On Valentine's Day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Overwhelmed by shock and fear, I called my husband, Karsten.

"Kars, I'm on a business trip and about to board the plane. I'll bring you a gift when I get back. Love you."

Before I could finish, the busy tone on the phone left me with a wave of disappointment.

I returned to the villa where my parents had lived, wanting to cry my heart out in front of their portraits.

As soon as I stepped into the living room, I heard a woman's moans coming from my parents' bedroom.

"Darling, Valeria's parents' portraits are over there. Doing it here feels like we're being watched. Let's change rooms." The voice of my husband, who was supposed to be on a plane, was dripping with desire.

"They looked down on me when I had nothing, broke us apart, and forced me to marry Valeria. Now, let them watch how I shower you with love."

***

I stood in the villa where I had grown up, feeling as if I had fallen into an ice-cold abyss. In between Karsten and Theresa’s ragged breaths were filthy words that tore at my very soul to pieces.

I clamped my hand over my mouth, desperate to stifle my sobs. Using the last of my strength, I slowly backed out of the villa.

Before my parents death, they had a will to be buried in their distant hometown, thousands of miles away from the urban city. I wanted to keep a part of them close to me so I refused Karsten’s suggestion to sell our old villa. There, I kept their portraits and hired a housekeeper to clean regularly, so I could stay by the portraits and pray for them whenever I missed them.

Today I got diagnosed with breast cancer. I was overwhelmed with fear and grief. I came to the villa hoping to cry my heart out and find some semblance of comfort.

However, my husband who was supposed to be thousands of miles away in the city were in the old villa. Worse, he was entangled with his ex-girlfriend in front of my parents’ portraits.

I had the impulse to burst in and pull those two shameless people apart, but I didn’t have the strength for that. Even if my life was ticking away, there were more important things I needed to finish before I could face my parents.

In the end, I retuned to the home Karsten and I shared back in the city. The first thing that greeted me was our photo wall. Countless pictures of us embracing, smiling. Ah, how painfully ironic they looked now.

I reached out, my fingers grazing Karsten’s handsome face in the photos. It was that unfairly beautiful face that had me spellbound. He used to be just a nobody at Thalmann Legacy Holdings.

At that time, I was fresh out of college and visited the company to see my father.

Among the exhausted, greasy-haired, middle-aged programmers sat Karsten—dressed in a crisp white shirt, his features delicate and refined. His youthfulness radiates a college heartthrob charm. I fell for him at first sight.

Staring at the wall covered in memories, tears flowed uncontrollably down my face. After crying my heart out, I went to the study. I hadn’t even reached the safe when my phone rang.

“Valeria, I still advise you to start treatment as soon as possible. Your breast tumor is less than one centimeter, and there’s no spread to the lymph nodes. It’s still in the early stages.”

“Ludwig, you don’t have to comfort me. My mom died of this disease. I know exactly how dangerous it can be.”

His voice was gentle. “Your mom was diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the treatments back then weren’t as advanced as they are now. You have to trust me—I got the title of ‘the youngest specialist in breast cancer’ for a reason after all.”

I took a deep breath, memories of Karsten’s betrayal flooding back. I refused to die early and let my father’s hard-earned legacy fall into Karsten’s hands.

“Alright. Once I’ve taken care of everything, I’ll entrust my life to you.”

Ludwig let out a soft laugh and said, “As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

My eyes burned, tears threatening to fall again. When I received my diagnosis this morning, I really wanted to hear Karsten say those words for me.

“Thank you, Ludwig.” My voice was tight. I quickly ended the call since I didn’t want my childhood friend to notice something was wrong.

I sat there in a daze for a moment before forcing myself to regain my composure. I opened the safe and took out a document—an agreement signed by Karsten.

I thought Karsten would stay with Theresa for a few days, but he came home on the same night. 

“Vali, look what I got you for Valentine’s Day!” Kars was full of affection as he handed me a gift box.

I swallowed the hatred surging inside me and forced myself to act as if I hadn’t seen him with his ex. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a business trip? Why did you come back so soon?” 

“It’s Valentine’s Day. There’s no way I can leave you alone at home.” 

If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I might have been fooled by the tenderness in his gaze, fooled into believing he loved me with all his heart. 

I casually took the gift and unwrapped it to hide the bitterness twisting my face. 

The gift was a set of lacy, seductive lingerie. 

“Do you like it? Size 36C—I’ve always remembered your measurements.” 

My fingers tightened around the box, my grip unconsciously firm. Among the clothes scattered across my parents’ villa’s living room today, I had seen an identical set of lingerie. 

But when I looked up again, my face was already adorned with a smile. “Mhm, I love it.” 

Karsten pulled me into his arms, his breath warm against my ear. He said, “Babe, will you wear it for me tonight?” 

I glanced at the faint red marks on his neck—traces of another woman’s kisses. My stomach twisted. A wave of nausea hit me, and I bolted to the bathroom, dry heaving over the sink.

Karsten appeared behind me moments later, his hand warm and gentle as he rubbed my back.

After rinsing my mouth, I turned to face him. His eyes sparkled with joy.

“Babe, you went to the hospital this morning, right? Were you trying to tell me… are you pregnant with our child?”

I studied his excitement, the eagerness in his voice, the light in his eyes. And I thought of his lies. His betrayal.

Slowly, I wiped the water from the corner of my mouth. “Yes,” I said. “I am.”

Karsten spun me around in excitement, his joy so genuine it didn’t seem fake at all. Then it hit me—our agreement clearly states that if we have a child, he gets 10% of Thalmann Legacy Holdings. 

