"Lily, you're home. I was worried that you might still be waiting at the door."

I didn't answer.

James continued,

"I know you won't be so silly waiting there all the time."

But I am a fool. I wanted to retort but no sound came out.

"James, do you still want to marry me?"

I saw James’s hesitation, but he resumed his usual smiling expression.

"Lily, of course I will marry you."

But his tone wasn't that firm.

Girls may be too sensitive, but I could feel James’s hesitation and uneasiness.

It was confirmed that evening.

"Lily, I suddenly fell ill last night. Dr. Wilson had to take care of me. I'm sorry."

Along with the message came a cute rabbit emoticon and a photo of James asleep by her bedside.

I didn't reply to her. I knew what she was thinking.

I could feel her love for James because I had seen the look in her eyes when she looked at him.

It was the same look as mine.

"James, what are you doing in the hospital?"

I didn’t care what Sophie said; I just wanted to know James’s attitude.

James hesitated, a struggle evident on his face, and he finally decided to tell the truth.

"Okay, Lily. It's Sophie. She suddenly got sick. You know I can't abandon my patient."

I didn’t want to hear this and immediately retorted,

"If all the doctors in the world could be like you, there would be no patients."

"I'm sorry, Lily. I admit I took better care of Sophie, but it's just because she has no relatives. I feel pity for her, nothing else."

I nodded, trying hard to convince myself.

"Since she is so pitiful, I will take better care of her."

James put his arm around my waist, the most intimate thing we did besides holding hands.

I could feel his happiness.

"That's great, she will be very happy."

The joy in his tone was overflowing, but the smile on my face was completely different from what I felt in my heart.

"Lily, thank you for taking care of me."

I was peeling an apple when Sophie, lying on the bed, suddenly spoke.

"But actually, I didn’t do anything."

"We are about the same age, I guess." I ignored her topic.

She seemed a little unhappy, lowered her head, and said "Yes".

Here came a voice,

"How do you feel now, Sophie?"

James came in, walked straight towards Sophie, and touched her head.

Sophie was silent and leaned on James's warm palm.

"Much better"

Sophie is a pastry chef and has her own cake shop.

James has loved sweet things since he was a child.

I'm the opposite, I like more complicated flavors.

I hate those sweet feelings.

So when they were talking about it with great relish, I, as an outsider, couldn't say a word.

After a few months, Sophie’s condition did not improve but worsened.

At eleven o'clock that evening, James received a phone call and hurried out.

I had a rough idea of where he had gone, but I didn't ask.

There was heavy rain outside, and thunder roared.

I went to give him an umbrella, but I just proved he didn’t love me anymore...

I entered the hospital.

The nurse on duty knew me and didn't stop me.

The hospital was eerily quiet at night.

I arrived at Room 302 and opened the door.

Inside, the two were affectionately hugging and kissing on the bed.

The humid and ambiguous air swept over me, and I could still hear James' breathing.

They were so engrossed that they didn’t notice my arrival.

I quietly closed the door and slipped away.

I was trembling, and the numbness in my legs made it impossible for me to stand.

I sat on a stool for a while before I had the strength to walk.

It was raining heavily, and in my rush, I forgot to take an umbrella.

People walked by on the street as I wandered aimlessly,

letting the rain wash over me.

When I finally opened the door and stepped inside, I collapsed to the ground,

covering my face and crying.

All the grievances of the past days burst out in an instant.

I had tried so hard to keep James, but it seemed futile.

My body was sore as I struggled to get up.

From then on, there were no more ice cubes prepared for me on the table.

James didn't come back that night.

The next morning, James stood before me, holding the umbrella I had given him the night before, guilt written all over his face.

"I'm sorry, Lily.

Can you wait for me? Sophie doesn't have much time left. I want to accompany her..."

I could sense his anxiety and uneasiness. During the seconds that I didn't respond, his expression didn't relax.

In the more than ten years that I've known him, our relationship had always been based on affection and courtesy.

I had always believed that true love would make someone reluctant to let go.

I undressed, exposing my snow-white body to the air.

James turned his head away, refusing to look at me.

"If I asked you to have sex with me right now, would you do it?"

I asked hoarsely, tears welling up in my eyes.

James took off his coat and wrapped it around me.

"Lily, don't be like this."

I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. This was the first time I cried in front of someone else.

James wanted to comfort me but didn't know what to say.

He could only repeat, "I'm sorry," over and over again.

I calmed down and decided to give him another chance.

"James, I'll wait for you at the Bureau the day after tomorrow, for the last time."

After saying this, I ran out of the old house.

There was no way I could stay there any longer.

I kept thinking about how I had taken off all my clothes, and James was indifferent.

My cell phone suddenly rang; it was a call from abroad.

"My dear, I'm sorry, the artificial heart was not successfully grown from stem cells."

At that moment, I felt cold all over.

Bad news always seemed to come on the same day. Why couldn't it come slower, just a little slower?

That way, I could marry James, even if only for a few days.

I had undergone numerous surgeries in the past three years.

When the hope of an artificial heart appeared, I came back to see my dream man.

"If I don't go ahead with the surgery, how many days do I have left?"