I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

Removing gallbladder polyps is a simple procedure.Painful?Maybe.But nothing compared to terminal cancer.

No one was worried about my pain.

For the first time,I seriously considered divorcing Alexander.

“Please let me stay,”Chelsea said,her sweet voice dripping with manipulation.

My stomach churned as another wave of pain hit me.I glared at her and said coldly,"Get out of my house."

As soon as I spoke,Alexander appeared from the master bedroom,a bathrobe wrapped around him,droplets of water still glistening in his hair.He had just showered.

His disapproving gaze fell on me.“Chelsea helped me through a rough time.She’s sick now and has no family in the city.There’s plenty of space here.What’s the harm in her staying for a few days?Madeline,when did you become so cold-hearted?”

A sharp pain spread from my abdomen to my chest,making me double over.

We’d been together for over a decade.Everyone knew how deeply he once loved me.I never imagined he would accuse me of being cold-hearted for the sake of another woman.

Disappointment and agony swallowed me whole,making each breath feel torturous.

I didn’t want to cry in front of someone who had betrayed me.But when I opened my mouth,my voice cracked,choked with emotion.“A-Alexander,I’m sick too.”

He paused for a moment,and for a fleeting second,I saw a flicker of concern in his dark eyes.

But it vanished as quickly as it came.His perfect face turned indifferent,annoyed.

“Do you always have to compete with Chelsea?Are you done being irrational,Madeline?”

So that’s what I was to him—irrational.Even when I told him I was sick.

I stared up at his beautiful,unrecognizable face,memories flooding back to the days after my brother passed.

Alexander was 18 back then.He couldn’t bear to see me sad,so he did everything to make me smile again.

He carried me on his back,running through the spring breeze,holding me under the stars as he made promises.He said he would love me for a thousand years,that he’d never let me be sad.

If he broke his promise,he’d swallow a thousand needles.

But in the end,he did break it.

The vows we made were still fresh in my mind,but the boy who kissed me in the spring wind was gone.

“Madeline,don’t misunderstand.There’s nothing going on between me and Alexander,”Chelsea said,her eyes red,tears perfectly placed on her face.

“The shower in my room is broken.That’s why I used your bathroom.I’ll take my things and go back to the guest room.Don’t worry,I won’t get in the way.”

She turned to leave,and that’s when I saw it—the lacy lingerie scattered across the bed I shared with Alexander.

It wasn’t mine.

I’d always been conservative in my clothing choices,but this lingerie was bold,seductive—entirely Chelsea’s style.

Even if she only came in to shower,there was no reason to leave her undergarments lying on my bed.

It was clear she hadn’t just used the bathroom.

There was no way Alexander didn’t understand her intentions,but he chose to let her get away with it.

He even seemed to enjoy it.

Crash!

The sharp sound of something breaking pulled me from my thoughts.My eyes snapped to the ground,where my necklace lay shattered.

A flash of malice crossed Chelsea’s face before her innocent expression returned.

“I’m so sorry.I didn’t mean to.I didn’t notice it was on the floor and accidentally stepped on it.I really didn’t mean it.”

I stared at the broken necklace,tears welling up uncontrollably.

It had been a gift from my brother.

When I was 17,I survived a near-fatal car accident that turned my world upside down.My brother,determined to help me heal,had heard about a powerful amulet from a local legend.Without hesitation,he trekked up the steep hill to the old chapel,kneeling to pray at each step.When he returned,he brought me a necklace—a symbol of his unwavering belief that it would protect me on my journey to recovery.

Coincidence or divine intervention,the day after he gave it to me,I woke up from my coma.

Now,standing on the brink of death,that necklace lay shattered.

My brother died a month after giving it to me.He was a firefighter who sacrificed himself to save a little girl.

That girl was Chelsea.

She survived that night because of my brother’s sacrifice,yet her family never thanked him.Her mother even said,“It’s his duty as a firefighter.I won’t be guilt-tripped into gratitude.”

Now,the same girl whose life my brother saved was living in my house,destroying his last gift to me.

That necklace could never be repaired—just like my brother could never be brought back.Just like how I couldn’t escape my fate of dying before 27.

“I didn’t mean it…I’m really sorry…”Chelsea whimpered.

"Get out!"

Hearing her fake sobs,I finally lost control.I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

“Ugh!”

“Madeline!”

Chelsea was sobbing uncontrollably,feeling like the whole world was against her.

Alexander,clearly worried I might hurt Chelsea again,instinctively pushed me away.

I hadn’t eaten;my stomach and back were in such agony that I could barely stand.The weakness overwhelmed me,and with his strong shove,I stumbled and fell to the ground.

