Eight years ago, when I had just been diagnosed with cancer, the thing I wanted most was for Liam to forget me and move on.

But now, hearing him speak so calmly about what had happened back then, hearing him mention me as if I were nothing more than an old mistake, I still felt something twist quietly under my ribs.

He had told his fiancée everything about us.

He had not hidden a single thing.

That should have meant he had truly let go.

My mother, meanwhile, could no longer bear listening to Vanessa bring up my “cheating” over and over again. Every word sounded polite on the surface, but each one carried a hidden blade.

Mom’s eyes turned red with rage. Her lips trembled several times before she finally snapped at Liam.

“You and your mother really are the same. Shameless, both of you.”

My heart tightened.

I forced myself upright against the pillows and called toward the door, “Mom, come help me into the wheelchair. I’ll talk to Liam myself.”

Mom came into the bedroom. When she saw me trying to sit up, her face was still dark with anger.

I simply reached for her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“Mom,” I whispered, “please. Think of it as helping me settle one last regret.”

Her eyes reddened instantly.

Still, because she had always loved me more than anything, she went to the vanity, brought me lipstick and my wig, and helped me into my down coat.

The moment she wheeled me out, Liam frowned.

“What’s wrong with you? You were spoiled when we were kids, and now you’re still acting like this as an adult. It’s just a broken leg. Your mother is getting older, and you’re still making her wait on you hand and foot?”

I looked at the disgust on his face and smiled faintly.

“The doctor said the fracture is serious. I’m not supposed to put weight on it for a while.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Vanessa, standing beside Liam, gave me an apologetic smile.

“Claire, don’t take it personally. Liam has just gotten used to being blunt after living overseas for so long.”

Then she tilted her head toward him, her tone sweet.

“He’s like this with everyone except me.”

I lowered my eyes for a second.

Liam was cold to everyone. That much was true.

But he had never been cold to me.

Not before.

I pressed that thought down before it could show on my face and looked calmly at Vanessa.

“You really want me to go with you to choose a wedding planner?

“If you need me there, I’ll go.”

Vanessa nodded at once.

“Of course. We really do.”

After that, I exchanged a few polite words with them before seeing them out.

That night, Liam called me.

He said I should go with them to meet the wedding planner the next day.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

Part of me was greedy for the sound of his voice.

Another part of me was almost afraid of it.

After all, it had been eight years since I had heard him like this, alone, on the other end of the line.

Eight years ago, I used to hide under the covers every night and fall asleep listening to his low, warm voice.

But just as I slipped into the memory, a woman’s voice sounded on his end.

“Liam, come dry my hair for me…”

I snapped back to myself.

“Okay,” I murmured quickly.

The moment Liam heard my answer, he hung up.

I listened to the empty beeps until they ended. Only then did the tears come.

I had known this would happen.

I had prepared myself for it.

But seeing it, hearing it, knowing with absolute clarity that Liam belonged to someone else now still hurt more than I could admit.

Liam had told me to meet him at ten the next morning.

Because I was nervous, I asked Mom to take me downstairs at nine thirty.

But I waited until noon, and Liam never came.

When I called him, he hung up.

Mom asked me several times to go home.

I refused.

This trip had taken almost everything I had left.

After this, I might never have the strength to leave the house again.

Thankfully, at one in the afternoon, Liam finally called and said they were downstairs.

My mother was furious. It took me a long time to calm her down before she managed to keep her expression neutral.

The moment I got into the car, Vanessa turned to me with a coy little smile.

“Sorry, Claire. Liam got a little carried away last night. I couldn’t get out of bed this morning.”

My hand tightened slightly against my coat.

Liam folded my wheelchair and put it away, then got into the driver’s seat. Through the rearview mirror, he glanced at me once.

“Why are you explaining so much to her?” he said coldly.

I turned my face toward the window and waved calmly at my mother.

Liam drove fast.

The car lurched so badly I thought I might throw up, but I swallowed it down in silence.

It reminded me of the year he got his license.

Back then, he would often borrow his father’s car and take me out. He knew I got carsick, so he always drove carefully, slowing before every turn and braking so gently I barely felt it.

I used to feel sick in taxis and buses.

Never in Liam’s car.

Then Liam slammed on the brakes again.

My body gave out. I crashed hard against the back seat, my stomach twisting violently. A small sound escaped before I could stop it.

When Liam heard me, he sneered.

“Claire, you don’t actually think I’m still going to take care of you the way I did eight years ago, do you? No sudden stops. No sharp turns. No hard braking.”

I wiped the dampness from the corner of my eye and said softly, “No. You should take care of Vanessa now. She’s your girlfriend.”

