My wife Cristal Maddox finally secured the project she had been pursuing for two years, and the company held a celebration banquet at the largest hotel in the city.

When I drove her there, the broken rib in my chest stabbed me and made it painful to breathe.

"Today is our fifth anniversary, and you..."

This was the only reason I forced myself to come and send her off.

But Cristal interrupted impatiently.

"You insisted on celebrating the anniversary today, but we never celebrated it before. You just don't want me to be with Kolten Rowe, right?"

After saying that, she slammed the car door.

I waited at home for five hours, packing my things and boarding the plane with a heavy heart.

But Cristal looked for me worriedly.

——

"Today is our fifth anniversary, and you..."

Cristal paused as she got out of the car when she heard my words. Then she turned her head, her face full of impatience.

“We haven't celebrated any anniversary for five years. This year, on the day when my project was signed, Jadiel, are you trying to make it disgusting? Isn't it just because you don't want me to be with Kolten?”

After saying that, she got out of the car quickly and slammed the door.

I originally wanted to tell her that I had something important to tell her.

Kolten was her childhood friend who grew up with her.

After graduating, he went abroad for five years. This was the first project he got after returning.

Compared with them, who were at the top of the business world, I was more like a passerby in a novel.

A salary of 2 thousand dollars was not enough to support my wife.

I fell in love with Cristal nine years ago when I just started college. She was the outstanding graduate of that year, and with her perfect graduation design, she won the favor of a listed company. She had already got the offer before graduation.

Her motivational speech for freshmen was unforgettable for me.

Her youthful smiling face crashed straight into my heart.

All my roommates said that I was talking in my sleep when I said I liked her.

After all, she had a childhood friend, Kolten, who was as outstanding as her.

But after graduation, Kolten went abroad, and she unexpectedly agreed to be my girlfriend.

I thought as long as I worked hard enough, I could eventually melt her heart.

But nine years of effort told me that my thoughts were naive.

I sat in the living room, curling up my body because of the intense pain in my chest.

Cold sweat dripped down my cheeks onto the floor.

Five hours passed, and it was late at night.

One after another, the messages I sent got no replies.

I fainted several times in pain, with my mind full of telling her the truth.

However, when I woke up again, I didn't see her.

Trembling, I called her but failed to get through.

But on the social platform, there was another update from a familiar account.

In the luxurious suite on the top floor of the hotel where Cristal attended the celebration banquet tonight, two figures who were standing intimately in front of the large bed were reflected on the floor-to-ceiling window.

It posted: [Five years have passed, but everything remains the same.]

I was heartbroken by the words, feeling a chill all over.

The last trace of hope for this relationship was shattered.

I couldn't help but burst into a bitter smile, and the broken bones in my breath stabbed my heart.

All of this was expected.

I had always been her backup plan.

Now that the first one had come back, perhaps even I, the poor candidate, was no longer needed by her.

I picked up the thing on the table that I had prepared to show her, and my eyes were blurred by tears.

Probably it was because my body was in too much pain.

Tears fell down my face.

We met in our youth, but we were destined to say goodbye in the end.

The efforts made in the past nine years had only trapped me.

If I had listened to my friend's advice from the beginning and realized their intimate relationship, would everything today not have happened?

I closed my eyes in pain, thinking about that scene from that day.

Soon, I fell into even deeper despair.

I realized that even if I could start over and knew the outcome, I still wanted to try for myself once.

Maybe she would fall in love with me.

Maybe she would forget about Kolten.

The day we met happened to be the day Kolten went abroad.

I couldn't help but think what if I saw them together with my own eyes?

Instead of hearing it from others, maybe I would let go of the thoughts I shouldn't have.

Unfortunately, life couldn't start over again.

After Kolten returned to the country, I received anonymous messages from strangers on my social media.

And it was that person that kept updating my wife's activities.

He was familiar with Cristal even more than I did.

He knew when she had a meal, when she would sleep when she went to work, and when she had to work overtime.

I even had to learn about Cristal's period from him.

But the passionate love of my youth filled my heart with unwillingness.

I decided to try again and again.

At first, I did ask Cristal.

But when I tried to say caring words, her face instantly turned cold.

"Jadiel, are you spying on me?

"Isn't it enough? Kolten and I have known each other since we were kids, but how many years have we been married? If there's anything between us, you can never be my husband."

How familiar the excuses were.

But I dared not argue at all.

Kolten's return shattered my pitiful self-esteem and sense of security.