“Madeline…”

Seeing me fall,Alexander finally panicked.

He sent Chelsea out of the room and quickly bent down,wrapping his arms around me gently.

“It’s just a necklace.If it’s broken,we can buy another.Why did you have to hit Chelsea?”He paused,searching my eyes.“Can you just stop?Chelsea helped me when I needed it.Now she’s sick,and I can’t just ignore her.”

I felt more and more like a stranger to Alexander.

My husband seemed to have truly moved on.

He knew that necklace meant everything to me,yet he brushed it off so casually for Chelsea’s sake.

Suddenly,I regretted loving him so much back then.Noticing my silence,he thought I was still angry about what happened that night in the private room.

He tightened his grip and softened his tone,trying to calm me.“That night…I just wanted to help Chelsea.She reminds me so much of you when you were younger.Seeing her with those same beautiful eyes,I couldn’t bear to watch her suffer.”

Sure,Chelsea had a vibrant,youthful face that mirrored mine at seventeen.

But hearing Alexander say that didn’t touch me at all;I couldn’t understand.

I used to laugh when I heard about someone looking for a replacement,but now that it was happening to me,it just felt tragic.

I was still alive—why was he looking for someone else?

Being seventeen had its own beauty,and so did being twenty-seven,with its wisdom and experiences.I couldn't grasp why he needed another girl to remember who I used to be.Really,Alexander was being too hasty.He should have waited another month or so.Let me take my last breath,let my vibrant body turn to ashes,and then he could seek a replacement,a true love,whatever.

But not while I was still here,with him using someone else to reminisce about the past,leaving me with nothing but the remnants of what we had.His actions made my years of love for him feel like a joke.

“Alexander,you should wait a little longer.”I didn’t like playing games,so after a moment of silence,I spoke with a mix of self-mockery and sorrow.

“I’m not lying to you;I’m sick.I might have a month left.You should wait until I’m gone before moving on with Chelsea.”

“Are you really cursing yourself just to push Chelsea away?”Alexander’s arms around me loosened.

Displeasure and disappointment filled his eyes as he looked at me.“That night,if Chelsea hadn’t warned me about the drink,I could’ve been in real trouble with another woman!She helped me too.Now that she’s sick,what’s wrong with taking care of her?Why do you have to target her?”

I felt like Chelsea had approached him on purpose that night.Even if she did inadvertently help him,he could support her in other ways,like hiring a caregiver or finding a good rehab center.There was no need to bring her home.

The pain in my stomach intensified,and seeing the coldness in Alexander’s eyes made me feel like arguing with him was pointless.

I forced myself to stand up,enduring the sharp pain.“If you can’t let Chelsea go,then I’ll leave.If I walk out today,I won’t come back!”

Just as I was about to turn and walk away, Alexander’s voice cut through the air.

“Madeline, how long are you going to throw this tantrum?”

He stepped closer, gripping my wrist tightly, catching me off guard. His once captivating dark eyes now burned with anger and hostility. “Stop threatening to leave! If you do, the company will cut off funding for the Sunrise Orphanage!”

I froze, disbelief coursing through me. I never expected Alexander would wield the orphanage’s funding as a weapon against me.

I lost my parents when I was just over a year old. My brother and I grew up at the Sunrise Orphanage. My biggest dream as a child was to make enough money one day so the kids there could wear new clothes and never go hungry.

Later, I joined Alexander in his business ventures. We squeezed into a cramped basement, where he kissed me passionately, promising that once he made it big, he’d make sure the orphanage kids had happy childhoods.

When he finally achieved success, he kept that promise. He expanded the Sunrise Orphanage and donated generously each year. Seeing the smiles on those kids’ faces filled me with warmth and hope.

But now, I was blindsided by the realization that the precious warmth he once offered could be twisted into a threat.

I hated feeling cornered.

In the final moments of my life, I didn’t want to share a roof with Alexander and Chelsea, but his power loomed over me like a dark cloud. I feared he would cut off the orphanage’s funding and hurt the kind woman who had cared for me like a mother, leaving me no choice but to comply.

As I remained silent, his anger seemed to wane just a little.

Suddenly, his phone rang insistently. It was Chelsea, on the other end, whining about a stomachache. He hurried out of the bedroom, leaving me alone.

“Buddy…”

Just as he stepped out, my golden retriever, whom I’d raised for twelve years, limped in.

After our fight in the private room, I hadn’t returned to the yard; I went straight to a hotel, leaving Buddy behind. The house staff knew how much I adored him and took good care of him. In the ten days I’d been gone, he’d put on a bit of weight.

