It was eight years before I saw my ex-boyfriend, Aidan Sterling, again.

The punk with the bleached hair had dyed it black, had his tattoos removed, and become a refined, aloof CEO.

As for me, that innocent little flower? I was still a flower, just one that money had been wasted on.

"Miss Quinn, I'm very sorry. The cancer has metastasized too extensively. Further treatment would only cause you more pain."

'The doctor was kind, phrasing "go home and wait to die" so delicately.'

Clutching my own death sentence, I was passing the obstetrics and gynecology department when I ran smack into Aidan Sterling.

I hadn't seen him in eight years. He was taller, more handsome, and more...

"If you're not going to use your eyes, donate them to someone who needs them."

Right. And more sharp-tongued.

1

After tossing that cold remark at me, Aidan Sterling's expression changed in a flash.

He turned to the obviously pregnant woman beside him, his voice gentle as he fussed over her.

'Even though it wasn't my fault, she was pregnant. I should probably try to rack up some good karma before I die.'

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you all right?"

The woman gave me a reassuring smile and shook her head.

Then she looked up at Aidan Sterling, frowning as she gave him a light pat. "She didn't do it on purpose. Why do you have to be so harsh?"

I raised my eyebrows, surprised, and nodded emphatically in agreement.

'He'd become a bigshot CEO, but his personality was much worse than it was eight years ago.'

"I'm sorry, miss. He just gets frazzled when he's worried; he didn't mean to be rude to you."

The woman was heavily pregnant, radiating a gentle glow.

With her exceptional grace, she and Aidan Sterling looked perfect together.

'She didn't seem to know about my past with Aidan Sterling, and he apparently wanted to pretend he didn't know me either.'

Suddenly, I had no desire to stay a moment longer.

"It's no problem. As long as you're all right, that's what matters. I'll get going now."

With that, I turned to leave, brushing past Aidan Sterling.

The air, thick with the smell of disinfectant, still carried a faint trace of Aidan Sterling's cedarwood scent.

By the time I got home, my body felt like it had reached its limit.

As I lay down on my bed, my stomach began to cramp violently.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and tears welled in my eyes, secretly joining the droplets.

Until my phone rang, sounding like a death summons.

"Myla, great news! The investors love the new project. We're just waiting on you to finish the script so we can submit it for approval."

The caller was Chloe Croft, a television producer. We'd met on a project and became good friends.

I glanced at my reflection in the full-length mirror by the wall. My face was pale and streaked with tears, my hair plastered messily against my cheeks.

"Chloe, I still haven't figured out the ending for this script. Can we put it on hold for a..."

"Oh, Myla, we can't! These investors are a huge deal. If we flake on them, we can kiss our careers in this industry goodbye."

The words of protest died in my throat.

'I could afford not to care about the consequences, but Chloe Croft still had a long future ahead of her.'

"All right, I get it. I'll finish the script as soon as possible."

After hanging up, I took out the painkillers the doctor had prescribed.

A one-month supply. Thirty pills in total.

'The doctor meant for me to take one a day, but since I was going to die anyway, I didn't want to endure any more pain.'

I shook out three pills and swallowed them all at once.

I sat down at my computer, opened the document, and prepared to write the final chapter of my last story.

The sky turned from dark to light, and from light back to dark again.

The End

After typing those two words, I stretched and let out a long, weary breath.

This story had been in my back pocket for a long time, but I'd only managed to get a first draft down this year.

I looked at the words on the screen and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Perhaps this is all fate."

Moments after I sent the script to Chloe Croft, my phone started buzzing wildly.

"Myla, I absolutely love this script! I honestly think it's the best thing you've ever written!"

The investors hadn't even responded yet, but she was already eager to pop the champagne.

By the time I found myself sitting in a booth, I still couldn't figure out how I'd been muddle-headed enough to agree to come out with her.

I'd been in such a rush to finish writing that I'd only managed to scarf down a few buns.

