I stumbled through the torrential rain for two hours. With every step, the water inside my shoes soaked in deeper, icy and piercing.

By the time I finally reached the hospital, I was drenched as if I had been pulled straight out of the water, barely able to speak.

The nurse looked at me, her expression darkening instantly. “Your mother… has been waiting for you.”

When I rushed into the ward, my mother was already so weak that even opening her eyes took effort.

She lifted her hand, trembling as it reached for me.

“Mom… I’m here… I came…”

I held her hand. The cold, damp chill pressed into my palms, stealing my voice.

She only forced a faint smile, using the last of her strength to gently squeeze my hand once.

The next second, her hand slipped away.

The heart monitor let out a long, straight tone.

The world fell terrifyingly silent.

I collapsed to my knees, crying until my chest tore apart, but no matter how I screamed, she could no longer hear me.

I thought nothing could be more devastating than losing my mother.

But what truly crushed me came afterward, when I saw that post.

“I just said I wanted a little cake, and he dropped everything to buy it for me. Love or no love is really that obvious.”

Below it was a photo.

In the picture, Cassian was half crouched in front of her, one hand braced on his knee, the other carefully wiping the cream from the corner of her lips.

His movements were gentle, as if he were touching something precious.

That man, so obsessed with cleanliness that he hesitated for three seconds before holding my hand, looked at her as if his gaze were melted with light.

As if the whole world held only her.

Less than a minute after the photo was posted, she sent me a private message.

“Thank you for always making room for me.”

In that instant, something inside me shattered completely.

So completely that even pain disappeared, leaving only emptiness.

I stood up in a daze. The harsh white lights of the ward stabbed at my eyes.

The last trace of my mother’s cold lingered in my palm, yet she was already gone forever.

I tried to lift my hand to wipe away my tears, but I could not move it.

A sudden wave of dizziness hit me.

“No… Mom…”

My voice was weak, as if it had been crushed inside my chest before being forced out.

The next second, my vision went black, and my body collapsed straight onto the cold floor.

The world lost all sound.

When I woke up again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

The ceiling slowly spun above me, as if someone wanted me to clearly see that nothing here could be undone.

I tried to move, but a nurse gently pressed me down. “Don’t move. You just woke up.”

A doctor walked in holding my chart, his brow tightly furrowed.

“You didn’t know you were pregnant before?”

I froze. My mind felt like it had been doused in ice water, instantly blank.

“W… what did you say?” My voice trembled, barely recognizable as my own.

The doctor sighed softly. “About five weeks pregnant.”

Five weeks.

I closed my eyes. It felt like a sharp blade twisted violently in my chest.

That was… the last cold intimacy between Cassian and me.

I never even had the chance to feel the joy of becoming a mother. I never got to tell anyone. I had not even accepted it myself, before it was sentenced to death.

The doctor’s tone grew heavier. “Your emotions fluctuated too severely. Your body was already exhausted, and you were exposed to the rain for too long. The baby couldn’t be saved.”

“You have… miscarried again.”

Again.

That word struck like a bolt of lightning from the void, tearing my soul to pieces.

I froze. My breath faded little by little, my chest feeling as if something were pressing down on it with brutal force, hurting so much that I could not draw air in.

Tears slid down silently.

“If you had come to the hospital earlier, if you hadn’t stayed in the rain for so long, there might have been a chance…” The doctor paused. “In the future, your chances of becoming pregnant will be lower than average.”

I heard my heart break.

Not metaphorically, but for real. Cracking open from deep inside my body, turning into ash.

I tried to speak, but my throat felt blocked. Only a dry sentence came out.

“So… I couldn’t even… protect this one?”

The doctor did not answer. He only gently set the medical file down.

The nurse tucked the blanket around me, but she could not stop the uncontrollable trembling that shook my entire body.

Cassian stood by the bed, expressionless.

“There will be children in the future.”

“You know my uterus was injured. It will be very hard to recover in this lifetime. This might have been… the only child I would ever have.”

My throat tightened until I was almost unable to make a sound. There was no hope left at all.

“Your health matters. Thalia’s child is gone too.”

I laughed bitterly. “So in your heart, the child Thalia carried was your child, and mine was never worth anything to you.”

I propped up my shaking body. My voice turned hysterical. My hands clenched the bedsheets tightly, anger making my head spin and ache.

At some point, tears had covered my face. But my pain would never stir even a trace of guilt in Cassian.

He stood up and placed the bowl of porridge back on the bedside table with a heavy thud.

“I know losing a child is painful for you, but wasn’t it just as painful for Thalia to lose hers? Now you have experienced it yourself. You should reflect on how cruel you were when you pushed Thalia down the stairs. This outcome can be considered your retribution.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

The man I had loved for seven years now looked like a cold blooded animal.

