During a classmates' reunion party, the villa unexpectedly collapses, trapping both Priscilla Hobbs, my husband's true love, and me beneath the fallen ceiling.

My husband is a member of the rescue team. To keep Priscilla alive, he chooses to lift the ceiling from her side. He says, "Pris is an actress. She can't be crippled."

The ceiling crushes my legs as it's lifted from the other end. My husband seems to have forgotten that I have a congenital blood clotting disorder. Without my legs, I'll die…

The class reunion had just ended when the villa hosting it suddenly collapsed.

Priscilla Hobbs and I were both trapped beneath a massive concrete slab.

Her legs were pinned down by steel bars, while mine had been crushed, the pain unbearable.

Joel Xander arrived with the rescue team at this critical moment.

One of his subordinates hesitated and asked, "Mr. Xander, Mrs. Xander's condition doesn't look good. Should we get her out first?"

But without a second thought, Joel picked up his tools and began prying the slab off Priscilla.

"Priscilla is an actress. If her legs are broken, her life will be ruined."

His voice was cold, as if I were nothing more than a stranger.

Fighting through the pain, I pleaded with tears in my voice, "Joel, you know I have a congenital blood clotting disorder. If you keep prying that thing, my legs will break. I'll bleed out and die!"

Even now, I naively hoped that Joel would show me a sliver of compassion.

We had spent seven years together. Even if he didn't love me, shouldn't he at least care about me?

But the only response I got was the searing agony of my bones gradually being crushed under the slab.

With no anesthesia, the pain of my bones shattering gnawed at me.

Blood soaked the ground beneath me, mingling with my tears.

I was in so much pain I nearly passed out, but I still heard Joel's cold voice through the haze. "Aurora, I can only save one of you. Just hold on."

I stopped struggling. My broken heart finally gave up.

The pain of my bones being torn apart was nothing compared to the pain inside me.

Seven years—long enough for a tree to root deeply.

Yet Joel, a living, breathing man, remained cold and heartless.

By the time I was carried into the ambulance, my unstoppable bleeding had soaked my clothes.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Priscilla throwing herself into Joel's arms, her face streaked with tears.

As he carried her onto the vehicle, I closed my eyes forever.

A weight lifted from my body, and my soul drifted out of the ambulance.

Then, it floated into Joel's car.

Priscilla curled up pitifully in his arms.

"Joel, are my legs broken? Will I still be able to act?"

A mere frown from her was enough to make Joel's heart melt with concern.

He comforted her over and over again. "As long as I'm here, your legs will be fine. Be good and get some rest. It won't hurt anymore when you wake up."

Watching them embrace, I felt my heart twist in agony.

In seven years, he had never spoken to me with such tenderness.

I had always told myself he was just naturally reserved. That was until last year, when Priscilla returned to the country. He'd gotten drunk and let the truth slip.

"Aurora, I should never have married you. Priscilla is the only one I've ever cared about. I had no choice back then, but I regret it now."

Seven years ago, Darwin Xander was imprisoned, and Sofia Gill was gravely ill.

Desperate to save his parents and out of options, Joel came to me.

The day before the graduation ball, he cornered me outside the dormitory, looking utterly defeated as he held me tight.

"Aurora, you like me, don't you?"

My crush on him was no secret. But hearing him say it out loud left me flustered and speechless.

Joel clung to me, his voice choked with emotion. "I'll marry you, so lend me 30 thousand dollars, okay?"

To my family, 30 thousand dollars wasn't a big deal.

Seeing the redness in his eyes, I trembled as I nodded.

I truly loved Joel. I was willing to give anything to be with him.

He kept his word. When Sofia's surgery was a success, he married me.

Perhaps he never loved me.

On our wedding night, he lay with his back to me, clutching Priscilla's photo, unable to sleep.

I believed love could grow over time. But I never imagined he would only resent me more.

A blind man who regained his sight would always discard his cane first.

