Alexander was in the next room, creating new life again and again with his sister-in-law.

I tipped my head back, forcing my tears to stay where they were.

When I still didn't speak, Alexander grabbed my arm tightly and pleaded, "Mia, you're well liked and your performance is outstanding. You'll have other chances. Don't worry, we'll make sure to thank you properly."

He fully slipped into Daniel's identity, begging for Lily as if she truly were his wife.

Listening to those half-pleading, half-pressuring words almost made me laugh in anger.

I pulled my arm free, my expression calm. "I can give her the spot. But there's no need for any thanks. I wish you both a healthy child soon and a long life together."

The blessing sounded polite enough, yet the edge beneath it was unmistakable. Alexander froze, unable even to look at me.

Seeing him like that only made something cold coil tighter inside me. It didn't matter. I had already decided to leave with Charles.

The promotion meant nothing to me now. Once I was gone, the department would automatically award it to Lily.

I just hadn't expected Alexander would go this far for her. If I hadn't agreed to leave with Charles, would they have kept draining my salary for their baby and taken the promotion that belonged to me?

My nails dug hard into my palm as I fought back the rising storm inside.

After a brief stunned pause, Alexander's eyes lit with relief and excitement. "Really, Mia? You're really willing to give the spot to Lily?"

He hurried inside and returned with a cold boiled egg. I knew it was bought with my salary. I stared at it without taking it, then turned and walked back to my room.

The dim lamp stretched Alexander's shadow across the hall. He stood there for a long time. Lily had to call him several times before he finally returned inside.

None of it mattered. I was leaving. Still, Alexander, I hoped you would never regret this.

The next morning, after Lily successfully submitted her application, Alexander rushed to host a celebratory dinner for her.

At the restaurant, Lily clung to his arm, her expression smug.

"I told you shortcuts don't work," she said brightly. "You only get promoted by working hard. Isn't that right, Mia?"

She turned to me as she spoke, raising her glass deliberately. "And I should thank you, Mia. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten the spot."

With just a few sentences, she flipped the truth upside down. The expressions around the table shifted, eyes turning toward me with a strange mix of pity and judgment, as if I had done something disgraceful.

Whispers spread through the room. I sat stiffly, refusing to take the glass from Lily's hand.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander. His face tightened with guilt. He quickly took the glass from Lily and smoothed things over with a smile.

"Lily, Mia looks tired. She probably didn't sleep well last night. Let her skip the drink."

Lily's smile faltered, though she said nothing.

Across the table, I watched the two of them serving each other food, while I slowly prodded the pasta on my plate.

The food tasted like cardboard. I forced down each bite until my arm began to break out in a violent rash.

Only then did I realize my dish contained a generous amount of nuts.

Alexander's face changed the moment he noticed. He grabbed my arm in alarm.

"What happened? You're allergic to nuts?"

I pulled my arm back. "I'm fine."

Once, Alexander could remember every preference I had, every food I disliked. If a waiter mistakenly added cilantro, he would patiently pick it out leaf by leaf. But now, seeing the dishes spread across the table, he needed a moment to recall that I was allergic to nuts.

Guilt flickered across his expression. He slipped an arm around my shoulders, trying to make up for it, and moved as if to pick me up.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

Behind him, Lily's face darkened with something malicious.

I stepped back and said quietly, "Daniel."

The weight in my tone snapped Alexander back to reality, and at that moment Lily clutched her belly.

"Daniel, it hurts," she cried.

Alexander faltered, torn. Then he said, "I'll take Lily to the hospital first. Mia, you…"

Lily suddenly burst into tears. Alexander didn't think further. He scooped her up and hurried out, throwing me a guilty glance before disappearing from the restaurant.

A waiter ended up sending me to the hospital.

For two days, Alexander stayed by Lily's bedside. He never came to see me. Through the thin walls, I sometimes heard nurses comparing the two patients.

One showered with care, the other entirely forgotten.

Their words made it sound as if my husband truly had died.

