As George heard that, his curiosity was piqued. He was about to take a closer look when Kimberly snatched the papers away and handed them to Cora. She stood up, preparing to leave.

"Well, that's settled, then. I'm heading back. Good night."

George's curiosity immediately faded. He said he would drive her home.

Kimberly shook her head and glanced at Cora with an unreadable expression. "No need. Keep Cora company instead. There's not much time left anyway."

Not much time left for what? George frowned, wanting to press further, but she had already opened the door. Instinctively, he grabbed his car keys and followed her out with a quick parting remark.

"Cora, I'm just going to drive Kimberly home. I'll be right back."

The door slammed shut.

From the moment he entered until he left, George never once looked at Cora.

She was used to it. Cora did not feel hurt. She put away the papers and returned to her room. After turning off the lights, she slowly drifted to sleep. Half an hour later, there was noise at the door. Soon after, the lights flickered on.

Cora opened her eyes groggily to see George opening a drawer and placing several boxes of condoms inside.

Then, he pulled her into his arms. His warm breath brushed against her ear. "Didn't you use to wait for me until midnight every night? How come you went to bed so early today? Hmm?"

That was before. It would never happen again.

Cora thought this silently and found a casual excuse. "I'm on my period. I'm not feeling well."

Remembering how he had abandoned her on the highway, George felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Even if you'd remembered, would it have stopped you from leaving me there?"

The question left George speechless.

The room fell silent for a long moment before he finally spoke in a low voice. "I'm sorry, Cora. Kimberly sprained her ankle. She's been terrified of pain since childhood, so I was in a rush. I promise you, this kind of thing will absolutely not happen a second time."

Yet that had already been the ninth time.

A mocking smile flashed in Cora's eyes. "Right. It definitely won't happen again."

After all, they would be divorced soon.

…

The next morning, when Cora woke up, she found a cup of her usual tea on the nightstand.

George walked in carrying breakfast. "Cora, drink up and come eat breakfast."

Before Kimberly returned to the country, Cora had woken to this scene every day. Back then, she thought this was love. That was why she made that wager with Kimberly.

In the end, she lost utterly and completely.

This time, instead of accepting as usual, Cora got up and pulled out clothes from the closet.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry. I need to go out soon anyway. You can eat without me."

After washing up, she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. George picked up his jacket and said he would drive her.

Cora could not refuse and had to agree. As soon as she got in the car, she noticed the protective charm she had hung from the mirror was replaced by a doll keychain. The dashboard ornaments had also been replaced by a row of Hello Kitty figures.

George noticed where she was looking and quickly offered an explanation. "Yesterday, I parked on the side of the road and forgot to close the window. All those ornaments got soaked in the rain. My assistant cleaned them out and replaced them with new ones."

Was it really his assistant?

Cora remembered that Kimberly loved these kinds of dolls. She had an entire room full of Hello Kitty plushies at home.

She did not call him out on the lie. Instead, she asked, "What about my protective charm? I went all the way to a chapel in the mountains to get that blessed. Give it back."

George's expression froze for an instant. "My assistant threw it out without thinking. I'll have her find it right away."

Hearing him continue to lie, Cora only felt tired. "If it's been thrown out, then forget it. I don't want it anymore."

He seemed surprised. "You really don't want it back?"

Cora nodded slightly. "I don't want it."

The protective charm, this marriage, him... She did not want any of it anymore.

When they arrived at the club, Cora went straight to Room 908. The room was already full of people. Her college classmates greeted her one after another when they saw her.

"Cora, why did you come alone? Didn't you bring your husband? Is George too busy with work?"

Before she could answer, Kimberly, sitting in the center, spoke up as if casually.

"He has a meeting this morning that won't end until eleven. Then he has to go negotiate a partnership this afternoon. He definitely doesn't have time."

Seeing how well she knew George's schedule, everyone started joking around.

"Childhood friends really do understand each other better. You know his schedule inside and out."