I wasn’t giving birth to his child; I was giving birth to his ticket to wealth and power. No wonder he was ecstatic. 

Watching his over-excitement, I could hardly wait to see his face when all his dreams crumbled to dust.

“Vali, you should stay home and take care of yourself. Don’t worry about the company—I’ll handle everything.” His tone was light, almost cheerful.

So, he had his eyes on the company too.

A year into our marriage, my father passed away. On his deathbed, he held my hand, his grip weak but urgent.

“Vali, Thalmann Legacy Holdings is my safeguard for you. But you trust too easily. Promise me—no matter what—you’ll always keep the Thalmann Legacy firmly in your hands.” 

Losing him shattered me, but grief had to wait. After arranging his funeral, I stepped into my role without hesitation.

Over the past year, I had gradually handed over the company's management to Karsten, convinced that my failure to conceive was due to stress. The traditional medicine practitioner he found for me insisted that overwork was the culprit.

For six months, I faithfully drank the bitter herbal concoctions prescribed to me. Yet, the pregnancy I longed for never happened.

Desperate, I turned to modern medicine, subjecting myself to weekly procedures and tests. Ironically, it was through these hospital visits that my breast cancer was discovered—still less than a centimeter in size.

I exhaled slowly. “Alright then, I’ll head to the company soon and make the necessary arrangements. After that, I’ll focus on resting at home.”

Karsten’s brows furrowed for the briefest moment before his expression smoothed over. “Alright, but promise me you won’t overwork yourself. If you feel unwell, come home and rest.”

In that moment, he looked every bit the devoted husband, the expectant father.

I wondered if he would still smile at me like this after I returned to the company and laid bare all his carefully deceitful plans.

Once arriving at the company, I never expected the first person I’d run into would be Theresa.

I had to be honest—I was the one who stirred up trouble with Theresa first.

After falling for Karsten at first sight, I joined the company under the guise of an ordinary employee just to get close to him. It was only after starting work that I learned he had a girlfriend—Theresa, a recent graduate newly hired by our company. 

As fate would have it, Theresa and I went to the same university. She was famously known as the campus beauty. 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. So, I pestered my father to implement a strict company policy forbidding workplace relationships. The new rule led to a huge fight between them. Neither was willing to give up their high-paying job for the other, so they broke up. 

I seized the opportunity, staying by Karsten’s side, showering him with affection when he was vulnerable and heartbroken. At first, he was cold and aloof and kept his distance from me.

Until one night, he got drunk, his eyes hazy as he looked at me and asked, “Valeria, if you want to be my girlfriend, you’ll have to quit a job that most people would kill for. Are you willing to do that?” 

I was grateful for my privileged background—I never had to choose between love and my career. So, after Karsten became my boyfriend, I left the company. 

Back then, I didn’t think of myself as a homewrecker. I had simply used the power of wealth to place a small obstacle in their way.

If Theresa’s love had been real, she could have found another job. But instead, she let go of Karsten. And when she saw him with someone new, she came crawling back, hoping to reconcile.

Too bad for her—I wasn’t about to let anyone steal what was mine. 

When I returned to the company, it wasn’t as just another employee, but as the Thalmanns’ heir. Theresa didn’t have the power to compete with me, and I made sure she knew it. In the end, I had my father write her a glowing recommendation letter and sent her off to another company.

Today, as I returned to the company after receiving my diagnosis, Theresa was dressed in a slightly provocative business suit.

A gentle smile played on her lips. “Ms. Thalmann, we meet again. Surely, you’re not so petty that you can’t tolerate my presence here, right?”  

I really had been away from the company in the past year—so much so that I hadn’t even noticed Karsten bringing his ex-lover back into the firm as his secretary.  

Calling me out in front of everyone… Was Theresa trying to use the moral high ground to corner me?  

Too bad for her—I never cared much for morals.  

“I’m sorry, Ms. Grimm, but anyone my father saw fit to send away has no place in my company.”  

Theresa’s smile faltered, just for a moment, before she turned to Karsten for help.  

“Vali, Ms. Grimm was specially recruited by a headhunter. Maybe we could…”

“Mr. Schauer,” I cut in smoothly, “do I need your permission to fire one of my employees?”  

Ludwig had warned me to schedule my surgery as soon as possible—I didn’t have time for their games.  

“Process her compensation accordingly. Mr. Schauer, if Ms. Grimm needs assistance, feel free to submit the request on her behalf. I’ll personally approve it.”

Karsten’s face darkened, and Theresa trembled with anger. Other senior employees who were hoping to watch a dramatic showdown between us three were left stunned by my straightforward approach. They were exchanging uneasy glances. 

Some even cast curious glances at Karsten and Theresa. Even if nothing was going on between them, people’s imaginations would run wild with how I executed my actions. Considering how messy things actually were, it wouldn’t be long before everyone started connecting the dots. 

Once rumors spread, leaving Thalmann Legacy Holdings would make it difficult for Theresa to find another job. 

Back in my office, Karsten struggled to keep his anger in check. “Vali, why did you do that? There’s nothing going on between me and Theresa.” 

I couldn’t be bothered to entertain him, my focus locked on the documents I had prepared in advance. 

“With Theresa resigning, some personnel adjustments need to be made.” 

As I listed off the names, Karsten’s expression shifted from shock to a deep, brooding anger. After all, these were the very people he had painstakingly positioned within the company.

“Why? Vali, are you targeting me?” His voice was rough, laced with frustration. 

“Of course not. Thalmann Legacy is expanding with a new branch in Saltwater City. I want you to oversee it personally—along with your trusted team.”