Now, with a bit of alcohol on top of that, my stomach was starting to feel queasy.

'Taking painkillers was out of the question.' I gritted my teeth against the pain and stood up, glass in hand, intending to find a server and ask for some hot water.

The moment I turned, I crashed into a warm, solid chest.

The moment the scent of cedarwood hit me, my mind went completely blank.

: The Investor

The next second, I was rudely shoved aside.

Aidan Sterling frowned, his face filled with disgust as he wiped at the spot on his chest where I'd bumped into him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." I apologized sincerely.

"You've bumped into me twice in two days. If it wasn't on purpose, then your cerebellum must be defective."

Maybe my stomach was in too much pain, or maybe I was just too exhausted.

My nerves were completely frayed—too fragile to withstand Aidan Sterling's cutting remarks.

"Heh." He scoffed, his eyes turning ice-cold as they landed on me.

"What's with the victim act? Are you going to cry just because I told you the truth?"

'That's right. I didn't even cry back when Aidan Sterling knelt in the snow, begging me not to break up with him.'

Looking at the impeccably dressed, proud, and cold Aidan Sterling before me, I could no longer see a single trace of the man he used to be.

I knew he remembered me. The disgust and hatred in his eyes as they bored into mine were too clear to ignore.

'He probably wants nothing more to do with me. I might as well do one last good deed before I die.'

"I'm sorry. I'll be sure to stay out of your way from now on."

With that, I skirted around him and walked away.

By the time I got back with a cup of hot water, Chloe Croft was already back from the restroom.

"Where did you go? I came back and you were gone. You scared me half to death!"

"I just went to get a cup of hot water."

'Bumping into Aidan Sterling was a fluke. No need to bring it up.'

I thought turning in the script would be the end of it.

But the next day, I got a frantic call from Chloe Croft.

"Myla, it's not good! The investors rejected the script. You need to get to the office, now!"

When I rushed to the office, Chloe Croft and the investor's representative were both in the conference room.

I was ushered inside. Chloe Croft's expression was grim as she stared at the person sitting with their back to us.

"May I ask what part of the script you're unsatisfied with?"

I knew this must be the main investor Chloe Croft had mentioned, so I addressed him directly.

After a long pause, a familiar voice spoke.

"The ending."

The chair swiveled around, revealing Aidan Sterling's cold face.

'So he was the big-shot investor.'

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. There was no surprise in them.

I didn't rush to speak, but Chloe Croft couldn't stop herself from jumping in on my behalf.

"President Sterling, audiences today prefer happy endings. This is in line with market demand."

Aidan Sterling nodded. Chloe Croft thought he was taking her point, but before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, he spoke again, his voice low.

"But I don't like this ending. Change it."

'Overbearing CEOs really are a different breed. So confident, even when they're in the wrong.'

"If you want to change the ending, then you should find someone else. I can't write it."

'It's not like I haven't sold out for money before, but this is the one project I refuse to compromise on.'

Aidan Sterling looked at me, the corners of his lips curling into a cold, thin smile.

"Fine. If you can't write it, then you can pay the penalty for breach of contract."

Chloe Croft's face paled instantly. I glanced at her, and she discreetly scribbled a number on a piece of paper.

[$10 million]

'Forget selling me; even if we sold the entire company, we'd be hard-pressed to come up with $10 million.'

I sighed inwardly and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

'Forget it. I'm dying anyway. What does artistic integrity matter?'

"Fine. I'll change it."

The meeting ended. The capitalists left satisfied, and I was the unlucky workhorse left behind.

But it seemed fate decided I wasn't miserable enough.

Aidan Sterling's assistant, Felix Cole, caught up to me. "Miss Quinn," he said, blocking my path, "to make communicating about the script easier, we'll need you to come work out of our office for the time being."

I frowned, my gaze shifting to Aidan Sterling, who stood behind him, indifferently fending off small talk from others.

'Doesn't he despise me? Why does he want me right under his nose?'