Kimberly raised her wine glass and swirled it, her smile faint. "Not really. George told me last night when he drove me home around midnight."

"You two still keep in touch often? That childhood bond really is something special. Good thing Cora is so understanding. She knows your relationship with George inside and out and doesn't mind one bit.

"If it were anyone else, knowing how George used to chase after Kimberly all the time back then, who knows how jealous they'd be!"

"Cora is Mrs. Lambert now. She has a happy home and a good marriage. Plus, Kimberly was the one who set her up with George in the first place. Why would she be jealous?

"Besides, if Kimberly had wanted to be with George, they would've gotten together ages ago. After all, everyone knows George only listens to Kimberly and is completely devoted to her!"

Hearing this, Kimberly looked even more pleased with herself.

"True. Come to think of it, it's pretty funny. Back then, when I told him to pursue Cora, he did. Even the proposal only happened because I pushed him into it. He finally thought he should give Cora some official status.

"Anyone who knows would say he was dating Cora. Anyone who doesn't might think I forced him into it."

Hearing that, Cora's heart lurched violently.

She had originally thought George proposed because he had been moved by her devotion. It turned out that even their marriage only came to fruition because Kimberly orchestrated it. In an instant, she felt something blocking her chest. She could not breathe.

They continued chattering about these things. Unable to stand it any longer, she got up and went to the restroom.

After composing herself, she returned to find everyone had started playing a game. Kimberly had just lost and drawn a truth card.

"Please name the most devoted pursuer in your life and give examples."

The moment the card was read aloud, Cora's lashes trembled slightly. She looked away.

Kimberly smiled as she reminisced, speaking leisurely.

"That boy started pursuing me when he was seven. It's been almost 20 years now. When he was around ten, he gave me his family's heirloom, something that's only supposed to go to the family's daughter-in-law. He said he'd only ever love me in this lifetime.

"Every time he found out I was dating someone, he'd drink himself into a stupor for days on end. He even developed stomach problems from it.

"Oh, and these past few years while I was studying abroad, he flew over every week to bring me my favorite pastries and snacks, keeping me company no matter the cost."

Listening to each detail, Cora felt her heart churning like stormy waves. She remembered when she married George. His mother told him to give her the family heirloom, but he said he had lost it.

Every so often, he would come home completely drunk. When she asked, he always said it was due to work gatherings. She would even foolishly make him coffee to help him sober up.

During every major holiday, he had to go on business trips. She would help him pack his suitcase and buy lots of pastries and snacks to put inside.

While she poured her whole heart into this relationship, he was still chasing after his first love, unwilling to let go.

She had known nothing about it.

Her heart ached so badly she could barely breathe. Meanwhile, everyone in the room sighed after hearing the story and kept pressing for more details.

"Kimberly, who is this person? Do we know him? He's so devoted to you. You must have been touched, right? If you really get together with him, you have to introduce us!"

Kimberly glanced at Cora with an ambiguous smile and agreed cheerfully.

"Sure. I'll bring him next month to introduce him to everyone."

Just as she finished speaking, George pushed open the door with a smile.

"Introduce what? Why wait until next month? Kimberly, are you done? Didn't we agree to go to the concert..."

His voice cut off abruptly the moment his gaze landed on Cora. Surprise and panic flashed in his eyes.

"Cora, what are you doing here?"

Cora remembered how George had told her this morning when he dropped her off at the mall that he would be working overtime until dawn and she should not wait up for him.

It turned out that by working overtime, he meant going to a concert with Kimberly.

She smiled silently and met his gaze. "As you can see, attending a college reunion."

He nodded several times quickly and immediately changed the subject. "Perfect timing, then. I'll drive you home."

Cora picked up her phone and called a car. Her tone was calm. "No need. I'll just get a cab. You two go to the concert."

After speaking, Cora picked up her bag and headed downstairs. She had just reached the roadside when Kimberly caught up and grabbed her hand.

