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.

Jasmine looked down at her hands in her lap.

She had seen William take Jennifer to the amusement park before—saw him patiently pose for photos with her, again and again.

This wasn't about comparing herself to Jennifer.

It was just that going to the amusement park with William had been a childhood dream of hers.

This fourth thing on her list was for the little Jasmine who never got to do it.

William was there in body, but his mind was somewhere far away. His eyes stayed glued to his phone.

Jasmine had to call his name four or five times before he finally looked at her.

When night fell, William urged her to leave three separate times, but she ignored him.

Then, the lights on the Ferris wheel lit up in the distance.

Her eyes lit up too. She pointed toward it, full of hope.

"Just ride this one with me. After that, we can go."

William froze when he saw the faint glow in her eyes. After a moment, he pressed his lips together and said flatly, "Even if the Ferris wheel takes us to the very top, I still won't fall in love with you."

The silence stretched, the seconds ticking by.

Jasmine's eyes stung, and she turned her head quickly.

"What are you talking about? I've just never ridden one before, that's all."

Just then, William's phone rang, cutting through the moment. On the other end, Jennifer said something in a rush.

After hanging up, William left again in a hurry.

This time, he didn't even apologize.

As the Ferris wheel rose to the very top, Jasmine looked down at the city glowing below her.

Tears slid down her cheeks as she whispered, "Happy birthday, Jasmine."

-

After that day, Jasmine was rushed to the hospital with a high fever.

Machines beeped steadily by her ear, but to her, it was as if the world had gone completely silent.

In her fevered dreams, Jasmine thought she saw William standing by her bed. But even after seeing her in such a half-dead state, there wasn't a hint of pity in his eyes.

Instead, he gave her a wide, cruel smile.

"Serves you right. Karma always comes for the wicked. You might as well die now, then I won't have to waste my time finishing that stupid last task of yours."

In the dream, Jasmine was so angry that her teeth clenched.

But her heart?

It ached painfully.

She forced herself to wake up with a sharp breath.

However, the person she wanted to see wasn't there.

"Thank God, you're finally awake. Do you know how long you've been out?"

Jasmine had always been strong-willed, and the world she lived in was full of people who only cared about power and reputation.

The Spencer family had fallen, and William clearly didn't care about her. Everyone knew he would be the first to laugh at her downfall, so they had all picked sides long ago and cut ties with her.

The only person left at her side was a close friend who was also the nurse who had been quietly caring for her, Tania Judd.

When she heard Tania's words, she looked over in panic. "What day is it today?"

Tania thought Jasmine was upset again about how little time she had left. She tried to hide her expression and spoke gently, trying to comfort her.

"The 28th. Jasmine, you—"

Jasmine cut her off. "My wig. Where is it?"

Tania paused for a second, surprised. "It's right here. I kept it safe for you."

Jasmine's fingers curled slightly as she took the wig from her hands. Her gaze was lowered, her thoughts unreadable.

"While I was out, did anyone come to see me?"

Her voice was cautious, and her fingers clutched the wig a little tighter when she spoke.

Tania felt a dull ache in her chest at the sight of her like this, but she didn't want to lie to Jasmine.

"Jasmine… William hasn't come."

She quickly turned her head, blinking away the redness in her eyes.

Not only did he not show up, but he wouldn't even listen to the calls and hints Tania had made.

"Coma? What kind of joke is that? Jasmine would never be the one in a coma," he had said coldly.

"I'm busy. I don't have time to play along with her nonsense. Aside from that last thing she wants, I'm not doing anything else for her. Tell her to stop wasting everyone's time!"

Jasmine called William.

After he declined the call three times in a row, she ran out of patience.

She sent him a text.

Sure enough, he called back in less than two minutes.

But his voice sounded tired—deeply tired.

"Jennifer's sick. I need to stay with her," he said. "We'll deal with the last thing in a couple of days."

He was about to hang up when Jasmine quickly shouted, "No!"

Right after she said it, William let out a cold laugh. "It's just two days, not a breach of contract. Jasmine, don't push it!"

Her nose stung, and she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. She laughed, trying to sound light, even though her whole body was aching.

"William, there's just one thing left. After that, you're free. What—is it that you're having second thoughts? Want to stay married to me a little longer? Fine by me. I've got no problem with that."

William had always been bad at holding his temper when she used that kind of talk.

And just like always, it worked.

After he hung up, Jasmine held her phone and laughed until she couldn't stop, until tears ran down her face and into her mouth.

The bitterness of it all felt like a blade twisting in her heart.

She was afraid he would notice something was off. Afraid he would mock her again, even when she was so close to the end.

So, Jasmine asked Tania to help her put on makeup before he arrived.

It usually only took five minutes to walk downstairs, but Jasmine took nearly 20 to finally reach William.

"You're so slow. It's the last thing. Just spit it out." William said.

He was clearly annoyed, but Jasmine wasn't in a rush at all. She got into the passenger seat and buckled herself in, and she only looked at him after she settled down.

"It's simple," she said. "Make me lunch."

William stared at her like he didn't believe it. "Just lunch?"

Jasmine nodded. "Just lunch."

He kept looking at her, unsure, like he was trying to figure out if she was messing with him.

The first four things, Jasmine had made as difficult as possible. So for the last one, William had expected something outrageous—something as impossible as pulling the moon from the sky.

But to his surprise, all Jasmine asked for was a home-cooked lunch.

He glanced at the time, then picked up his phone and sent a few messages. After that, he drove them to the grocery store.

This was the first time Jasmine had ever gone shopping with William. It was also the first time they felt like a regular married couple.

William pushed the cart while Jasmine stood beside him, telling him what to get. At checkout, Jasmine stood quietly next to him.

A child came running past, nearly crashing into her.

William instinctively pulled her behind him, shielding her.

His hand, in that moment, gripped hers tightly.

Jasmine lowered her gaze to their hands that were tightly held together, and her eyes began to blur with tears again.

This was only the second time William had ever held her hand on his own.

But before she could even feel the warmth of his palm, he quickly let go.

After that, she followed him back to their marital home.

The house didn't hold many memories for them. William had been forced to marry her, and ever since, he had fought back in every way he could.

Ninety-nine affairs, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

After changing his shoes, William went straight into the kitchen. Jasmine had been holding herself together all this time, and she finally let out a breath and slid down to the floor the second he turned away.

By the time he came back out, she had already put her mask back on. She sat there calmly, watching him serve the food like nothing had happened.

She didn't even know William could cook.

A man who was proud and untouchable, had actually learned to cook for a woman.

William must really love Jennifer.

"Why is there so much food? It's just the two of us, and I don't think we can possibly finish this," Jasmine said, frowning as he kept bringing food out.

With her body in this state, there was no way she could eat that much. She was scared that one bite too many would give her away.

William placed down the last plate, looking calm.

"Who said it's just the two of us?"