Anthony's face was stormy as he ordered, "Jessica! As the head of this household, I'm telling you to drink that soup!"

Linda had already taken her bags downstairs, heading for the door.

In a panic, Anthony rushed to Jessica's side. He grabbed the bowl of soup and forced Jessica's mouth open, pouring it down.

"There's no way a bowl of soup can kill anyone," he muttered.

Jessica could not fight back as she was made to swallow the mushroom walnut soup.

Finally, Anthony backed off.

Jessica's knees buckled, and she slumped into a chair, coughing and sputtering, her face wet with tears and a runny nose.

Without a second look, Anthony went after Linda.

After soothing Linda, who was crying in his arms, Anthony passed by Jessica and remarked calmly, "Look at you, not a scratch. Always playing the damsel in distress."

Jessica's throat was so swollen that she could barely whisper, "Call 911... help me."

Anthony scowled, "You're about to be a mother. It's time to grow up. Apologize to Linda, now."

Jessica's mind was foggy, and she passed out, suffocating in silence.

Anthony never imagined that a simple bowl of mushroom walnut soup could have nearly cost Jessica her life.

Sitting in the back of the ambulance, he was ghostly pale and shaking uncontrollably.

"Jess, please don't scare me like this!"

After being whisked into the ER, it took a grueling five hours before Jessica was finally wheeled back out.

The doctor, pulling down his mask, let out a weary sigh. "If you'd been any later, not even the best doctor in the world could've brought her back."

"Didn't you know she had allergies?" he asked, looking at Anthony.

Anthony could not find the words. He had known about her allergy, yet he had pushed her to drink that deadly soup.

The weight of his guilt was crushing.

He did not leave her side, not until her eyes fluttered open again.

Her throat was still sore and swollen.

Holding her hand, Anthony asked, "Knowing how bad walnuts are for you, why didn't you stop me?"

What was she supposed to do, plead with him?

When she just looked at him, straight and unwavering, Anthony could not bear it and looked away, feeling guilty.

His phone rang, and after a moment's hesitation, he answered.

"Jess is okay, stop beating yourself up, no tears now."

He handed the phone to Jessica. "Linda is really torn up about it, she wants to apologize to you herself."

Jessica held the phone to her ear, bracing herself.

However, Linda's voice was harsh and mocking. "Jessica, I heard you nearly kicked the bucket. Anthony didn't blame me at all. Tell me, who do you think is more important to him?

"I knew about your allergy to walnuts, and I did it on purpose. Go ahead, call the cops. Ah, what a shame, you've got no proof."

Jessica's grip tightened on the blanket, and in a swift motion, she hurled the phone against the floor.

Anthony shot up from his chair.

"Jess! Linda is just trying to say she's sorry. Why can't you let this go?" he exclaimed.

With every ounce of strength, Jessica screamed, "Leave!"

Anthony's face turned stormy. "I've arranged for a nurse to take care of you. Use the next few days to cool off," he said.

He picked up the remnants of the phone and strode out of the hospital room.

That same day, Jessica signed herself out of the hospital.

She walked into the home she had lovingly crafted over five years, feeling the weight of betrayal.

Every detail of the villa, from the choice of location to the smallest decoration, had been her doing.

In the living room, the wedding portrait still hung, their smiles frozen in time. In a twist of fate, Linda had been pregnant during those captured moments of false joy.

In a fit of rage, Jessica grabbed a vase from the coffee table and hurled it at the photo.

The frame hit the ground with a resounding crash, dust billowing up.

The nanny rushed in at the sound. Jessica pointed at the wreckage. "We're going to need a new photo. Burn this one. Burn all the pictures of us in this house."

The nanny got to work, collecting every photo album and frame, then stacking them on the lawn.

Jessica uncorked several bottles of Anthony's prized red wine, dousing the memories in scarlet.

She poured a glass for herself and one for the nanny.

Their glasses met with a hollow clink, the echo of a five-year love breaking apart.

Jessica flicked the lighter and tossed it into the heap, watching the past go up in flames.

Flickering flames cast a warm glow as Jessica tipped back her glass, the last of the wine mingling with the tears that traced a path down her cheeks.

The remnants of Anthony's affection lay scattered around her—designer bags, silk gowns, glittering jewels, all tokens of years gone by.

With a sense of finality, Jessica boxed up the luxury and posted it for sale on a second-hand site, directing the funds to an orphanage.

The news hit Anthony like a punch to the gut when his assistant called. "Mrs. Harris is selling everything you gave her."

He scrambled into his clothes, his face pale, his heart racing. He tried to reach her, but his calls echoed unanswered as he sped through the city streets, his car a blur of motion and red lights ignored.

The car barely stilled when he burst into the yard and found Jessica. There she was, lost in a sea of empty bottles, cradling a glass, her song a soft, sad murmur. Relief washed over Anthony as he knelt before her.

"Jess, why didn't you pick up? I was worried sick."

She turned, her gaze piercing. "Why would that worry you?"

He caressed her warm cheek. "I thought you were mad, hiding from me."

The alcohol lent her courage, and she asked the question that haunted her. "Anthony, are you keeping secrets from me?"

His heart plummeted. He looked away as a battle raged within. When he faced her again, his eyes were wide, his expression earnest. "No, never. We're in this together, open and true."

However, as Jessica's eyes drifted past him to the lifeless ashes beyond, the truth lay there, unspoken.