Once Joel had secured his place in this city, I became nothing more than a shameful reminder of his past.

While he climbed the ranks, I remained the festering wound beneath his polished facade, a constant reminder of the desperate man he once was.

He hated me—just as much as he hated the powerless version of himself who had to sell his dignity for money.

Now that I was dead, he could finally breathe easy.

Finally, seven years of entanglement, love, and resentment came to an end.

Thinking of this, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

When I came to my senses, Joel had already carried Priscilla into a ward.

The doctor said Priscilla only had minor injuries, yet he still refused to leave her side.

One of his subordinates couldn't stand it anymore and softly reminded him, "Mr. Xander, Mrs. Xander's condition isn't good. Her legs were crushed. Shouldn't you at least check on her?"

Joel hesitated for a moment, but before he could move, Priscilla pitifully clutched his hand. "Joel, I'm scared. What if I fall asleep and wake up to find my legs broken? Can you stay with me?"

As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look like a wounded little rabbit.

His heart softened instantly, and he gently reassured her, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. I won't go anywhere."

His subordinate stomped his foot in frustration. "Mr. Xander, Mrs. Xander's legs are broken! Can't you at least take a look?"

Joel snapped, "What do you expect me to do? I'm not a doctor or a nurse. Am I supposed to operate on her myself? What? Will her legs magically heal if I go?"

Each word stabbed into my heart like a dagger.

After seven years of pouring my heart and soul into this marriage, I found that, in the end, I couldn't even get him to visit me once.

"Joel, you can finally pursue your true love openly now. There's no longer a 'burden' like me standing in your way," I murmured as a floating spirit.

His subordinate stormed off in frustration.

At that moment, Joel's phone rang. It was Sofia calling.

"Joel, where are you? Come to the hospital quickly to visit Aurora!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, making my nose sting with emotion.

She always said that my family saved her life, defended me, and treated me better than Joel ever did.

I had promised to take her on a trip this weekend—but I couldn't keep that promise.

Joel opened his mouth to respond, but Priscilla threw herself into his arms before he could say anything.

"Mom, I'm busy. I really can't leave right now."

"But—"

Before Sofia could finish, Joel decisively hung up the phone.

I laughed bitterly to myself.

Look at them—so deeply in love. If I hadn't died, I would be the one ruining the mood.

Priscilla clung tightly to Joel's waist, sobbing.

"Joel, I envy Aurora so much. She has family and friends, and even your mother loves her… But I only have you. What will I do if you leave me one day?"

He hesitated, raising his hand slightly but gently placing it on her shoulder.

For the next few days, he never left her bedside.

He clumsily helped her wash her face and comb her hair every morning, even personally washing her lingerie.

Like a pathetic thief, I could only hide in the shadows, watching my husband shower another woman with love and care without restraint.

An indescribable bitterness welled up in my chest.

I remembered the time I had a high fever and begged Joel to make a herbal tea for me. Of course, he didn't even bother.

Through tear-filled eyes, I had asked him why he couldn't care for me just once.

He brushed me off, saying, "I'm not a considerate kind of man. I don't know how to take care of people."

Watching him now, searching online for the best ways to care for Priscilla while running around attending to her every need, I finally understood.

There was no inconsiderate man who didn't know how to care for people.

He simply never wanted to care for me.

On the third day, my best friend, Eileen Newman, arrived at the hospital with my death certificate in hand.

"You heartless bastard! Aurora is lying alone in the morgue, and you two are flirting like nothing happened!"

The moment she entered, she slapped Joel hard across the face.

He wasn't expecting it, and his cheek instantly swelled red, but he clenched his jaw and swallowed his anger.

"Aurora is your best friend. At least have some respect for her. Do you think it's appropriate to talk about her like she's dead?"

"Aurora is your wife! She was being resuscitated, and you didn't even care. Instead, you stayed here with your mistress. Do you think that's appropriate?"