A week later, sunlight streamed through the gauze curtains of the nursing center, casting a warm glow on the bed.

Amelia put down her phone. The screen still showed Victoria’s latest vlog. In the video, Damien was tying Victoria’s shoelaces, his attention fully on her. They laughed together, looking so happy.

Expressionless, Amelia locked the screen as if she hadn't seen anything.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

"Amelia!" Damien rushed in, his face filled with panic.

"How are you-"

As he got closer, he noticed how pale she was. Her lips were almost colorless.

His brows furrowed as he asked, "Is it your irregular periods again? Why didn’t you tell me?"

Amelia had long been used to her health issues. Since she had instructed the maid not to mention her miscarriage, Damien simply assumed she was recovering from her usual condition. Unfortunately, he took it for granted.

Amelia looked at him quietly.

In the past, whenever she felt unwell, she would act spoiled and ask him to stay with her.

But this time, she hadn’t even called.

Seventeen unanswered calls. It was no different from calling zero times. Why should she keep setting herself up for disappointment?

"I thought you were too busy," Amelia said softly.

"Besides, I didn’t want to disturb you."

Damien’s heart tightened at what his wife just said.

He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms as he said, "I’m your husband. You can always call me."

Amelia didn’t push him away, but she didn’t return the hug either. She leaned against his shoulder and suddenly asked, "Is it the same as with Victoria?"

The moment the words left her lips, she regretted them. She sounded like a jealous woman fighting for his attention. Damien stiffened slightly, but then he smiled and stroked her hair. "Of course, it’s the same."

Just then, Amelia’s phone rang.

It was Julian. She answered briefly in front of Damien, keeping her words short before hanging up. Damien frowned.

"Come to think of it, I saw Felicia’s husband a few days ago. They don’t seem like they’re getting divorced."

"It was Felicia’s decision alone," Amelia said calmly, hiding her emotions.

"Her husband doesn’t know yet."

Damien looked confused as he asked, "But isn’t divorce something both people should agree on?"

Amelia met his gaze meaningfully as she answered, "Felicia found out that her husband was secretly seeing his first love. She couldn’t accept it, so she decided to file for divorce without telling him. If she brought it up, he probably wouldn’t agree right away."

Damien’s expression darkened and he said, "Then she should divorce him! A man like that is terrible!"

Amelia lowered her eyes. Damien obviously knew Felicia’s husband well. Given his personality, he surely knew whether the man had a first love or not. Yet, without hesitation, he immediately condemned Felicia’s husband.

Damien wasn’t as calm as he pretended to be.

"How much longer is Victoria’s divorce cooling-off period?" Amelia asked suddenly.

"Fifteen more days," Damien answered without thinking.

It was clear he had been counting down every day.

Amelia looked outside at the bright sunlight and whispered, "Then it’s almost happening at the same time."

"What?" Damien was puzzled.

"Nothing."

Amelia smiled faintly but said no more.

Just then, Damien’s phone vibrated. The same man who ignored Amelia’s seventeen missed calls immediately answered, his voice softening.

"Hello, Victoria?"

On the other end, Victoria was crying and said, "Damien … I feel so scared being alone at home … "

"Don’t be afraid. I’ll be back soon," Damien reassured her, not realizing his eyes had flickered toward Amelia.

Amelia watched quietly. She no longer felt disappointment, just understanding. So, this was why.

When Victoria was with him, Damien ignored his phone because he knew Amelia’s calls weren’t important to him. But when Victoria wasn’t around, he was afraid of missing anything from her. After hanging up, Damien hesitated.

It might be guilt. Or, it might be because Amelia had just mentioned ‘Felicia’s husband secretly seeing his first love’ and it hit too close to home. For once, he didn’t rush to leave.

"Go to the office," Amelia said first.

"Don’t let work pile up."

Damien seemed relieved, saying, "When will you be discharged? Send me a message and I’ll pick you up."

With that, he left without even looking back.

A week later, Amelia packed her suitcase, preparing to leave the hospital. She called Damien three times. No answer.

At the same time, Victoria’s latest video was trending online, with over 100,000 likes.

