Jessica had been the one to arrange Edgar's parents' burial.

On the day of the funeral, Edgar had locked himself in a wardrobe again. When Jessica found him there, she hadn't forced him to come out. Instead, she'd opened the door and climbed inside to sit beside him.

"Jess, is a coffin as dark and cold as this?" Edgar had asked her with red-rimmed eyes. "I dreamed of Mom. She told me to join her in her coffin because she's scared and cold all alone…"

"That was just a dream," Jessica had said gently. "Don't be afraid. You're not going anywhere. I won't let anyone take you away from me."

Edgar had wrapped his arms around her neck and whispered in her ear, "As long as you're with me, even being locked in a coffin wouldn't scare me."

…

It seemed Jessica still remembered that moment vividly, which was why she must have misunderstood. She thought Edgar was using an excuse for another veiled confession of his feelings for her.

"If you don't like it, I'll change my design topic," Edgar said softly. "It's just an assignment. Please don't be upset, Jess."

While Jessica was still angry, Cooper hurriedly chimed in with a conciliatory smile. "Yeah, you should change it to something else. Coffins are so morbid. Young people like you should think positively and be a bit more cheerful."

Edgar gathered the scattered documents from the floor. Then, he threw them all into the trash in front of Jessica. Only then did her tense expression ease slightly.

That night, when everyone was asleep, Edgar got up and tiptoed to the trash can to retrieve the discarded documents.

As he returned to his room, he bumped into Cooper, who was emerging from Jessica's room.

Cooper was wearing a loosely tied robe, exposing his body that was marked with traces of intimacy, including red scratches and faint bruises.

One didn't need to guess what had transpired in that room.

Edgar forced himself to look away while repeating in his mind, "Don't look. Don't think about it. He's Jessica's fiancé. Whatever they do, it's normal."

Jessica loved him. If Cooper was able to give her the happiness she deserved, that was all that mattered.

"Edgar, why can't you look me in the eye?" Cooper's tone was full of mockery, which was a stark contrast to his friendliness from earlier. "Even now, you can't accept the fact that Jessica loves me and not you?"

Edgar lowered his gaze and responded, "No. I've already accepted it."

"Drop your act." Cooper sneered disdainfully. "You think I don't see the way you look at Jessica? It's not normal. She raised you. She's like a mother to you. Edgar, are you some kind of sick pervert?"

Edgar said nothing.

Was he… really twisted?

That explained why Jessica had grown so disgusted with him after learning of his feelings. To everyone else, his love must have seemed revolting.

"I heard you became an orphan because your mother lost her mind and stabbed your father over 100 times in his sleep. She hacked him to death," Cooper continued, his tone deliberately provoking. "No wonder you're such a freak. It runs in the family. Your mother was deranged, and so are you."

Edgar could endure Cooper's insults about himself but not about his late parents.

"Shut up!" he roared as he lunged forward and grabbed Cooper by the throat. "You don't know the full story! You have no right—"

Before he could finish, a furious voice yelled, "Edgar, what the hell are you doing?"

Jessica stood in the doorway, glaring at Edgar, looking livid.

Cooper explained, "Jessica, don't blame Edgar. It's my fault.

"I thought it was so late that Edgar would already be asleep, so I didn't bother to put on a shirt. But as soon as I opened the door, I ran into him. He saw the marks on me and started calling me shameless. He said someone like me doesn't deserve to be with you."

Just like that, Cooper painted Edgar as a twisted man who lurked outside Jessica's door late at night, eavesdropping out of jealousy and violently attacking her fiancé.

"He's lying! I didn't say any of that!" Edgar's eyes turned red at the corners as he protested. "He deliberately provoked me by bringing up my parents and… and calling my mom deranged!"

When Edgar was in elementary school, his classmates had bullied him because of his mother's story. They'd formed a circle around him, throwing trash at him while chanting, "Crazy kid with a crazy mom."

Jessica had been the one to step in and resolve the situation.

Surely, she knew he wouldn't lie about something like this, as that incident had traumatized him.

"Edgar, what are you talking about?" Cooper put on a confused expression. "What happened to your parents? All I know is that they passed away when you were very young. I don't know anything else."

Jessica gently comforted Cooper before turning to Edgar with a stern look. Disappointment was written across her face as she said, "Edgar, I never expected you to stoop so low just to slander Cooper! He knows nothing about your past. I never told him about it."

