Camden never returned after he left.

Hungry and exhausted, Alice drifted into a deep, troubled sleep.

Even in her dreams, she seemed haunted by sorrow, as her brows remained faintly furrowed throughout.

She was jolted awake by a sharp, stabbing pain in her arm. When she looked down, she saw a large, blood-stained bandage wrapped around it.

"I'm here to change your dressing. You just underwent a skin graft surgery," the nurse said as she prepared fresh gauze.

"What skin graft surgery?" she asked, stunned.

"Mrs. Bennett in the next room scraped her arm, so Mr. Bennett arranged for you to donate a patch of skin for her."

The nurse sighed softly. "It just goes to show that some people are born under luckier stars. If Mrs. Bennett so much as gets a scratch, Mr. Bennett's beside himself. Folks like us sure don't get that kind of treatment."

Alice's face turned deathly pale, her heart feeling as though a dagger had carved half of it away.

"Could you please help me request a transfer to another hospital?" she asked with trembling lips and eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Transfer? What transfer?" Camden pushed the door open and strode in with his arms full of supplements and Alice's favorite goods.

After taking off his coat, he personally washed her hands and feet. He then washed the fruits and fed them to her.

He even followed a recipe meticulously, attempting it no less than ten times to prepare the most delicious and nutritious meal for her.

"Darling, be good and eat well so you can get better quickly."

He scooped a spoonful of soup and carefully blew on it to cool it down before bringing it to her lips.

As always, he was attentive, considerate, and gentle.

Alice watched it all, yet her heart grew colder with each passing day. Because she knew Camden's love had long since changed.

He would carefully feed Elena the most flavorful portion of every nutritious meal.

He would press his ear against Elena's belly again and again, his face full of anticipation as he said, "Just a few more months, and we'll feel the baby kick."

He would wait until she was asleep, then steal intimate moments with Elena in the hospital room, until both were marked with traces of desire.

He would introduce Elena to everyone, saying, "This is my wife. She's pregnant, so please take good care of her."

Alice simply watched it all quietly, without tears or protests.

Those who truly wished to leave seldom bothered with goodbyes, as they begrudged even a moment wasted on farewells.

In the bitter winter cold, the wind swept up one fallen leaf after another.

Alice only occasionally managed to call the agent handling her emigration paperwork, carefully timing it for when Camden was with Elena.

On the day she was discharged, the agent finally asked someone to deliver a message to her.

"Ms. Wilson, your paperwork should be completed by the morning after tomorrow."

Alice finally let out a soft sigh of relief and allowed herself a small, unburdened smile.

Camden's hand, which had been supporting Elena, stilled abruptly as his gaze drifted toward Alice.

Her smile was just as beautiful as it had been five years ago. It was as if nothing had changed. But if one looked closely, one would find a faint trace of sorrow had settled between her brows.

A strange, unnameable emotion stirred within him. Almost instinctively, he pulled Alice into his arms.

"Darling, cheer up. I'll always be here for you."

Alice subtly eased out of his embrace and offered a soft smile. "I'm alright."

Camden suppressed his own unease and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Okay, let's get you home."

All throughout the drive, his eyes kept returning to her. He was just about to reach for her hand when Elena's scream pierced the air.

"Watch out!"

A violent crash rang out.

A black executive van had slammed into them, flipping their car over in an instant.

Alice had a long dream.

She traveled back to the time five years ago when she first met Camden. Back then, she hadn't lost her eyesight yet, and her favorite thing to do was explore the outdoors.

She stumbled upon him after he had slipped and fallen down a desolate mountain. He had broken a leg, was burning with fever, and was on the verge of death.

She used up all the food, water, and medicine she had, and only then managed to keep him alive.

Camden didn't wake until three days later, by which time Alice had already collapsed from exhaustion. It was he who cut open his own wrist and fed her his blood ten times to keep her alive until the rescue team arrived.

When Camden pursued her, he said that their survival in the wilderness was proof of a bond left unfinished in a past life—a match made in heaven, a connection forged through life and death.

But then the scene shifted to the moment when, to save Elena, Camden abandoned Alice to the wild beasts.

Alice let out a startled scream and opened her eyes. Her hands and feet were tied, and a black cloth was wrapped tightly over her eyes, leaving her in complete darkness.

She could only faintly hear voices around her.

"Mr. Bennett, your family seized my family's land and drove us into bankruptcy. Shouldn't you pay a price for that?"

"Hubert, how dare you kidnap me? You must have a death wish." It was Camden's voice.

Hubert Wilkinson burst into wild laughter and said in a tone bordering on madness, "Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me. But killing you outright would be far too merciful."

He stared at Alice for a moment, then suddenly curled his lips into a cruel grin and said with a chilling cheerfulness, "How about we play a game instead?"

