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?"

Jasmine stared at him, stunned.

Before she could react, the doorbell rang.

The next second, William smiled and walked over to open the door.

"William, am I late? Blame today's students—they wouldn't stop asking me questions!"

Jennifer stepped inside like she belonged there, pulling out a pair of women's slippers from the shoe cabinet.

Jasmine remembered those slippers—she had bought them not long ago, but never even got to wear them before she moved out.

Seeing how familiar Jennifer was with the house now made her whole body tremble.

"Not late, perfect timing. Go wash your hands—food's ready," William said gently, his voice like a knife in Jasmine's ears.

Jennifer smiled shyly and headed toward the table.

"Ms. Spencer, sorry I'm late!"

Jasmine didn't respond, not that Jennifer was waiting for a reply. The latter went straight to the chair and sat down.

"William, you're so sweet—you even set out my plate and cutlery for me."

"I know you're a clean freak. I washed them several times just so you could inspect them!"

"Then what kind of reward do you want?"

William reached out and pinched her cheek. "I want you to eat well. You've been working too hard at school, and then you got sick on top of that. Look how skinny you've gotten."

Jasmine watched the two of them talking back and forth like no one else was there.

That heart of hers, which was already long dead, felt like it was suddenly throbbing again.

She couldn't help herself and cut in, "William, this is the last thing you agreed to do for me?"

She felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her.

When William looked at her, he finally noticed something.

When had Jasmine gotten so thin?

His face showed a flicker of guilt, but his words still came out cold and firm. "I made all this food, and I know you wouldn't be able to finish it alone. Jennifer just got out of the hospital, remember? I've been taking care of her all this time. You're the one who insisted I do this final thing now. I couldn't just abandon her."

Jennifer sat right across from her. The smug look in her eyes was like a slap, mocking Jasmine's foolishness.

Suddenly, Jasmine just felt tired.

All her strength, the last bit she had been holding onto, was punched right out of her. Her heart ached, and it wasn't just that. Every bone in her body felt like it hurt.

Her head dropped, but only for a second.

The next moment, she forced herself to stand.

However, her eyes never left the floor.

"I should've never expected anything from you, William."

Her voice was soft—so soft, like the sound of a pin dropping to the floor, barely heard.

As he saw her about to leave, William's feet twitched slightly. But before he could react, Jennifer stepped past him.

She reached out and tried to grab Jasmine, but her sleeve caught on Jasmine's wig.

In an instant, the wig was yanked right off.

William gasped sharply. "Jasmine! Your hair—where is it?!"

Jasmine had her back to him, and her hand began to shake violently.

Her mind went blank. It felt like Jennifer had ripped away the last shred of her dignity.

Just as Jasmine was about to give up and finally tell William the truth, Jennifer picked the wig up off the floor.

Her expression turned serious as she looked at Jasmine, and she said in a sharp, accusing tone, "Ms. Spencer, I never thought you'd go this far. Shaving off your hair just to make William stay with you?

"After those five things, don't tell me you're planning to say you’re going to become a nun just to guilt him into staying with you?!"