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."

Right after he said that, William turned and ran out of the airport.

Jasmine numbly pulled out her phone.

Just as she had guessed, the top post on her feed was from Jennifer Farrell. The latter didn't write anything—just shared a painting.

And that was all it took for William to walk away from Jasmine and the promise he made.

"Miss, we're about to close the gate."

Snapping out of it, Jasmine stopped looking in his direction and turned to go the opposite way. When she landed in Zaryen, Jasmine got a text from William.

[I'll be two days late. Go have fun first.]

Jasmine was a little surprised. He was going to be late instead of just ditching her completely.

Guess he really was desperate to break free from her.

Jasmine didn't wait. She found a local guide and joined a tour group. However, she couldn't keep up. Most of the time, she was resting alone in her room.

By the time William showed up, she had already packed her suitcase and was ready to leave.

"Jasmine, I ditched so much work to come all the way out here and go along with your madness—you think this is funny?"

He kicked over her suitcase in frustration.

As her clothes scattered across the floor, Jasmine let out a bitter laugh.

"Go along with me? Really? Isn't Jennifer right next door?"

William froze, and his voice wavered a little when he next spoke. "Jennifer's just here to sketch. You don't need to pick a fight with her every time."

Jasmine's fingers curled slightly, but she didn't say another word. She just bent down and started picking up her clothes.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Jennifer suddenly appeared in the doorway, and the anger on William's face vanished instantly.

It was replaced by concern and urgency.

"You said you weren't feeling well—why are you up?"

"Oh, I can't just lie around forever. What were you and Ms. Spencer talking about? I heard loud voices, so I thought I'd come check."

When William heard Jennifer's words, he glanced at Jasmine.

"It's nothing. You hungry? I'll grab you something to eat."

Jennifer gave a small, shy nod.

William turned to leave, but then he suddenly stopped. He looked at Jasmine, clearly annoyed.

"What about you? What do you want to eat?"

Jasmine had just finished packing the last of her clothes, and even that small bit of effort had left her sweating. She could hear the shift in his tone, how he flipped back and forth.

She replied quietly, "Nothing. I'm good."

The second William heard her refusal, his face darkened. "Suit yourself. Starve for all I care. You look like a ghost already!"

Then, the door slammed shut behind him, and only Jasmine and Jennifer were left in the room.

It wasn't Jasmine's first time meeting her.

The Farrell family had made their money fast—new money. Naturally, the Graham family looked down on them.

And Jennifer, with her proud personality, had always thought the Graham family was arrogant and snobbish.

Back then, she had stormed off in anger, hoping to make a name for herself overseas.

Now she had come back with her tail between her legs. And the first thing she did?

Rekindle things with her old flame.

As someone watching from the outside, Jasmine found the whole thing pathetic.

And now that William was gone, Jennifer didn't even bother pretending.

"Long time no see, Ms. Spencer."

As Jennifer spoke, she kicked over Jasmine's suitcase. All the things Jasmine had carefully sorted and folded were ruined in an instant, just like that.

Seeing her effort so easily ruined lit a fire in Jasmine's chest.

She knew Jennifer was doing it on purpose—trying to get under her skin.

And it worked.

Without hesitation, Jasmine slapped her across the face.

William walked in just in time to see the red handprint blooming across Jennifer's cheek, and her watery eyes.

He was holding a bowl of stew meant for Jasmine, but it crashed to the ground.

Without asking a single question, he stormed over and struck Jasmine hard across the face.

"Jasmine, know when to stop!"

Jennifer let out a soft sob and looked up at William.

"It was my fault. I knocked over her suitcase by accident. I know I'm not welcome here. I'll leave."

After saying that, Jennifer rushed out the door.

William didn't hesitate and turned to follow her, but Jasmine suddenly called out.

"William!"

He paused.

"The third thing: Stay."

William clenched his fists and glared at Jasmine.

Jasmine knew exactly what he was thinking.

She let out a heavy breath, feeling all the strength leave her body as she sank to the floor.

Rubbing her ear where he had struck her, she looked at the mess of clothes on the ground and slowly started folding them again.

"You're just waiting for the divorce, right? Then you'll marry Jennifer?

"Two more things to go after this. Don't tell me you're going to quit now. Honestly, I wasn't happy with how you handled the first two. You're not backing out on me, are you?"

After she finished speaking, she looked up and met his eyes.

His dark eyes were full of mockery.

"Jasmine, knowing your place is important. Too bad you don't get that."

"I agreed to this third thing, but remember this: the Spencer family can't protect you anymore. If you touch Jennifer again, I'll make sure you die a miserable death!"

Jasmine lowered her head and laughed bitterly.

Anyone could talk tough.

Back when they fought the hardest, William had never been a match for her. Not to mention, he would soon get his wish, and he wouldn't have to lift a finger.

William called Jennifer to calm her down, and then he arranged for her to return home early.

Jasmine watched the way he carefully protected Jennifer, and it felt like swallowing bitter medicine.

It hit her—William knew how to love.

He just didn't love her.

When William returned, Jasmine still hadn't finished packing. He couldn't stand it anymore. He grabbed her and started picking up her things, bending down to fold them himself.

"Pathetic. It's just this little bit of stuff, and you can't even get it together. With how you're acting like you don't even have enough strength for this, anyone would think you're about to die."

Jasmine suddenly felt a bit playful and decided to tease him.

"Yep, I'm about to die. So what? Will you regret how you treated me when I'm gone?"

William froze for a second. When he looked up again, his face was full of mockery.

"Regret? You've got it all wrong. If you die, I'll throw a party, fireworks for three days straight, and feast with everyone in Jovelle."

Jasmine laughed through her tears, clutching her stomach.

"William, your words are as sharp as ever. Given that we've shared a bed before, you could at least spare me the venom."

Jasmine didn't linger in Zaryen. She could feel her body reaching its limit.

After returning to Jovelle City, she spent another week in bed. Each time she had chemotherapy, her hair fell out at a noticeable rate.

When William called, pushing her about the last two things, she locked herself in the bathroom and cried the entire afternoon. Once she finished crying, she went to the mall to buy a wig, covered in sunglasses and a hat.

"Did you cut your hair?"

Jasmine didn't answer him. She simply walked straight to his car.

"Let's go."

William furrowed his brows, instinctively reaching for her wig, but she quickly pulled away.

"Hurry up, are we going or not?"

William got in the car and started the engine. "Just a heads-up, there's less than a week left until the waiting period ends. You better figure out the last two things quickly."

Jasmine didn't respond. Her gaze was fixed on the window. She had been so busy before, busy fighting with William, trying to get his attention, that she had missed so much of the beauty of Jovelle City.

She thought that if she stood on the same level as him, they could walk side by side and enjoy the view together.

But the truth was, when a man didn't love a woman, even standing side by side wouldn't make him notice her. But for someone he loved, he would bend down and lower himself just to be with her.

Jasmine's fourth request was simple—she wanted William to go with her to an amusement park.

"That's childish!"

William glanced at her, looking unimpressed.