William Graham and Jasmine Spencer had been at odds since they were kids.

But that year, fate played a trick on them—out of all the eligible matches in their circle, only the two of them were left.

William swore he would rather die than marry Jasmine.

That piqued her interest. She said, "Great. Then I guess I'm definitely marrying you. Go ahead and drop dead."

On their wedding day, William humiliated her by releasing dozens of chickens at the ceremony.

With a flat look, Jasmine picked one up and called it "Darling".

Just like that, William lost all interest in the joke. He looked at the woman who insisted on marrying him and sneered.

"You'll regret this."

Three years into the marriage, Jasmine caught William cheating for the ninety-ninth time.

It was only then that she finally understood—

So this was the kind of regret William had meant.

After a long overnight flight, Jasmine Spencer stood pale and exhausted, staring at the mess of clothes scattered across the floor.

The strong, musky smell in the room made her stomach churn.

William Graham was shirtless and lounging against the headboard. Meanwhile, the woman in his arms was wearing Jasmine's silk nightgown.

His hand roamed over the woman's body, and the smirk at the corner of his lips deepened when he saw Jasmine. He raised an eyebrow, grinning like a jerk as he looked straight at her, who had just caught him in the act.

"Well? Looks better on her than it ever did on you, right?"

William chuckled. "If I'm not mistaken, this makes the ninety-ninth time. After all this, you still won't agree to the divorce?"

Jasmine rubbed her stomach slowly, her movements dull and mechanical.

For the first time, she didn't lash out at William for being so cruel.

"Get dressed. We need to talk."

William snorted at her retreating back.

"Talk? What's there to talk about between us?"

Jasmine paused, but didn't turn around.

"About the divorce."

William's mouth opened in surprise.

The woman in his arms smiled brightly. "Finally! Mr. Graham, you're finally getting what you wanted!"

Jasmine waited in the study. Barely five minutes had passed when William walked in, fully dressed.

It was clear—he couldn't wait to end things.

"You're not pulling my leg, right?"

Jasmine saw the contempt in his eyes, plain as day. She didn't answer. Instead, she slid the divorce papers across the desk toward him.

"Take a look. If everything looks fine, you can sign it."

William picked up the divorce papers, his eyes filled with doubt. He didn't believe for a second that Jasmine would actually go through with it.

The Spencer family wasn't what it used to be, so he figured Jasmine would cling to him until the end, draining him of every last drop—whether of money, energy, or dignity.

But when he finished reading the agreement, he froze.

Not only was Jasmine not asking for anything, she was even giving up the house they lived in.

He frowned. "You're serious? You're not planning to show up at the Graham Mansion and cause a scene later, are you?"

Jasmine stayed calm the entire time.

"I'm serious. I won't cause any trouble. Don't worry."

After hearing that, William didn't hesitate anymore. He quickly signed his name at the bottom.

As his pen left the page, a smile tugged at his lips. The weight in his chest finally lifted.

"Well, now that it's signed, let's go get it done at the courthouse. 30 days mandatory waiting period or not, I don't want to waste another minute with you."

"Right now?"

Jasmine frowned slightly.

"Ha! I knew it—you're backing out already, aren't you?"

A sharp pain twisted in Jasmine's stomach, but when she saw the smug look on William's face…

"Let's go."

She didn't hesitate anymore either. They went straight to the office and filed the paperwork.

When the clerk handed them a form, she was still explaining, "If either of you changes your mind within the next 30 days—"

"No way that's happening," William cut her off, tossing the pen on the desk. The grin on his face grew wider.

Jasmine came out much later, only to see that William's car was still there. He was parked by the curb and honked at her.

The window was half down. William took off his sunglasses, looking relaxed as he threw a sarcastic jab her way.

"Jasmine, come on. We were once married, and that counts for something. No need to panic about your next meal ticket—this gentleman here seems perfectly suitable."

As he spoke, he handed her a business card, clearly hoping to embarrass her.

But to his surprise, Jasmine suddenly reached out and took it.

"Alright. I'll think about it."

Then, she calmly turned and walked away.

Her actions left William stunned.

He had no idea.

30 days.

It wasn't just the countdown for the divorce waiting period.

It was also Jasmine's countdown to death.

Jasmine wandered the streets, clutching the doctor's diagnosis—a death sentence.

"So you're saying… I only have about 30 days left?"

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Spencer."

It had been a gut-punching feeling to hear those words—one that wasn't the first time Jasmine had felt it.

The Spencer family was barely holding together now, and all the pressure had fallen on her shoulders.

When she had felt completely alone in the past, she had called William. She thought that even if they just argued or bickered a little, it might still make her feel better.

However, William rejected every single call. When she kept trying, he finally got annoyed and just turned off his phone.

The next time she saw him, he was in their bed with a young model, both of them naked.

William never saw how helpless she really was.

All he saw was a face he was sick of.

He deliberately kissed the model in front of her—deep and messy, the kind that left a string of spit at the corner of their mouths. It stung Jasmine's eyes.

"So? Want a divorce?"

Jasmine forced herself to stay calm and ran out of that room.

In Jovelle City, pretty much everyone knew she and William had never gotten along. They fought every time they saw each other.

And nearly everyone believed Jasmine hated William—just like William hated her.

Jasmine touched the ring on her finger—the one William had reluctantly given her after they got married.

When he handed it to her, he had thrown the box so hard it hit her in the face.

At first, Jasmine hid her feelings well—until the night William forced her to act like a real wife.

In the heat of the moment, his hand brushed against the ring on her finger.

