Uriah, Irina loves you so much. I'm sure she didn't mean to hit you. Everything she said was just said in anger. Once things cool down a bit, I'll find her to explain and apologize, and you two will definitely be able to work things out."

Sophie's voice was soothing, and it gradually helped Uriah's tense nerves relax.

Uriah nodded, fully agreeing with her. He believed that no matter what, Irina would never actually divorce him.

"Are you really sure about this?" Hannah Kent held Irina's resignation letter, still feeling it was a pity to lose her.

Irina nodded with a smile. "Yes. I'm an only child, and my parents are getting older, so I've decided to move back home and build my career there."

"What about Prof. Parker? What about his job?"

Hannah knew everything about Irina's relationship.

They went through four years of long-distance dating in college. Later, Irina moved far away to Sterling City after graduation to marry Uriah. Everyone believed their marriage was rock-solid.

More importantly, Uriah was the youngest professor at a top college, with a bright future ahead of him. Hence, quitting was never an option.

"I'm getting a divorce."

"A divorce?"

Seeing Hannah's shocked expression, Irina smiled. "Yes. It's already in process."

Irina had always been calm and composed. Although she seemed easygoing, she had her own stubborn streak. Once she decided on something, she would not look back.

"Alright, then. I wish you nothing but success in your future," said Hannah.

She did not try to talk her out of it and simply signed the resignation form.

After that, Irina spent the entire day handing over her work responsibilities.

That evening, the divorce agreement was delivered to the office by courier. Once she had carefully reviewed all the terms, Irina signed it decisively.

That night, Hannah invited everyone out to dinner as a farewell for Irina. After dinner, someone suggested going to karaoke, and Irina did not refuse, joining them instead.

Because Uriah disliked such gatherings, Irina rarely attended gatherings with her coworkers. She had respected all of Uriah's preferences, only for everything to end so miserably.

As if perfectly timed, the night ended with a coworker singing 'Strangers Again.'

When Irina got home, it was already past midnight. As she opened the door, she found Uriah sitting on the couch, smoking.

Hearing Irina come in, Uriah quickly stubbed out his cigarette and stood up from the couch. He seemed apologetic as he said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself and smoked in the house."

"It's fine." Irina no longer wanted this house anyway. Hence, she did not care if he smoked in the living room.

After changing her shoes, Irina headed toward the bathroom.

Uriah blocked her path, determined to have a proper conversation with her tonight. "Irina, I need to talk to you about something."

Irina was exhausted and had no energy to argue. She stopped and looked at him calmly. "Okay, go ahead."

Uriah had thought that his attitude this morning would have made Irina angry, that she would give him the silent treatment. He assumed that her coming home so late was her way of throwing a tantrum.

To his surprise, Irina was completely calm. Even though he still felt vaguely uneasy inside, he knew he could not delay this any longer.

"Ms. White received a critical condition notice today. The doctors said she could pass at any time. She has a final wish and hopes that..."

Uriah believed he had done nothing wrong, yet he could not bring himself to finish the sentence.

Irina said softly, "She hopes you'll take care of Sophie for the rest of her life and wants to see you two get married?"

She still remembered everything Sophie had said earlier that day, and she had stayed silent then because she wanted Uriah to say it himself.

He finally did it, and it was clear he knew how hurtful it sounded.

"You already knew?" Uriah was somewhat surprised.

Nonetheless, since it was all out in the open now, he had no choice but to reason with Irina. He explained, "Irina, when I was little, my parents were always busy. Once when I got sick, Ms. White carried me to the hospital in the pouring rain and stayed awake to care for me for three days straight. She saved me. I can't let her die with regrets, so can you–"

Before Uriah could finish, Irina cut him off. "You don't need to say any more. I agree."

After speaking, she even smiled slightly.

That smile instantly lifted much of the gloom weighing on Uriah's heart. He happily pulled Irina into his arms and hugged her tight. "I knew it! I knew you'd understand. My precious Irina is the most understanding person in the world."

He continued, "Oh, and Irina... My marriage to Sophie will be fake, just a ceremony to satisfy Ms. White. I won't invite many people, but if there are rumors, I still hope you can help explain the situation for me."