"Are you angry? I'll give you the concert tickets, then. You only have one last month together anyway. Seize the chance to make some memories. Otherwise, when you're old and looking back, you might have regrets."

Cora pulled her hand away and stepped back twice, her expression cold.

"No need. After the divorce, I'll forget the past. There's nothing worth remembering between him and me."

"That's harsh. Even though George only got together with you because I forced him to, you did take some of the burden off me. It's bad enough you can't have his love, but if you can't even have a few good marriage memories, wouldn't that make me too cruel?"

Kimberly continued offering false comfort while pulling at her, refusing to let her leave. As they struggled, neither noticed the car rushing toward them.

By the time the driver laid on the horn frantically and they both turned around, it was too late to dodge.

In that critical moment, George rushed over, swept Kimberly into his arms, and carried her to safety.

Cora was hit by the car and sent flying nearly 70 feet away. She crashed heavily to the ground. There was a loud thud. Bright red blood poured from her lips and nose, pooling on the pavement.

Her limbs felt like they were being torn apart. The pain made her whole body convulse and spasm.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

Her consciousness gradually grew hazy. Before passing out, she saw George comforting Kimberly, who was in shock.

She did not know how much time passed before the pain jolted her awake.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the hospital. The first thing she saw was George's face, full of worry.

"Cora, how do you feel? You've been unconscious for two days. Do you know how worried I was?"

Cora looked at his anxious expression and remembered what she had seen before losing consciousness. She found it laughable.

On the edge of life and death, the person he chose to save was not her. She had been lying in a pool of blood, and he had not even noticed she was seriously injured.

She had never occupied a place in his heart. How could he possibly worry about her?

She took a light breath and spoke in a hoarse voice. "I'm fine. Go take care of Kimberly."

George froze, thinking she was upset that he had not saved her. He rushed to explain, "Kimberly's fine. You were hurt so badly. Of course, I'm staying to take care of you."

Cora shook her head and simply said she was tired. She closed her eyes to rest.

George did not disturb her further. He tucked in her blanket, fetched some water, and ordered a light lunch. After that, he took a phone call saying something had come up at the company and left. He told her he would come back tomorrow.

When the nurse came to check on her and saw how thoroughly he had prepared everything, she kept telling Cora how lucky she was to have married such a good husband.

Cora said nothing. She had just opened the plain lunchbox when her phone rang.

When she unlocked it, she saw a message from Kimberly.

[Sorry! That accident scared me so badly that I developed psychological trauma, so I sent George a message. He's having dinner with me right now. Afterward, he's taking me to the amusement park to help me relax, and later we're going to a movie too. Rest well in the hospital, okay?]

The attached photo showed a famous health food restaurant in the city. The table was covered with light, nutritious dishes.

Across from the camera, only George's hands were visible as he peeled a large bowl of shrimp for her, Kimberly's favorite.

Cora looked quietly at these photos and replied with only two words: [Have fun.]

Over the next week, George came to the hospital every day. He would sit for ten minutes, then leave.

Kimberly also sent messages on schedule, reporting their activities.

He would accompany her to the beach to watch the sunset, picking up shells to spell out their names in the sand. He would drive her to the countryside for a spin, buying flowers and balloons to cheer her up like she was a child.

He would take her to flower fields to ride in a hot air balloon, snapping thousands of photos of her alone with his camera.

Everything he did was not quite as intimate as lovers would be yet showed far more care than ordinary friends. It fell somewhere between friendship and romance. George had never done any of these things when he was dating Cora. The contrast was stark.

Once again, Cora felt grateful she had agreed to that wager.

After the doctor's final checkup, he handed over the prescription.

"Everything's healed up nicely. Have your husband handle the discharge paperwork and pick up the medication."

Cora took it, her tone completely neutral. "He's not my husband. We're divorced."

The next second, the hospital ward door swung open.

George walked in, looking shocked. "Divorced? What do you mean, divorced?"