To attract Cristal's attention, I started staying out all night.

I posted photos of me playing with other girls on social platforms.

But Cristal just transferred 20 thousand dollars to me.

"Have fun."

Her words shattered my disguised mask.

Today, it would be my last chance for myself.

I originally planned to tell her everything when she came back.

I thought humbly that maybe knowing everything would soften her heart for the first time in these nine years of marriage.

Maybe I was not as humble as I thought.

But the harsh reality disappointed me, and their photo on the screen humiliated me.

I left the divorce agreement that I originally planned to take out after a month, signed it, and left with my luggage.

Perhaps leaving alone quietly wasn't a bad idea

On the way to the airport, I bought the latest ticket.

I heard that the hospitals in Washington were very good at treating this disease, which would be my only chance.

A month ago, I fainted at home. After waking up, I took a taxi to the hospital for an examination.

But it turned out that I was in the late stage of bone cancer.

That was not the first time I had felt uncomfortable.

Before, when I fainted at home several times, I called Cristal with my last bit of strength.

But when Cristal answered it and heard that I didn't feel comfortable, she lost patience.

"I just came out to work. Can you stop pretending ill? Why didn't you feel anything wrong when I was at home? Why didn't you get sick when Kolten didn't come back?

"Stop making trouble for no reason, Jadiel. Don't challenge my limited patience with you!"

The phone was hung up.

I also ended up in a coma when her cold voice disappeared.

At that time, she was almost with Kolten every day.

Naturally, she thought I was jealous and competing for favor.

At first, I didn't take the disease seriously, but when I fainted and my ribs were fractured last time, I had to pay attention to it.

And it turned out...

After boarding, I took painkillers and had a rest.

I had to admit that there was still a glimmer of hope for Cristal in my heart.

Maybe when she went home and saw the diagnosis report on the table, she would know that I was not lying.

Perhaps she would feel sorry for me because of this.

Thinking about it, I fell into a deep sleep.

After the plane landed, I went directly to the hospital by taxi.

But just after registering, Cristal called me.

"Didn't you see the message I sent you? What are you pretending to miss it for? Isn't it just because I didn't accompany you on our anniversary?"

Her voice was a bit hoarse as if she just woke up.

Only then did I check the message.

I saw her message from last night, asking me to pick her up at the hotel this morning.

I said with a bitter smile, "Cristal, that is our only anniversary."

If I didn't survive this time, it would be our first anniversary and also the last one.

Her voice suddenly became irritable on the phone.

"The only anniversary? Are you crazy? I didn't say I want to divorce you!"

"But I want a divorce.

"Cristal, I'm tired of it."

There was suddenly silence on the phone.

I thought she would think I was being unreasonable again, but surprisingly, she spoke with a bit more patience.

"I've been busy with the project recently and have neglected you a bit. Don't think too much. You should take a rest, and I'm going to the company."

Before I could say anything, the phone was immediately hung up.

I received a message from the bank that someone transferred money to me.

Cristal transferred almost 100 thousand dollars to me.

She had always been so generous.

Every time she comforted me with money, making me obedient and well-behaved.

But what I wanted was never money.

I paid to make an appointment with an expert but had to wait for a day.

This hospital was located in a bustling area of Washington, surrounded by several malls that were popular with college students.

Cristal and I had been here a few times before.

But her face was filled with faint boredom and exhaustion as if nothing in the mall could attract her attention.

I had put in a lot of effort for this.

I tried to learn online, hoping to bring more smiles to her face.

But it was all in vain.

I was just a poor student, and I couldn't even afford a luxury item to give her.

On the day I graduated, the news that the excellent senior Kolten was getting married came.

Unexpectedly, Cristal invited me to go shopping.

But when we reached the riverside, she suddenly squatted down and burst into tears.

I was at a loss for words as I tried to comfort her, and she looked at me with tearful eyes full of grievances.

"Do you like me? Will you marry me?"

Unconsciously, I found myself standing by that riverside.

The suspension bridge that used to be a tourist attraction had been demolished, leaving only a bare area.

My phone rang with a notification sound.

That social media account updated again.

It was an account without any comments or likes from other netizens.

I felt like his updates were only visible to me.

This time, there was a large cake in the photo, with a cute rabbit on it.

Cristal liked rabbits.

He posted: [You are as excellent as before. We're a perfect match!]

I couldn't bear the shock and almost fainted.

The pain in my ribs appeared again.

Now I had to be extremely careful with all my actions, as it seemed that my bones became especially fragile in the late stage.

