"Honey, your future husband misses you so much. Come on, give me a hug…"

Ashlyn felt a wave of nausea rise and quickly pushed him away. "I don’t feel so well today, so let’s not."

"Baby, I only have time tonight. I have to go back to the set early tomorrow morning. Don’t you understand how much I’ve missed you?" Davis’s face darkened as he reached to untie his bath towel.

"Davis, don’t force me," Ashlyn said, her voice icy and resolute.

Davis was always wary of her anger, so he awkwardly retied his towel and softened his tone to coax her.

"Okay, okay, little princess. If you don’t want to, how could I dare force you? Come on, I’ll just hug you to sleep."

Relieved, he lay down. He was exhausted from the previous night, so it was good that we did not have to do anything tonight.

Within just two minutes, he was sound asleep.

Ashlyn, however, spent the night on the sofa. The thought of sharing the same bed with him was unbearable.

"Is he really worth it?" Looking at the girl in the photo and thinking of the chaotic scenes she had uncovered, Ashlyn could not help but murmur bitterly to herself.

"Miss, who even are you? If you’re not going to take a photo, why block the way? If you’re not a fan, you wouldn’t understand what it’s like to have mutual devotion! I suggest you take the bus home early and change the baby’s diaper."

The aggressive words stung and Ashlyn bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ten years had passed and while Davis had risen to fame as a high-quality idol, she had faded into the background as an unnoticed assistant, her sacrifices unseen and unacknowledged.

Not far away, a Rolls-Royce pulled up and stopped in front of her.

"Ashlyn, the doctor is ready. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Lindsey, an assistant, asked with a pleading look in her eyes.

As a woman, she understood the weight of Ashlyn’s decision. It was not easy to conceive a child, especially for Ashlyn. Three years ago, she had unknowingly fallen pregnant. While tirelessly managing Davis’s business, a drunken fall had led to a devastating miscarriage.

Every endorsement he secured had been paid for with Ashlyn’s sweat and blood.

After the dilation and curettage surgery, the doctor warned her about her thin uterine wall and told her to stay cautious about the chance of carrying another pregnancy.

"Let’s go," Ashlyn closed the car door firmly. There was no hesitation in her voice.

It was only after the "harem selection" event that she discovered her pregnancy. At the time, she had severe abdominal pain and could not go for a proper check-up. In the end, she learned the sad news that she was also suffering from ALS.

Her body was as rotten as her love. How could she even nourish a new life like a child?

Leaving the child was, perhaps, her only release.

As the Rolls-Royce sped through the streets, every bus stop displayed the glaring image of Davis proposing with a diamond ring in his hand.

Every time they passed by, the sight cut through Ashlyn’s heart like a knife.

In their ten years together, Davis had proposed to her 31 times.

The last proposal was the scene framed by this huge poster.

Photography allowed him to express his true feelings. It was when he pulled Ashlyn over and said. "Marry me." with genuine tears in his eyes. The sincerity had moved even the staff to tears.

He proposed two or three times a year. During his travels, after winning luxury endorsements and after blockbuster movie successes.Each time, he had professed undying love.

"Marry me, Ashlyn Anderson. I will only love you in this lifetime."

This proposal made the 28-year-old Ashlyn’s heart fluttering. She had grown weary of their secret romance and no longer wanted to only see Davis's bright future alone.

She longed for a family and a child.

The wedding sponsors had already been chosen and once the pre-wedding photos were taken, the long-awaited ceremony would follow.

Davis had once assured her that even if he fell from the peak of his career to the very bottom, he would not regret it. He would make everything public the day they received their marriage certificate.

Yet, Ashlyn could not understand how a man who had professed such deep love, who claimed he was willing to sacrifice his future for her, could now orchestrate something as humiliating as a "harem selection" thing?

Was he truly tired of her, or had he simply succumbed to the allure of fleeting temptations from the outside world?

She could not help but think back to the darkest days when she and her mother needed to earn money for her teenage brother, who was diagnosed with ALS in high school.

It was Davis who, during his work-study program, borrowed money from his family and poured his heart into winning first place in the district's art performance competition, all to save up for her brother's medical treatment. Later, his talent was noticed by an entertainment company and became a star.

In those early years, every penny he earned was handed over to Ashlyn without hesitation.

He once said that her brother was also his and he would do his best to make sure he survived another day.

From the moment they became a couple, Ashlyn had made a solemn vow to herself that she would be his for the rest of their lives, to love, protect and never abandon him.

No matter how murky the waters of the entertainment industry became, Ashlyn trusted him without question. She dedicated herself fully to being his manager.

Yet, the greatest pain she endured was not the nights of drinking until she vomited or the heartbreak of losing their child. It was watching him achieve fame while maintaining the facade of being single, crafting a public image built on secrets and carrying the weight of a hidden "stain" he could never speak of.

Six months ago, Ashlyn’s younger brother became completely paralyzed. In an act of devotion, she assigned several of Davis’s assistants to help care for him.

But despite her efforts, her brother could not hold on. On the day of his cremation, Davis was nowhere to be found.

Ashlyn had also discovered in the past few days that Davis, who claimed to have stayed up late filming and had no free time, had been intimate with the woman he connected with through a friend request just the previous night.

Ever since this woman appeared half a month ago, her posts on social media had frequently overlapped with Davis's activities.

The places they met were unsettling, such as before the makeup mirror late at night on set, in the privacy of a luxury RV, or, most disturbingly, in the very "home" she and Davis shared.

ALS was incurable and the quality of life in its final stages would plummet to almost nothing.

Ashlyn could not bear the thought of remaining trapped in this suffocating house, waiting until she could no longer move any part of her body except her eyes.