Buddy sensed my sadness and curled up his injured leg, half-sitting in front of me, nudging my hand gently with his head.

I knew he was trying to comfort me.

I hated feeling this way, but Alexander’s favoritism toward Chelsea was tearing me apart.

I couldn’t bear the thought of parting with Buddy. His clumsy attempts to cheer me up broke down my defenses, and I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer.

I hugged him tightly, letting the floodgates open.

“Buddy, it feels like he’s changed. I thought a heart could only hold one person at a time. When someone says they love you, it should last forever. I never imagined he could fall for another girl. He should have waited a little longer. I won’t take up too much of his time, but he won’t even wait a month. Why is he in such a rush?”

My tears fell onto Buddy’s soft fur, and I could see the worry in his eyes, glistening with moisture as well.

He nudged my palm again, as if pleading for me to find some happiness.

I didn’t want Buddy to share in my sadness. After squeezing him one more time, I reluctantly returned him to his little bed.

The pain in my body persisted, even after taking painkillers, and I tossed and turned until I finally succumbed to a restless sleep.

In my dreams, I was seventeen again, reliving a nightmare. Alexander’s gambling-addicted father, fueled by anger and alcohol, lunged at him with a knife. As I watched the blade glint ominously in the dim light, fear gripped me, but my instinct to protect Alexander overwhelmed it. Without thinking, I jumped in front of him.

The knife cut my left shoulder, and Alexander went wild, unleashing his fury on his father. My injury wasn’t severe, but the normally wild and fearless boy collapsed into my arms, sobbing like a child.

“Don’t ever do something so reckless again,” he begged, his voice breaking. “I can’t lose you. Without you, life means nothing.”

At eighteen, I believed Alexander loved me deeply.

But now, at twenty-eight, he was willing to hurt me for someone else.

He used to fear for my safety, but now, when I told him I was dying, he looked at me with annoyance, as if my suffering was an inconvenience.

I jolted awake, clutching my aching chest.

The scent of Chelsea’s perfume hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I couldn’t take it anymore; I needed fresh air.

As I stepped outside, horror seized me. There was Chelsea, kicking my loyal Buddy down the stairs from the second floor!

“Buddy!”

Panic surged through me. Even though I was barely steady on my feet, I stumbled down the stairs to the living room. I took the last few steps in a tumble, landing hard.

And there he was—my Buddy—curled up in a pool of blood, his golden fur soaked and matted. He looked up at me with a sorrowful gaze, tears glistening in his eyes, and then he lay still, unable to close them for the last time.

He’d never hurt anyone. Just sitting quietly in the hallway, he didn’t deserve this brutal fate.

“B-Buddy, wake up! Please, just wake up!”

Ignoring the blood covering him, I cradled Buddy in my arms, begging him to come back to me. But he was gone—his breath no longer there, his eyes forever closed.

Buddy had been a stray I took in years ago. When I first found him, he was just a tiny, starving pup. I’d only tossed him a few scraps, but he’d saved my brother and me from a gang once. He’d jumped in front of us, getting hurt in the process, and I couldn’t abandon him after that.

I named him Buddy, hoping he’d stay with me forever. But now, he was gone, and the thought of the monster who took him from me made my blood boil.

Fueled by rage, I pushed Chelsea, who had followed me down the stairs, hard to the ground.

“Ah!”

Ignoring her screams, I pounced on her, grappling with her as I struggled to lash out in any way I could. I spotted a teacup on the coffee table and smashed it, grabbing a shard of glass. I jabbed at her, lost in my fury. My own palm was cut and bleeding, but I felt nothing; all I could think about was avenging Buddy.

“Alexander, help! Madeline’s gone crazy! She’s trying to kill me!”

But I couldn’t finish what I started. I was so weak, my energy nearly spent. I managed only to scratch her shoulder before Alexander came rushing down.

He yanked me off her, cradling Chelsea protectively in his arms. His eyes, usually warm and loving, were now filled with concern and disappointment.

“Madeline, what are you doing?! Chelsea is sick! You can’t just attack her like this! Apologize to her!” he demanded.

I lifted my gaze, feeling numb as I looked into his eyes, frantic with worry for her. In that moment, I struggled to remember the face of the eighteen-year-old Alexander—the boy who once gave me warmth but now felt like a stranger pushing me into darkness.

Finally, I managed to speak, almost like I was in a daze. “B-Buddy’s dead. Chelsea kicked him to death…She…She killed Buddy! I wish I could make her pay for what she did—how could I possibly apologize?!”

“What did you just say?”

Alexander froze for a moment, his expression shifting as he noticed Buddy’s still body lying in the blood. The same dog who had once risked everything to save us.