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.

The pain felt like an invisible hand clamped tightly around my chest, making even breathing difficult.

In that moment, I truly realized for the first time how pitiful I had become.

I turned off the screen. In the darkness, my reflection surfaced. Pale face. Hollow eyes. Not a trace of life left.

The next second, my phone lit up.

A message from my lawyer.

The divorce procedures were basically completed. We could arrange the signing tomorrow.

I wandered outside for the entire day and only returned home after night fell. When I pushed the door open, a wave of cold air mixed with a strange, unfamiliar scent rushed toward me.

There was no trace of me left in the house.

Instead, Thalia’s presence was everywhere.

Her shawl lay carelessly draped over the back of the sofa.

On the coffee table sat a half finished glass of milk, still carrying her perfume. Soft, yet suffocating.

Even by the entrance, her pink slippers were placed neatly side by side, as if this home had always been waiting only for her.

I walked into the bedroom and sat at the desk, writing my final letter.

Not to him.

But to the naive, stubborn version of myself.

Tears fell silently, blurring the ink beneath my pen.

Cassian, I loved you for nearly fifteen years.

From the clumsy love letter I handed you in high school, to standing beside you at the altar, I always believed that if I loved you enough, you would eventually see me.

But in the end, I realized how completely wrong I was.

I thought marriage required effort from two people. Yet it turned into nothing more than chains binding you from pursuing your happiness.

I can no longer waste our time.

This time, I choose to let you go, and to let myself go as well.

After finishing, I placed the letter on the desk and gently pressed my discharge papers beneath it.

The miscarriage report.

Then, carefully, I erased every trace of myself from the room. I removed my fingerprint from the smart lock, packed my luggage, and left the place once called home.

Now, it was nothing more than a cold prison.

As I stepped out the door, sunlight fell across my face, and I found myself smiling for the first time in a long while.

Happy divorce, Cassian.

There will be no next time for us.

When Cassian returned home, night had already deepened.

He carried two bags of desserts. All of them were my favorites.

He looked exhausted. He must have spent a long time finding them.

But when his eyes landed on the letter on the table, the expression on his face froze.

An instinctive fear rose rapidly in his eyes, impossible to hide.

When he reached out to pick up the letter, his fingers trembled slightly. The thin paper was stained with tears, yet the words were sharp as blades.

We should never see each other again.

That single sentence struck him like a heavy punch to the gut, stealing his balance in an instant.

Then, he saw the medical report beside the letter.

Pregnant six weeks. Threatened miscarriage. Uterine evacuation completed.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

A new message popped up.

“Mr. Cassian, the divorce procedures between you and Ms. Melody have been fully completed.”