I chucked softly, letting it be. After all, the moment Alexander betrayed me, he was already dead.

Sunlight streamed through the hospital window. I squinted at the brightness, then went to handle my own discharge.

I will be leaving tomorrow. Soon, I would be on a boat with Charles, heading toward the island, toward a new life that belonged to me.

When I returned home, Margaret was already waiting in the front yard. She rushed to me, took my hand, and handed over a ferry ticket and a beautifully wrapped box.

"Mr. Gaslow heard you were hospitalized and asked me to bring these. He said they're for nourishing your body."

The box was filled with rare, expensive supplements. The weight of it stunned me. It felt far too valuable, and I immediately tried to refuse.

Margaret only smiled. "Why refuse? Once you marry Mr. Gaslow, you'll be his family. What is there to feel shy about?"

She had just finished speaking when Alexander appeared. His expression changed instantly. He grabbed my wrist. "Mia, didn't I tell you to stop letting people introduce you to men?"

He glanced sharply at Margaret. "I've said it before. Mia still loves Alexander deeply. She will not remarry. If I see you here again, I'll throw you out."

He spoke with righteous conviction, as if he were protecting me for my own good.

A bitter amusement rose in my chest.

Charles at least cared enough to ask after me when he learned I was hospitalized.

Alexander, on the other hand, cared only that I remain a lifelong widow for him.

Margaret realized it was a family matter and didn't press further. She left reluctantly.

Alexander still held my wrist, refusing to let go. I tried to pull free but couldn't.

"Mia Carter, you cannot remarry," he said. "Alexander treated you so well. You should honor him by staying faithful."

I stared at his stern, self-righteous expression, feeling only bitter irony.

So this was his idea of love. Staying alive while watching me destroy myself for him, over and over, without doing anything to fix it.

And this was his devotion. Faking his death so Lily could carry his child.

A laugh slipped out of my lips. "Daniel, you're not your brother. What right do you have to control me?"

"I—" Something flickered in Alexander's eyes, his confidence collapsing. "I may not be Alexander, but since he's gone, I have a responsibility…"

But to Lily, watching from the doorway, the scene seemed to mean something else entirely. Her expression darkened with malice.

That night, while Alexander was out working. Lily came to my room.

Without a word, she slapped me hard across the face. Under the dim bulb, her expression twisted with venom.

"Mia, your husband had just barely died and you're already seducing Daniel? Can't even stand being alone for a little while?"

The slap had stunned me. I reached out, intending to catch her wrist and defend myself, maybe even explain.

My fingers never touched her, but she suddenly let her body collapse backward, dropping to the floor as if I had shoved her.

Her voice turned soft and trembling. "Mia, I only wanted to talk. Why did you push me…"

At that moment, Alexander burst inside. He shoved me so hard I stumbled backward and crashed into the table behind me.

After gathering Lily gently into his arms, he glared at me furiously. "Mia, if anything happens to Lily, don't blame me for what I'll do to you."

In his arms, Lily's eyes were filled with tears, but she still found a moment to flash me a triumphant smile.

Pain shot through my lower back, but I forced myself to look at them and laughed coldly.

"Better take your wife to the hospital, Daniel."

I stressed the name. Daniel.

Alexander's expression flickered, unease breaking through for a moment. But in the end, he only let out a short, angry breath and carried Lily away.

Early the next morning, I took my ferry ticket and my already packed luggage and headed to the pier.

Sitting in the car, I watched the sunrise rise into the sky, warm and brilliant. It felt like the beginning of something new.

Then, in the next second, I caught sight of Alexander's car. Lily sat inside with him. They looked as if they had just returned from the hospital.

"Mia? Where is she going?" Lily asked suddenly, pointing at my car.

Alexander slammed on the brakes. Margaret's visit flashed through his mind.

Panic began to claw at him. He jumped out of the car, clearly intending to chase me.

But just then, Margaret returned from buying groceries. She spotted him and called out with delighted cheer.

"Congratulations, Daniel! Mia has found a good match. She's marrying Mr. Gaslow!"