Seemingly afraid that I couldn't see it, Kolten actually followed me with that account.

Once admired by the whole school, he had become so despicable for the sake of love.

He thought I still wanted to fight against him.

But I had given up long ago.

I walked through the roads and shopping malls we used to go together, like a walking dead.

When I returned to the hospital, the nurse hurriedly took me to the ward.

"I have never seen a terminal cancer patient running around and disappearing. You scared me!"

I couldn't believe that the first concern came from a stranger I met by chance, and my heart felt hurt.

The nurse stared at me lying on the bed, reminding me repeatedly not to move. Seeing me nod obediently, she left.

Perhaps because there was nothing else to distract my attention, the pain surrounded me again.

Cold sweat soaked the patient's gown, and I couldn't help but tremble out of pain.

I poured out the sleeping pills and swallowed them with my last strength.

Soon, I fell asleep.

The phone next to the pillow rang several times, but it didn't wake me up.

When I woke up, it was already night.

The dinner brought by the nurse was still on the table, but it was so cold.

I checked my phone and saw the new post from that account.

Several photos of the beach were shown with two people clinking wine bottles on them.

Those photos were like sharp knives that were stabbing my heart.

At the bottom, there was a picture of two people lying in a seaside room, with beer and barbecue filling the table.

[Summer, night, beach, and lover.]

There were few words, but it could still hurt me badly.

It shattered the love I had for Cristal.

I scrolled through his updates one by one, which were about their meeting and love.

Each one showed their intimacy.

He seemed like a perfect killer.

Step by step, he broke down my psychological defenses.

I had already decided to quit, yet he refused to let go.

Tears fell from the corners of my eyes onto the pillow.

After nine years of love, he insisted on leaving my heart in a bloody mess before giving up.

This time, I blocked him and also marked all his content as uninteresting.

I turned off my phone and looked in the dark hospital room, but I couldn't fall asleep.

The next day, I met with the expert with dark circles under my eyes.

He raised my medical records and examination reports, and his eyebrows furrowed tightly.

After a moment, he asked me in a low voice, "What about your family members?"

I smiled casually.

"I have no family. I am an orphan."

A deep sympathy flashed in the doctor's originally firm gaze.

"It's okay. There is still hope. There have been people with the same condition as you before, and they have been cured, and it hasn't relapsed in ten years. Now their children even come to visit me every year."

I understood that the doctor was comforting me, so I could only nod and thank him.

The surgery cost a lot, and I could never earn that much money in my lifetime.

Fortunately, Cristal had transferred quite a bit of money to me over the past five years.

It was just enough to cover it.

After paying the fee, Cristal called.

I could faintly hear the sound of the sea breeze in the receiver.

"Are you calm now? When are you coming home?

"If you're not at home, I don't want to stay there either."

Her casual tone made my heart skip a beat.

If I hadn't learned that she loved Kolten, I would have thought she was being coquettish with me.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke coldly.

"I'm not going back. I don't think you want to go home. And you didn't even enter the house since I left, right?"

Otherwise, she would have seen the divorce papers on the table.

The nurse called my name.

"Mr. Bowen! Remember to come over after you finish the call!"

Cristal heard it, and she immediately became irritable.

"Jadiel, what are you pretending for? I thought you were in a bad mood! It turns out you went out fooling around. I knew you couldn't spend so much money in such a short time!

"You disgust me!"

Just as I was about to speak, my phone vibrated.

I took the phone off my ear and checked it.

That account that I had blocked registered a new account and posted another update.

This time, he mentioned me.

I clicked on the photo, and Cristal was lying in Kolten's arms, the two of them tightly embracing each other.

In the past, I might have immediately shouted and questioned loudly.

But now I didn't want anything.

I didn't want Cristal either.

Seeing that I didn't respond, she became impatient in her tone.

"Don't think that you can get away with pretending to be innocent and not admitting it! I'm going to freeze the card I gave you right now!"

But suddenly I laughed.

I was glad that the surgery fee had been paid, so I casually said.

"Take some time to go home. I've already put the divorce agreement on the table. You can sign it right away."

I thought she would be eager to get rid of me and throw herself into the arms of her childhood sweetheart whom she had loved for years.

But I didn't expect her to rebuke angrily, "Jadiel, don't ever think about it! Sign it? I'll only sign when you're dead!"

After finishing speaking, she hung up the phone before I could explain.

I could only smile bitterly.

What was the difference if she signed after I died?

I was about to die soon.