I couldn't make sense of it. My empty stomach began to protest, so I hastily agreed and left.

Back in the break room, I had just taken out my medicine when the door swung open.

"What are you doing?"

Aidan Sterling's voice rang out, startling me so badly that I dropped the pills, scattering them across the floor.

: Retribution

I didn't answer him, instead frantically scooping the pills from the floor and putting them back in the bottle.

These weren't just painkillers; they were my lifeline.

Aidan Sterling silently watched me kneel on the floor, picking up the pills one by one.

I was about to toss the last three straight into my mouth, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"They fell on the floor. Are you really going to eat them like that?"

I irritably shook his hand off.

He'd changed a lot in eight years, but that annoying germaphobia of his had stuck around.

"None of your business."

I quickly swallowed the pills. Aidan Sterling's brow furrowed even more tightly.

I drank some water and was about to leave, but he spoke again.

"What medicine is that?"

I stopped and looked at him, confused.

Seeing my questioning gaze, Aidan Sterling let out a mocking laugh.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just curious. Have you done so many wicked things that you're finally getting what you deserve?"

I smiled bitterly to myself. 'Isn't this exactly my comeuppance?'

'After all, I'm the one who shattered an innocent eighteen-year-old's heart, took his virginity, and then ruthlessly dumped him.'

'Now I have late-stage stomach cancer. I guess this is just desserts for the wicked.'

But I didn't want him to gloat over me. I curled my lips into a brazen smile.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I just haven't been eating enough fruit lately, so I'm taking some Vitamin C."

After leaving the company, I went to the orphanage in the West End.

"Director, what did the doctor say about Sophie's eyes?"

The Director shook her head regretfully. "We still haven't found a donor. The doctors are at a loss."

For some reason, I suddenly thought of running into Aidan Sterling a couple of days ago.

I took the Director's hand and patted it gently. "Don't worry, Director. Our Sophie is so sweet and lovely. The day will definitely come when she can see again."

Before I left, I transferred another sum of money to the Director.

"Myla, you're not getting any younger. You need to save some money for yourself. If you meet someone you like, you should get married and start a family. You've already done more than enough for the orphanage. Your thought alone is enough."

I grew up in the orphanage, and the Director was like a mother to all of us.

"Director, I make plenty of money now. You don't have to worry about me."

I hadn't told anyone about my illness, not even the Director.

She had enough to worry about at the orphanage. I was grown now; I didn't want her to lose sleep over me.

When I got home, the first thing I did was go online to register as an organ donor.

'Aidan Sterling's words were crude, but he had a point. My organs will be of no use to me after I die, so I might as well donate them to someone who needs them.'

The next day, I arrived at Aidan Sterling's company on time. Felix Cole came to meet me.

"Miss Quinn, you'll be working here. President Sterling's office is right next door."

I looked at the glass wall, so clean it was practically invisible, and hesitated.

"Can I move to a different desk? I'm under too much pressure sitting here. It'll be hard to write."

"I'm sorry, Miss Quinn, but this spot was personally arranged by President Sterling."

'Fine. So it's non-negotiable.'

Luckily, the very important Aidan Sterling was busy, and he didn't return to his office even as the lunch break approached.

But then, Faye Lowell arrived.

Faye Lowell walked up to me, visibly pregnant and carrying a lunchbox.

She looked shocked, so I felt compelled to explain. "I'm handling the screenplay for President Sterling's new investment project. I'll be working here for a few days until the script is approved."

"It seems you and Aidan are quite fated, Miss Quinn."

Her eyes curved in a friendly smile, but her gaze somehow made me feel guilty.

I heard footsteps behind me. Aidan Sterling was back.

He strode over to Faye Lowell and took the lunchbox from her hands.

"Why did you bring this yourself? You could've just had the driver do it."

"It's no bother. I was just sitting around at home anyway."

They walked into the office as they talked, ignoring me as if I were thin air.

I had no right to be upset, but my heart began to ache uncontrollably.