Camden clenched his fists, a dangerous gleam flashing in his eyes.

"I've prepared three little punishments, and you'll get to personally choose whom to save," Hubert said to Camden.

With a wave of his hand, Alice and Elena were forcibly dragged to his side.

Elena writhed and whimpered in terror, but Alice only clenched her teeth and silently endured the sharp stones biting into her back.

When Camden saw this, veins bulged across his forehead. "Let them go. Whatever grudge you have is with me. You don't need to drag them into it."

But Hubert turned a deaf ear. "The first punishment is sea dunking."

Camden's breath hitched. "I'll give you anything you want. Just let them go."

"Enough talk!" Hubert's eyes gleamed with malice. "Since you refuse to choose, I'll just throw them both into the sea to feed the sharks."

As soon as the words fell, both Alice and Elena were kicked into the icy seawater.

"No!" Camden roared furiously.

In an instant, the briny stench of seawater flooded Alice's mouth and nose, suffocating her completely. She thrashed beneath the surface, her lungs tearing with pain.

Three times in a row, they were thrown into the water and dragged back up again. By now, Alice was barely clinging to life.

Just as Hubert signaled his men to throw them in for the fourth time, Camden roared hoarsely with bloodshot eyes, "Hubert, stop! I'll choose!"

"Oh? Who will you save? Alice or Elena?"

Camden's eyes shifted uncertainly between Alice and Elena for a long moment before finally settling on Alice.

"I choose…"

Elena let out a painful whimper as the gag fell from her mouth, and she cried out pitifully, "Camden, save me! Save our baby!"

In an instant, the words died in Camden's throat. He closed his eyes, and after a long pause, he rasped, "I choose Elena."

All at once, the strength drained from Alice's body.

Hubert laughed wildly. "Good! How decisive of you, Mr. Bennett!"

He grabbed Alice by the hair himself and threw her into the frigid sea.

Four times, five times, six times…

By the tenth time, Camden could no longer bear to watch.

"Are you trying to torture her to death?" he asked with burning red eyes.

"Wasn't this your own choice?" Hubert taunted as he watched Camden's darkened expression with amusement.

"The second punishment is 99 lashings. Mr. Bennett, choose who you will save this time."

Heaving violently, Camden clenched his fists so tightly that blood dripped from his palms.

Alice was still coughing desperately, her whole body wracked with pain as seawater seared through her lungs, and every cell screamed in agony.

She lay thrown on the ground, her breathing faint and ragged. It was clear she couldn't hold on much longer.

Yet, in the next moment, Camden's response plunged her straight into despair.

"I choose Elena."

Beside them, Elena wept with relief. She bit down on her lips and cast a timid glance toward Alice.

"Alice, I'm so sorry you had to suffer this."

Alice seemed deaf to everything around her. She only stared in disbelief toward Camden, her heart aching until it went numb.

The moment the whip cracked down on her body, she let out a muffled groan as cold sweat broke out across her skin.

Excruciating pain forced her slender fingers to claw desperately at the rough ground, leaving ten gruesome blood trails on the gravel.

One lash, two, three…

By the 55th lash, Alice's back was drenched in blood, and she nearly passed out from the pain.

Camden watched helplessly, feeling as though his heart was being torn apart.

"Stop! I said stop!" he roared in despair and broke free from his restraints to throw himself over Alice.

Suddenly, Elena let out a sharp cry and clutched her stomach.

"Help me! I-I think I'm having a miscarriage," she cried, her face deathly pale.

Camden froze mid-motion and instinctively grabbed her hands tightly. "What's wrong?"

And in that moment of hesitation, another lash fell brutally on Alice.

With a choked gasp, Alice spat out a mouthful of blood.

Camden's pupils contracted sharply. "Alice!"

Hubert threw his head back and laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"Mr. Bennett, as it happens, I have a medical team standing by. But you can still only choose to save one person. Will it be Elena again this time?"

The whip fell again and again on Alice's body. Her ears rang with a sharp buzz, drowning out Camden's response.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, she could only make out Camden and Hubert exchanging words.

Then, Hubert nodded in agreement.

Moments later, Camden swept Elena into his arms and hurriedly turned away. Holding her close, he strode in the opposite direction without sparing Alice even a single glance.

Alice burst out in laughter, one that was tinged with despair and brokenness, feeling as if the blood in her veins had turned to ice.

The pain of receiving 99 lashes paled in comparison to the heart-wrenching agony tearing her apart inside.

On the horizon, the setting sun bled across the sky. A seagull landed upon her, its snow-white feathers instantly stained crimson.

It turned out Camden's so-called "match made in heaven", their bond forged through life and death, was nothing more than this.

As Alice struggled with her last breath, the world before her eyes gradually blurred.

If there were a next life, she would never love Camden again.