William suddenly burst out laughing.

"Jasmine, don't tell me… you've been refusing to divorce me because you actually like me?

"If that's the case, then you'd better forget those thoughts now. Not only will I never like you—I can't stand you!"

There was never any baseless hatred—William disliked her for concrete reasons.

He didn't like her because the Graham and Spencer families had arranged their marriage way too early. And because of that, his first love had been forced to leave the country.

That night, Jasmine stared at the ceiling until the sun came up.

Her mom had passed away early. No one ever taught her how to hold onto someone she loved. As a kid, all she knew was how to use sarcasm and sharp words to get William's attention.

But after that?

Jasmine blinked her dry eyes.

Her phone kept buzzing, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen—William was flooding their group chat with smiley face emojis.

[What's the occasion? You seem pretty thrilled, Mr. Graham.]

William didn't reply. He just sent a photo of the signed divorce waiting period form.

That one picture was like a bomb going off—it blew up the whole chat full of quiet lurkers who had just been watching the drama unfold.

[You really split? Jasmine actually agreed?]

[This is amazing news! William, you finally got rid of that burden!]

[Time to celebrate! You said just last week that you couldn't even sleep after seeing her face every night. Now you're free—switch out ten or twenty women if you want, no one's stopping you!]

[But isn't it weird? William's hooked up with so many models, and Jasmine put up with it all. Why's she suddenly not putting up with it now? You think she's messing with you? What if she ghosts you at the end and you can't even file the papers?]

That comment made the whole group fall silent.

Right after that, Jasmine's phone started ringing.

"Jasmine, you're not playing me, right? After the 30-day waiting period, you're really going to show up and get our divorce finalized?"

Jasmine's pale lips curled up into a faint smile, and she spoke softly into the phone.

"Yeah. I'm playing you. What are you going to do about it?"

On the other end of the line, William was breathing heavily.

Jasmine figured if she were standing in front of him right now, she wouldn't even make it through the month—he would probably strangle her on the spot.

Before William could start yelling, she laughed again.

"William, I'm not messing with you this time. But I have one condition."

William didn't say a word.

Jasmine didn't care and kept going.

"I want you to do ten things with me. Once they're done, I'll go with you to sign the divorce papers. I promise—I'll disappear from your world for good."

That promise was tempting.

William frowned. "Ten is too much. Five."

Jasmine chuckled. "Fine."

The first thing? She wanted William to take her to a charity gala.

She dressed to the nines. When William came to pick her up, his fingers were flying over his phone screen, eyes locked on it. He didn't even glance at her once.

Jasmine didn't mind. She knew better than to expect anything sweet out of his mouth.

But oddly enough, once she got into the car, William finally looked up at her—and frowned.

"Did you lose weight? Your face looks pale. Honestly, you look awful."

Jasmine curled her fingers slightly but stared straight ahead, saying nothing.

When they got out of the car, William grabbed her hand. Jasmine flinched, and he sneered.

"What? We've held hands before. We've done way more than that. Don't act all shy now."

Her icy hand was wrapped in the heat of his palm.

It wasn't the first time William had held her hand—but it was the first time he had ever done it on his own.

People around them stared, wide-eyed at the strange, sudden harmony between them.

After the auction started, Jasmine spotted something she really wanted. She instinctively raised her paddle—only to have the man beside her beat her to it.

It was a painting by a late foreign artist, and many people in the room liked it. The bidding quickly heated up.

But in the end, it was William who won it with the highest bid.

A strange warmth passed through Jasmine's chest.

"William—"

"Ship the painting to the Farrell family's residence in Norwyn City."

Jasmine's hand, halfway raised, froze in the air.

So, the painting wasn't for her.

A wave of bitterness rose in her throat, threatening to drown her whole.

She abruptly stood and walked toward the exit.

William frowned and followed, grabbing her arm in one quick stride.

"It's not over yet—where do you think you're going?"

Jasmine tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong.

William was losing patience. "You're the one who asked me to come here, so why are you throwing a fit now? You're seriously sick!"

That last line hit Jasmine hard.

"Yeah. I'm seriously sick."

She yanked her arm free and walked off without looking back.

Jasmine didn't contact William for a week. She also moved out of the home they had lived in since they had gotten married.

At first, William didn't care.

However, the thought of the four things she still wanted him to do made him uneasy. It felt like if he didn't finish them quickly, Jasmine might suddenly cling to him again.

Unable to hold back, he finally called her.

Jasmine had just finished a round of chemotherapy when her phone rang. Her condition was getting worse. Her whole body ached down to the bone.

"There are still four things left, Jasmine. Don't try anything stupid."

Jasmine went quiet for a moment.

"I want to go to the country of Zaryen."

William frowned. "Right now?"

"Yeah. Right now."

William seriously thought Jasmine was out of her mind. But for the sake of the divorce—for the sake of getting rid of her—he really did book a flight to Zaryen right away.

Jasmine was bundled up tight. By the time she arrived, William was already annoyed from waiting.

"What's your deal? I offered to pick you up, but you wouldn't let me. Then, you show up late."

He kept grumbling.

Jasmine didn't say much. She just handed him her suitcase. "You talk too much."

William sneered, but he took everything from her hands without complaint.

Even he didn't realize how natural it felt.

Just as the plane was about to board, William's phone suddenly rang.

Jasmine stood at the gate, looking at him from across the way.

William's hand clenched around the phone, and his whole body went stiff.

"Sorry, Jasmine. I can't go to Zaryen with you."