The last glimmer of hope in Jessica's heart was snuffed out when Anthony lied to her once more.

Anthony saw the scab on her palm and asked with concern, "Jess, what happened to your hand?"

She thought about blaming him but bit back the truth. "Oh! Just a dog bite."

Anthony fetched the first-aid kit and knelt to clean and wrap her wound. "You're always so reckless. I can't imagine how you'd manage without me," he said.

Jessica scoffed silently. She had once seen him as her protector from life's storms, but at this point, she knew he was the source of them.

"I heard you sold the gifts I gave you," he mentioned casually.

Jessica looked away. "They were getting old. I wanted something new."

Anthony tied off the bandage with extra care. "If you don't like them, just toss them. I'll get you better ones."

He stood and drew her close, his breath warm on her ear. "Jess, I'm planning a welcome party for Tracy on Monday."

When she did not reply, he pressed on. "You've always dreamed of stargazing in Omaraine, right? After the party, how about we go there, just the three of us?"

The peaks of Omaraine's Green Mountain soared over 2000 meters high, a perfect canvas for the stars.

It was Jessica's dream destination.

However, that dream felt hollow then, especially after the email she received yesterday from Brittania.

"Mrs. Sullivan, it's with deep regret that I must tell you, the observatory has confirmed your blue star is set to fall in three days."

The love once believed to be unbreakable was then scarred and battered.

Even the stars, once thought eternal, were on the brink of collapse.

Anthony released her from his arms. "If it doesn't make you happy, Jess, we don't have to go through with the welcome party..."

With her head cleared from the fog of alcohol, Jessica replied calmly, "What are you talking about? The welcome party is happening, and I'll take care of the arrangements myself."

A look of joy spread across Anthony's face as he embraced her once more.

"I'll do whatever you wish, Jess. And I've got a few more surprises up my sleeve for you."

Anthony had it all planned out. On that day, he would formally present her with their marriage certificate, making their union official in the eyes of the law.

Anthony claimed he was tied up with Tracy's adoption paperwork and did not come home all weekend.

That gave Jessica the space she needed.

Throughout those two days, Linda bombarded her with messages. Sometimes a blurry photo of a couple, other times a video too explicit to describe.

Occasionally, it was Linda's gloating voice taunting her.

"What does it matter if Anthony professes his love for you, Jessica? At the snap of my fingers, he's groveling at my feet, isn't he?"

"I heard you're throwing a welcome party for Tracy. Mind if I drop by? My connection with Tracy is... let's say, quite intimate."

…

Jessica ignored the glaring provocations, meticulously archiving each one.

Anthony was planning a surprise for her, and she knew she had to return the favor with a gift of her own.

They were throwing a welcome bash for Tracy, and it had to be a blowout.

Jessica whipped up invites for Anthony's friends, the company's bigwigs, and even the Harris family's long-lost kin.

Linda got her invite too.

At first, Anthony was against her coming, but she promised up and down she would not stir up trouble with Jessica, so he gave in.

"The lawyer has been in touch, right? We're sorting out the divorce on Monday."

Linda's heart skipped a beat, her frustration simmering inside her.

While Anthony was busy at the office, she made a beeline for the orphanage.

"Tracy, you want to stay with Mom and Dad forever, don't you?"

Tracy's eyes lit up. "You bet!"

Then her spirits fell. "But Dad said it's our secret, can't let Ms. Jessica catch on, or I can't come home."

Linda gave her a sly look and whispered a plan into Tracy's ear. "On the day of the welcome party, you just…

"You got it, sweetheart?"

Tracy nodded, as serious as she could be. "I'll do just like you said, Mom."

Linda had not fought for the Mrs. Harris title before because Anthony's prospects were nothing to write home about compared to her other admirers.

She had her pick of the litter back then.

However, after some incidents overseas... She was back, determined to reclaim the coveted spot once held by Mrs. Harris.

On the eve of the weekend, Jessica peered into the celestial canvas for one last time through her bedroom telescope.

The once vibrant blue stars were then fading.

At the stroke of midnight, a particular star burst into a dazzling light before etching a perfect arc across the sky. Then, it vanished into the cosmic expanse.

Anthony was still out, having only called to check on the details of tomorrow's welcome party.

Surveying the opulent living room, Jessica murmured to herself, "Rest assured, it'll be a day to remember."

At the same time, she secured her flight back to Hudson City for the following morning.

'Whoever chickens out is a scaredy-cat,' rang Simon's taunt in her mind.

Sleep eluded her, and as dawn broke, she rolled her suitcase out of the villa where a sleek van awaited.

Slipping on her sunglasses, she whispered, "Farewell to a ludicrous past."

Startled awake, Anthony found himself with Linda still nestled in his arms.

A nightmare had gripped him, one where he and Jessica were nestled together, stargazing.

However, in an instant, darkness swallowed the sky, and Jessica was gone.

Panic soaked his dream-self, searching frantically.

"Jess!"

Linda, groggy and annoyed, blinked open her eyes, "Anthony, you're disturbing my sleep."

A sense of foreboding washed over him.

Shoving Linda aside, he scrambled into his clothes.

On his way, he dialed up the family attorney. "Head to the County Clerk's Office the moment they open and get that marriage certificate. Don't waste a second."

The lawyer promised over and over to handle it, and only then did he allow himself a moment of ease.

At a red light, a sleek black van pulled up beside him.

His phone still displayed yesterday's chat with Jessica. "It'll be a day to remember."