She contacted her old friend, Finn Prescott, who was a medical student she met at university. She found out that he was now involved in the research of "frozen human". This experimental program had become a final refuge for many suffering from terminal illnesses who were caught between waiting for a miracle and accepting the inevitability of death.

Without hesitation, Ashlyn signed her name onto the program.

That night, she would end the pregnancy and there was still one month left before the procedure.

Regardless of whether freezing offered any chance of revival, Ashlyn had made up her mind as she simply wanted to leave the jerk.

Maria Hospital was known for its exclusive services to premium clients. Even in the dead of night, the procedure was carried out as scheduled.

Three hours later, Ashlyn awoke, her body emptied of the child she could no longer bear to carry. As part of their agreement, the hospital preserved samples of the child for her.

She signed a strict confidentiality agreement, ensuring the medical records would only show information of a routine physical examination and the removal of intestinal polyps.

By noon the following day, Davis arrived in a rush with his bloodshot eyes.

"Baby, you're not feeling well, hmm? Why didn’t you tell me to come with you? No matter how critical the filming schedule, nothing is more important than you."

Ashlyn remained silent. Seeing her unresponsive, Davis grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest. "It’s my fault, all my fault. You said you weren’t feeling well that night and I didn’t insist on taking you to the hospital. I was wrong, baby!"

Ashlyn nodded faintly, her face still drained of color.

"Thankfully, it was just intestinal polyps. You’ll be discharged in two days. Once you’re better, I’ll take you somewhere nice."

His red-rimmed eyes and solemn demeanor gave the illusion of a man deeply heartbroken.

"Go back to the set. Don’t delay everyone else because of me." Ashlyn did not want to see him for a minute now.

"I’m not leaving. I’ll stay with you tonight. I bought you some soup. Be good and let me feed you."

He carefully scooped the soup, blowing on it to cool it down before offering it to her lips.

"Baby, take care of yourself. Once you're healthy, we’ll get our marriage certificate. After that, let’s try to get a child. I’ve already quit smoking for you," he whispered softly in her ear.

Outside the room, a group of young nurses passed by, stealing glances and whispering among themselves.

"Is that really Davis? I thought he was single. He actually has a girlfriend?"

"This is her former manager. He came to visit out of friendship."

"I really want to be his manager. I want to be treated by Davis! He looks a hundred times better in person than on TV!"

"Yes, my God! A man like him is so pure, without a single scandal. Let me marry him in my dreams!"

Buzz.

Suddenly, Davis's phone rang. He glanced at it and his gaze unknowingly drifted toward the window.

"Um... honey, the director said the last scene has to be re-shot. I can’t stay with you tonight. I’m sorry. You’ll have to manage on your own tonight."

"Okay, go ahead," Ashlyn replied with a light tone.

Get out, get out, get out of here.

After Davis left, Ashlyn opened her social media.

[Geez! He just told me to continue tonight and try out the bathroom. He is so romantic, I can’t live without him anymore. What should I do?]

The overwhelming tears finally erupted. Ashlyn retched as she cried, losing track of time and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke, it was already past midnight.

The girl posted on her Moments once again. [He said I’m really good at cooking. Well, next time, I’ll cook at his home!]

The first picture was of a girl in a misty bathroom, her fair skin glowing with a soft, reddish hue. Only a third of her profile was captured in the shot, her eyes and eyebrows exuding an undeniable charm.

The second picture featured a digitally altered background. Two fingertips, delicately holding a cigarette, appeared in the scene, the lingering smoke curling up in the air, evoking endless thoughts and dreams.

After ten years of companionship, Ashlyn knew every inch of Davis's body. Who else could it be if not him?

With no sleep at all, Ashlyn made a call.

"Lindsey, please help me move tomorrow."

Lindsey, who had been with the team for over six years, had never seen Ashlyn so utterly lost. Even when her brother passed away, she never cried in front of others.

But this time, she refused the doctor’s suggestion to rest for a few days and insisted on standing tall, her posture unyielding like a tree. As tears fell, she stared blankly at the movers, unloading her belongings one by one. Lindsey wanted to urge her to sit down and take a break, but Ashlyn only muttered one word.

"Dirty."

Not a single strand of hair was out of place, yet Lindsey had no idea what she meant by dirty.

This immaculate 200-square-meter apartment was bought by Ashlyn after she helped Davis land the leading role in a historical drama. She personally supervised every detail of the decoration, from the color of the latex paint to the arrangement of the plants in each corner. It was Ashlyn's hard work, every inch of it.

But every time Davis came home over the past few years, he complained that the house was too small, that the space felt cramped and unappealing.

The luxury bags and jewelry from Davis had all been sold by Ashlyn to second-hand buyers. The 11 million dollars she received from the sales was donated by Ashlyn to the Cryogenic Research Center where Finn worked.

Before the sunset, the house was nearly emptied, leaving only the furniture and Davis's belongings behind.

"Ashlyn, there’s a pair of cups here. Do you want to take them?" Lindsey called out from the kitchen after surveying the house.

The cups were made of rough pottery, their bases twisted into unique shapes. When placed together, they fit perfectly, forming a complete pair.

It was a love gift they had made and fired together when they were both 22 years old.

After the cups were fired, Ashlyn had given him her first time.

The young man in his twenties, brimming with vitality but still immature, had been so nervous that his body trembled. She had cried out in pain, but Davis had been gentle and tender, carefully offering her the best experience he could.

Once upon a time, they had not only been in love but had shared a deep physical connection.

"Babe, I don’t feel anything except you. I am yours in this life."

His lingering words of affection still echoed in her ears, yet when she turned around, she found that he had spent the night with countless other women.

Perhaps men's minds and bodies were governed by two separate systems, which explained why they could hold sharp swords in one hand and speak sweet words with the other.