Liam gave another cold laugh.

“You’re right.”

Then he stepped harder on the gas.

My back slammed into the seat again. Pain shot up my spine, sharp enough to steal my breath.

But I still smiled.

Hatred was fine.

At least while I was still alive, some part of me still mattered enough for him to hate.

It did not take long for us to reach the restaurant.

When we got out, Liam carried me from the car.

The moment I was back in his arms, I almost failed to hold myself together.

For one brief second, I could smell the familiar scent of him, clean soap and winter air. My fingers curled against my palm, but I did not dare touch him.

Liam carried me out quickly and set me into the wheelchair just as quickly.

Because the second he put me down, he turned to Vanessa and asked for wet wipes.

Then he scrubbed his hands hard.

Vanessa gave me an awkward smile from the side.

“Sorry, Claire. Liam’s a clean freak. If any woman other than me touches him, he gets uncomfortable.”

I lowered my head and pressed my lips together, pretending I had not seen what he did or heard what she said.

After that, I let Liam and Vanessa push me into the restaurant, walking arm in arm behind me.

As soon as we sat down, Liam picked up the menu and ordered several heavy, spicy dishes.

Listening to the server repeat the order, I quietly lowered my eyes.

I had never been able to eat spicy food.

Neither had Liam.

So it was obvious who he was ordering for.

I did not try to make things hard on myself.

In my current condition, even ordinary food was difficult. There was no way I could handle anything that rich or hot.

So I asked the server to add a plain vegetable soup for me.

For some reason, Liam suddenly lost his temper.

“You’re already skin and bones,” Liam snapped. “And you’re still trying to diet?”

For one foolish second, the concern in his voice caught me off guard.

Then I smiled.

“Evan likes me thinner.”

Evan was the man Margaret had found for me eight years ago, the one who helped me stage the fake affair.

After Liam left the country in anger, I never saw Evan again.

The moment Liam heard his name, his face went cold.

Vanessa, sitting beside him, immediately gave me a soft smile.

“Claire, don’t misunderstand. Liam is a doctor now. He gets upset whenever he sees people harming their health just to lose weight. When we were overseas, I tried dieting more than once, and he scolded me every time.”

As she spoke, she turned to Liam with an affectionate smile.

“Right, Liam?”

But Liam did not look at her.

He stood abruptly, shoving his chair back.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

Then he walked off without another word. He did not look at me. He did not look at Vanessa either.

I watched his back disappear down the hall.

Had I ruined things again?

Ruined Liam’s new life.

Ruined the love he had finally found after me.

Guilt settled heavily in my chest.

Across the table, Vanessa suddenly picked up a glass of hot water and threw it straight in my face.

“You little bitch,” she hissed. “Do you think I’m stupid? You’ve been playing weak and helpless all day just to pull Liam back in.”

The water stung my face. Heat spread across my skin.

I tightened my fingers against the edge of my coat and said quietly, “I’m sorry. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

Vanessa only sneered.

Then she came around the table and slapped me across the face.

“You think pretending you can barely walk will make Liam come running back to you?”

“Let me tell you something. Liam is mine. He will be mine for the rest of his life. Don’t think you can steal him just because you were his first love.”

My cheek burned until it went numb.

I could endure the hot water.

After all, I was the one who had shamelessly chased after the last bit of warmth Liam might still give me.

But she had no right to hit me.

So without thinking, I pushed her away.

“Vanessa, lay a hand on me again and I’ll call the police.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Vanessa suddenly dropped to the floor.

Then she screamed.

“My stomach! Help me! Someone help! She attacked me. I’m pregnant.”

I stared at her on the floor, then looked down at my own hands.

I had been sick for eight years.

Getting dressed exhausted me. Some days, I could not even hold a glass of water steady.

There was no way I had enough strength to knock Vanessa down.

When I pushed her just now, I only meant to stop her from hitting me again.

But somehow, she had thrown herself to the floor.

Before I could make sense of it, Liam appeared at the edge of the dining room.

The instant he saw Vanessa on the floor, he rushed to her side.

“Vanessa. Vanessa, what happened?”

Vanessa burst into tears and clutched his shirt.

“Liam, save me. Please save our baby. Claire… Claire tried to kill me.

“The second you left, she started insulting me. She said you were nothing but trash she had thrown away. She said that if she ever wanted you back, you would crawl to her like a dog. I couldn’t take it. I really couldn’t. So I threw a glass of water at her.

“But that only made her angrier. She cursed me. She called me a vicious little bitch. She called me a slut. She said all I knew how to do was pick up men she didn’t want anymore.”