"He could've looked it up online," Edgar retorted, still upset. "It was all over the internet—"

"Enough!" Jessica cut him off sharply. "Do you think everyone is as malicious and petty as you? Always twisting the truth to stir up trouble?"

Edgar froze.

Malicious. Petty. Twisting the truth.

So this was how Jessica saw him.

At that moment, any words of defense felt meaningless.

"Apologize to Cooper immediately," Jessica commanded coldly.

Edgar stayed quiet. He refused to apologize because he did nothing wrong. Cooper was the one who should apologize!

"Looks like I've spoiled you for too long," Jessica added. "But not anymore. From today onward, you're not allowed to leave your room. Stay inside and reflect on your actions. When you've thought it through and are ready to apologize, you can come out."

For as long as Edgar could remember, Jessica had always been the one to defend him. But this time, she had chosen to defend another man.

Back in his room, Edgar curled up on his bed. Even so, he felt freezing cold.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed with a message from Harry.

"Mr. Lawrie, your physical examination results are out. Based on our research, your optimal cryopreservation window is between December 7 and 21. Please select a date at your convenience."

December was the next month.

Edgar's chest ached at the thought. He stared into the darkness for a long time before his trembling hands finally typed out his chosen date—December 12.

Not only was December 12 his birthday, but it was also Jessica and Cooper's wedding day.

There was no need for him to attend their wedding since Jessica was already fed up with him. His presence would only ruin their day.

Thus, Edgar decided he would leave quietly without bothering anyone.

December was just around the corner, leaving Edgar with little time. There were still so many things he needed to do, and he didn't want to waste all of it locked in his room. Therefore, he swallowed his pride and went to Jessica to apologize.

"Jess, I've thought it through. It was all my fault. I'm sorry."

But Jessica's face remained impassive, and her gaze was devoid of the tenderness and indulgence that once directed at him. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. It's Cooper."

Edgar realized with deep sadness that her tenderness and care had already been given to another man.

"Fine! I'll apologize to him!" Edgar's entire body shook with emotion as he blurted, "Cooper, you're my brother-in-law. I'm sorry for what I did! "

The title stunned Jessica momentarily. She couldn't quite believe what she had just heard.

"Is this enough, Jess?" Edgar asked with a mocking smile. But as the smile lingered, his eyes began to redden. "Are you satisfied now?"

Jessica should have felt satisfied. But for reasons she couldn't explain, hearing him admit fault and call Cooper his brother-in-law left her feeling unsettled.

She averted her gaze, unable to look at Edgar any longer, and said, "From today onward, you'll move to a room downstairs."

Edgar froze for a moment before the realization sank in. Jessica believed Cooper.

He wondered in despair, "Jess, do you really think I'm the kind of person who would lurk outside your bedroom door, listening to what you do with another man? Is this what you think of me?"

The icy feeling returned, and Edgar felt the world spin around him, nearly making him collapse. But he didn't fall. Instead, he steadied himself against the wall, gritting his teeth to stay upright.

"Fine."

If Jessica wanted him to move downstairs, he would. Anyway, he didn't have long to live.

That evening, Edgar visited the cryonics lab again. He needed to discuss with Harry where his body would be stored after the procedure.

"I read in the documents that you also have cryostorage facilities underwater. Is that true?" Edgar asked.

"Of course," Harry replied. "Actually, most of our storage units are located under the sea. Maintaining the cryonic capsules on land at temperatures below minus several hundred degrees requires enormous energy. But underwater, the naturally low temperatures drastically reduce energy consumption."

"Perfect," Edgar said with a smile. "I'd like my capsule to be stored underwater."

"May I ask why?"

"Because that's a place where the star can't find me."

The star had been a gift from Jessica. She once told him that no matter where he went, the star would follow and always watch over him for her.

But now, Jessica didn't love him anymore.

And soon, he would die.

It would be too depressing for the star to guard a corpse that no one cared about. So, Edgar decided to set it free by disappearing into the depths where even starlight couldn't reach.

He would go away quietly.

To avoid seeing Cooper, Edgar deliberately stayed out late. Nonetheless, when he finally returned home, the villa was still brightly lit. Jessica sat in the living room, her face clouded with anger.

"Jess, what's wrong?" Edgar asked dumbfoundedly. He couldn't think of what he might have done wrong since he'd spent the whole day away from home.

Jessica threw a stack of papers at him, barely containing her fury as she demanded, "Explain yourself!"

Looking down, Edgar saw the scattered documents on the floor. Among them was his cancer diagnosis.