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?"

Cora had not expected George to appear suddenly. She froze for a moment. "Nothing. I was just saying you've been gone these past few days and weren't at the hospital."

Seeing her calm expression, George did not think much of it. "I've been busy working overtime on a new project lately, so I couldn't come take care of you."

Watching him lie so effortlessly, Cora's eyes flickered slightly.

"If you're that busy, you don't need to come. I can take care of myself."

She meant every word, but George thought she was upset. "It's my fault. I've mostly finished the work. I'll spend more time with you from now on."

As he spoke, he prepared to take her home. He even had his assistant send over many designer bags for her to choose from.

Looking at these gorgeous, expensive luxury goods, Cora calmly refused them. When she said she did not like them, George quickly had his people prepare new ones.

"I'll send you other gifts, then. What do you like? Jewelry? Clothes? Let's buy everything. There has to be something you like, right?"

Cora felt not a ripple of emotion at anything he mentioned. For three years, he had sent piles of gifts on every anniversary and holiday. These items, with their similar logos and styles, filled the walk-in closet. At a glance, it looked like some luxury store's warehouse.

She used to think this meant he cared, so even though she was not interested, she would happily accept them.

Yet today, hearing that he did not even know what she liked, she finally understood. He was simply too lazy to put in any thought, so he chose these kinds of gifts.

With prices like that, he could not go wrong. Hence, this time, Cora stated her position directly. "I don't need any of it. You don't need to send me these things anymore. Don't trouble yourself."

This was the first time George had heard her say something like this. Panic suddenly rose in his heart. "You're my wife. Preparing gifts for you is only natural. How could it be trouble?"

What if she was not his wife anymore?

How laughable. He still had no idea he had already signed their divorce papers.

…

Over the next few days, George stayed home without going out. Cora slowly began packing up her things.

She packed up unused cosmetics and clothes, the suits and electric razors she had bought him, their matching mugs, and photos of them together.

Seeing her suddenly clear out so many things on a whim, George was astonished. He was about to ask when Kimberly's call came through.

George instantly forgot about it. He answered the phone and left.

Cora also saw the caller ID on the screen. She knew he was going to keep Kimberly company.

After watching him leave, she threw all these items into the trash. She had just finished cleaning up when she received a call from George's assistant, Janet Lowe.

"Ms. Shepard, please come to Nightfall Club right away. Mr. Lambert is in trouble!"

Hearing the usually composed assistant suddenly become so anxious and panicked, Cora frowned. She grabbed her bag, hailed a cab, and looked up the club on her phone during the ride. It was a racing club.

Had George not gone to see Kimberly? Why did he suddenly go to a club?

When she arrived at the scene and saw the man facing George, Cora understood immediately.

It was Tyler Finch, Kimberly's college boyfriend who loved drinking, smoking, fighting, and street racing. She had heard from others that after they broke up, Tyler would still harass Kimberly from time to time.

From the looks of it, he had probably hit hard times again and come to pester his ex-girlfriend. And the reality was not far from what she imagined.

Tyler threw a racing suit in front of George.

"Kimberly doesn't like uptight rich boys like you at all. She likes adventure and thrills! Since you keep saying you'll protect her, race me. Whoever loses has to stay away from Kimberly forever!"