In the video, Victoria proudly showed off the "boyfriend’s efforts" with limited-edition handbags, money transfers, pictures of her global travels and close-ups of Damien cooking, washing dishes and massaging her feet.

The comments were full of admiration.

[What a perfect boyfriend!]

[What a rich and devoted boyfriend! I’m so jealous!]

Victoria didn’t clarify their true relationship, allowing netizens to believe whatever they wanted.

Finally, Damien called back.

His voice was casual as he answered her call.

"I was busy and didn’t see the calls. What’s up?"

Sure enough, Damien had completely forgotten that he was supposed to pick her up. In the background, Victoria’s laughter was clear as day. Yet, Damien still lied calmly.

"I’m talking about business. If it’s not urgent, why don’t we talk at home later?"

Amelia’s voice was gentle as she said, "It’s okay. I just wanted to confirm where you were."

After hanging up, she opened the calendar on her phone.

Victoria’s divorce cooling-off period had one week left. The divorce agreement would take effect in fifteen days. Soon. There was no need for Amelia to feel sad anymore.

When Amelia opened the door, she almost thought she had walked into the wrong place. The house, which once held the memories of her five-year marriage, had completely changed. It broke her heart.

She had already packed most of her personal belongings before she left last time, but now it was clear that Victoria had taken advantage of her absence to remove even more of her things.

Amelia walked slowly toward the master bedroom bathroom.

On Damien’s washstand, there was a pair of red and blue toothbrushes. She looked around and saw that the entire house was filled with matching items in pairs. Couple cups, couple slippers and couple pillows were there.

Anyone who didn’t know the truth would think this was the home of a couple deeply in love.

Amelia then remembered that when she first got married, she had excitedly bought a set of couple mugs.

At the time, Damien had only glanced at them coldly and said, "What's the point of these childish things?"

After that, she never brought up the idea again.

Amelia took a deep breath, ignored everything and went to her room to pack the last of her personal belongings. She had already gotten used to being treated differently by Damien. After so many disappointments, she no longer felt anything.

She finished packing the remaining clothes and books and sent them to the Heartford Family by courier.

That evening, both Amelia and Damien received invitations to a dinner party from mutual friends. Since the invitations were sent separately. One in the name of the Heartford Family and the other in the name of the Charleston Family. Both of them arrived at the event separately.

When Amelia reached the winery, she saw Damien getting out of the car with Victoria.

Damien noticed her and, looking a bit uncomfortable, stepped forward.

"Sorry, I should have sent a driver to pick you up."

"It’s fine," Amelia replied with a polite smile.

"Besides, I have a driver too."

As more guests arrived, someone asked curiously, "When did Mr. Charleston and Miss Heartford become so close?"

Damien hesitated. He had promised Victoria that he would make their relationship public on an official occasion. But when he glanced at the petite woman beside him, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Amelia smiled brightly as she remarked, "Have you forgotten? Mr. Charleston is my boss now. Of course, I know him well."

Someone laughed as they said, "The eldest daughter of the Heartford Family working as a secretary? Isn’t that a waste of such a talented woman?"

Another person joked, "You still haven’t given up? Mr. Charleston is already married!"

The people around them chuckled.

Almost everyone in their social circle knew that Amelia had once had feelings for Damien. Everyone except Damien himself. Hearing this, Damien froze.

Before he could react, Amelia spoke lightly, "That was a long time ago. But I’ve been working with Mr. Charleston for a while now, so I got used to it. Now that you mention it, maybe I should find a more challenging job."

With just a few words, Amelia had steered the conversation in another direction and the atmosphere became lively again.

Hearing her mention leaving, Damien suddenly felt uneasy.

He forced a smile as he said, "Miss Heartford is very capable. I’d hate to lose her."

Someone else asked, "Why didn’t Mr. Charleston bring his wife tonight? Your wedding was so low-key … "

Damien responded vaguely, "She’s busy."

The guests wisely changed the topic. No one questioned why Victoria, who had no connection to the Charleston Family, was there. While Damien was caught up in drinking with friends, Victoria suddenly approached Amelia.

She smiled innocently and asked, "Sister-in-law … Oh, I-I mean, Amelia. I heard from my brother that you and Damien already agreed to divorce, right?"