Before I could say anything else, Thalia forced her weak body into the room. The moment she appeared, Cassian’s entire attention shifted to her. His eyes were full of concern as he supported her and brought her to my bedside.

“Melody, I know losing a child is devastating. I understand how you feel. It was my fault. If I hadn’t called Cassian back, he wouldn’t have left you behind. This is all my fault.”

“What are you here for? To laugh at me?”

“Melody, you are simply unreasonable. Thalia came to see you out of kindness, and yet you speak so viciously. If you hadn’t harmed the child in her womb, you wouldn’t be suffering this retribution. I hope you understand this in your heart, reflect on your mistakes properly, and stop blaming others all the time.”

Cassian was furious. He directly supported Thalia and left the room.

Not long after they left, a nurse came in to change my IV.

What I did not expect was that Thalia came in as well. After the nurse left, she curled her lips into a smug smile and lightly flicked the IV bottle in front of me.

“I really didn’t expect Cassian to develop even a trace of feelings for a substitute like you. Even though your agreement is about to expire, he still fantasizes about supporting you for life. You are truly an eyesore.”

“So you finally dropped the act. You deliberately sent Cassian away and came in just to say this? Clearly, words like these have no effect on me anymore.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Thalia laughed even louder.

“Do you know why you could never keep your children? It’s because Cassian promised me he would never let you give birth to his child. Just one sentence from me, and he could kill every one of your children. You really are unbelievably stupid.”

I sat up, raised my arm, and tried to slap her.

“What are you doing!”

Hearing Cassian’s voice, Thalia immediately began to sob.

“I know your mother passed away, and you’re in a terrible state. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to bear it alone… I just wanted to check on you.”

“Check on me?” I laughed, laughing until tears were forced out. “When you took him from me, were you checking on me like this too?”

She froze for a moment, blinking her wet eyes. “I didn’t take him… it was Cassian who—”

Cassian narrowed his eyes. “Everyone knows you hate her. Stop pretending to be innocent.”

I stared at him, blinked, and forced the tears back, letting out a cold laugh.

“She cries, and suddenly the whole world has wronged her. I so much as frown, and I become the villain? In your eyes, there has only ever been her. You have always only seen her.”

He hesitated, as if wanting to argue, but Thalia behind him grabbed his sleeve.

“Cassian, don’t be like this… it’s really not worth fighting over. It’s my fault. I overreacted. I just wanted to comfort her…”

Innocent. Fragile. Blameless.

Every word she spoke sounded like she was removing herself from responsibility, and at the same time reminding everyone that I was the unreasonable one.

It was that moment.

The fuse was completely lit.

I lifted my head and stared at the two of them, my chest tightening as if someone were squeezing it shut.

My voice was so cold it held no warmth at all.

“You really think I would waste time scheming against her?”

Cassian’s face darkened instantly.

“Enough!”

He shouted, and before I could even react—

Smack.

The slap landed on my face, sharp and clear, like ice cracking in the dead of winter.

My world went silent.

I staggered back from the blow and dropped to my knees on the rough concrete. My palm scraped open, a long gash tearing through skin as bright red blood spilled out.

I froze.

Cassian… hit me?

He really raised his hand against me.

He said nothing. No apology. No guilt.

He did not even look at me.

He turned away and gently pulled Thalia into his arms. That tender movement was like a dull knife, slowly slicing away the last trace of illusion left in my chest.

He protected her as if she were something fragile and priceless.

And I was left there by the roadside.

Like trash.

The car door slammed shut with a heavy bang, the vibration rattling through my bones.

When sound returned to the world, all that remained was my own breathing, ragged and desperate, like I was dying.

Not long after, the phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated.

My fingers were still trembling, but I opened Instagram anyway.

Thalia’s new post jumped into view.

My breath stopped.

In the photo, they were at Disneyland.

She was wearing Mickey Mouse ears. So was he.

She linked her arm through his. He looked down at her, smiling softly, indulgently.

Like a couple deeply in love.

Like the kind of perfect match everyone believes in.

There were photos of the carousel, fireworks, parades.

Every single one was blindingly bright.

I stared at those pictures, feeling as if my chest had been torn wide open.

I remembered those nights.

Lying in his arms, I had once begged quietly.

“Cassian, can we go too? I want to wear those silly ears and eat Disney cotton candy…”

His answer had always been cold.

“That place is boring and childish.”

But now?

For her, he was willing to try anything.

Even dreams he once mocked, he would help her fulfill.

My fingers tightened around the phone, my knuckles turning white. Even breathing hurt.

So it turned out, everything I ever wanted, he was willing to give.

Just… not to me.