Amelia looked at the woman pretending to be innocent and calmly replied, "Yes."

Victoria let out a relieved sigh, her smile growing more natural. "That’s good ... I thought you really liked my brother."

As soon as Victoria finished speaking, she acted as if she had said something wrong. She shook her head, waving her hands in panic.

"I-I didn’t mean anything bad! It’s just ... I’m just not used to my brother being someone’s husband … "

She lowered her head, nervously twisting the hem of her dress like a shy little girl.

But Amelia could see the hidden satisfaction in her eyes.

"Really?" Amelia asked and set down her glass, a faint smile forming on her lips.

"It sure took you a long time to feel that way."

Victoria hadn’t expected Amelia to react so calmly. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. Slowly, she began to believe that maybe Amelia truly no longer had feelings for Damien.

Her hostility faded slightly and she took Amelia’s arm affectionately, pretending to be naive.

"Amelia, you don’t know how much I rely on my brother … "

Her voice was soft, but there was an unmistakable sense of pride in it.

"This time, my brother helped me handle my divorce. My ex-husband’s family caused trouble and even blocked the entrance of my hotel."

"But my brother hired a lawyer and had them driven away overnight. When it came to the property settlement, he used the Charleston Family’s connections to ensure I got the best deal. Even my most difficult mother-in-law didn’t dare challenge him."

Victoria’s eyes shone with admiration.

Then, she lowered her voice shyly, "To be honest ... I never married my ex-husband for love. I had no choice. But now that I think about it, fate really works in mysterious ways ... My brother and I aren’t biologically related, nor are we legally siblings … "

Her meaning was obvious.

Victoria had only married someone else because of family ethics and now that nothing stood in the way, she and Damien could be together.

Amelia swirled the champagne in her glass and asked lightly, "So, what you’re saying is … you like your brother?"

Victoria’s face flushed instantly.

She lowered her head and whispered, "I … I don’t know. I’ve just always depended on him."

Her voice took on a nostalgic tone as she continued, "When I was sick as a child, my brother stayed by my bedside all night. When I was bullied at school, he personally went to confront my classmates’ families. Even when I got my first period, my brother ran out to buy me some tamponss ..."

Amelia listened, feeling an emptiness grow inside her. She suddenly realized that even though she and Damien had grown up together, she could never compare to the "familial bond" that he and Victoria shared.

The Damien who had always been distant, cold and professional with her … had been endlessly loving and indulgent toward Victoria. Amelia had been blind to it for too long. Only after getting hurt over and over again had she finally learned to let go.

Victoria suddenly raised her head, her gaze cautious.

"Amelia … do you think the way I look at my brother is… strange?"

Amelia remained silent, studying her.

Victoria’s possessiveness over Damien was so blatant, her schemes so shallow, that she had even dared to say this to Damien’s wife.

But instead of reacting, Amelia simply smiled as she calmly responded, "It’s not strange. I think … your brother likes you very much."

Victoria’s voice dropped to a whisper as she said, "Then, Amelia ... will you give my brother to me?"

Amelia met her expectant gaze and answered lightly, "Maybe."

She didn’t say outright that she was ready for a divorce. There was no need to hand Victoria a victory so easily.

Still, Victoria seemed satisfied with the ambiguous answer. A triumphant smile spread across her face, as if Damien was already hers. On the way home, Victoria dozed off in the back seat.

Damien glanced at Amelia through the rearview mirror and spoke in a low voice.

"Baby, next time … I promise I’ll make our relationship public."

Amelia smiled gently as she said calmly, "It’s okay. Our marriage was just an agreement. I understand."

Her calm response made Damien uneasy.

He hurriedly reassured her, "At the earliest, in a week, I’ll-"

"We’re here," Amelia cut him off, looking out the window.

The car had already stopped at her door.

One day became a week. A week became a month. A month became a year.

Amelia had learned not to wait for promises that would never be kept. Five years of marriage. She would treat it as nothing more than a dream. And now, after waking from that dream, it was time to pack up and move on.

The city lights flickered outside, just like the hope she had clung to for the past five years, always igniting, only to be extinguished again and again. Now, she had finally learned. There was no point chasing a light that would never shine on her.