Sherina immediately rushed back to Kervin’s side.

Not far off, Carmen clutched her chest, groaning in pain, clearly playing it up.

Without hesitation, Sherina accompanied Kervin and his mother back to the hospital room and even summoned every available doctor for a full team consultation.

Two full hours.

And while they were surrounded by care and concern, I sat in the waiting area, still unattended, growing dizzy and nauseous until I finally passed out.

A passing nurse found me unconscious and had me rushed to the emergency room—barely in time for treatment.

When I finally dragged myself home, completely drained, I found Sherina drying Kervin’s hair.

They had just taken a bath. Both were wearing the matching couple pajamas I had bought.

The loose neckline of his pajamas couldn’t quite hide the hickey on Kervin’s neck.

“Preston, don’t get the wrong idea,” Kervin stammered, clearly nervous. “Sherina and I didn’t do anything shameful in the bedroom...”

Sensing his fear, Sherina shot me a furious glare. “Don’t you have any manners? Didn’t your parents teach you to knock before entering a room?”

I gave a half-smile and replied calmly, “Sorry. They died young. I didn’t have the chance.”

For once, she was speechless.

I opened the closet to grab some fresh clothes and added, “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

She paused for a beat, then let out a contemptuous scoff.

“Preston, stop acting so dramatic. We were just having dinner—no one is dying to share your damn bed.”

Running a fever and too exhausted to argue, I went to the guest room to take my meds and rest.

That night, Kervin didn’t leave.

The next morning, as I stepped out of the room, I overheard the maids whispering in the hallway.

“I’ve worked in the Andrews family for years, but I’ve never seen the young miss treat a man this well."

"Last night, Mr. Welch casually mentioned he’d never tried off-road go-karting—and she had an entire track installed in the back garden just for him! She played with him all night!”

“That’s nothing. She even cooked for him herself today! She even tested the milk’s temperature with her lips before feeding it to him!”

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see my rare medicinal plants, cultivated over years, were all completely destroyed.

I didn’t say a word.

Just calmly called the finance office.

“Sell the St. Mary Cathedral in the western suburbs.”

It was the venue I had prepared as a surprise gift for our engagement.

The moment I hung up, a voice rang out behind me.

“Preston, why are you selling the engagement gift you gave me?”

At the end of the hallway stood Sherina, her face full of inexplicable rage.

“Didn’t you tell me your parents got married there?”

I replied coolly, “I changed my mind.”

'Changed his mind? There were only ten days left until our wedding. How could we possibly change the venue now? Unless... he wasn’t planning to marry me at all?'

That ridiculous thought flashed across Sherina’s mind—and it made her laugh out loud.

She was about to ask me which venue I planned to switch to, when Kervin conveniently appeared, wrapping his arm around her waist and planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Oh! Preston, you’re awake already.”

He acted like he had just noticed me, ducking behind Sherina with fake embarrassment—his voice dripping with smugness.

“Preston, Sherina cooked a huge feast for me today. I ate so much, my stomach actually hurts. Could you help me finish some? I really can’t eat another bite.”

Sherina giggled and tapped the tip of his nose affectionately. “Silly you, don’t gobble your food like that anymore."

"Here, take some digestion tablets. I’ll rub your tummy for you.”

Stomach growling, I didn’t refuse the invitation.

But I’d barely taken a few bites when I heard Kervin’s breathy, flirtatious moan.

“Sherina... you said you were only going to rub my tummy... Any lower than that, and you’re definitely not touching my abs anymore...”

Across the table, Sherina was giggling mischievously as she nibbled on Kervin’s ear, offering a half-hearted apology. But between her playful whispers, she shot a glance at me—just one look.

That single glance wiped the smile clean off her face.

Her expression darkened as she gritted her teeth and asked, “Preston, where’s the bracelet?”

She was referring to the very first gift she ever gave me.

For fifteen years—through childhood, school, and adulthood—I had never once taken it off.

Taking my time, I sipped my porridge and didn’t even lift my eyes as I replied indifferently, “It was old. It broke.”

Her jaw tensed. She let out a mirthless laugh and rubbed her temples.

“And then what? You just threw it away?”

I didn’t answer. I simply said, “I’m done eating. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

As I stood up, entirely unaffected, Sherina slammed her palm onto the table.

But before she could explode, Kervin cried out first, “Sherina! I cut my hand with the butter knife!”

Without hesitation, Sherina took his finger into her mouth to suck the blood, then rushed off to the hospital with him in tow.

The moment they left, the moving company I had scheduled arrived.

I had them pack up all of my belongings and move everything into the new apartment my fiancée had purchased.

Afterward, I placed the keys to the villa on the entryway table and walked out without looking back.

—

Two days later.

Just as I stepped out of my personal studio, Sherina ambushed me—dragging me by force to a seaside restaurant.

Candlelight, ocean breeze, fresh seafood...

All the date fantasies I used to whisper into her ear—she’d arranged them all in one night.

Then, she took out a pristine, snow-white Buddhist amulet, and tried to put it around my neck herself.

I immediately stepped back and declined politely, “It’s too valuable. You should give it to Kervin.”

Her expression shifted slightly.

“I was gone for two days and now you’re sulking like a corpse? What’s with the long face, Preston? Don’t tell me you actually see yourself as the Andrews family’s son-in-law?”

I smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Seeing my cold detachment, her gaze turned sharper. “Preston, I’m warning you—know when to stop. Don’t go testing my limits for no reason.”

Shaking my head, I replied flatly, “Don’t worry. From this moment on, there will be no more connection between us. Because—”

But I didn’t get to finish.

Sherina’s phone rang. It was Kervin.

His voice was choked with emotion on the other end.

“Sherina... today is your ten-year anniversary with Preston. I shouldn’t be calling, I know. But... I’m leaving."

"No one’s forcing me—I’m doing this willingly, really...” he sighed.

With that, the call ended.

No matter how many times she tried to call back, it only rang busy.

In a rage, she smashed the Buddhist amulet onto the ground, shards flying everywhere—One slashed across my cheek, but she didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she lunged at me, her hand clamping tightly around my throat.

“What the hell are you plotting again?!” she growled.

I stared back, utterly unafraid. “This has nothing to do with me.”

Her lips curled into a bitter smile. “Preston, your fake innocence and jealous little act make me sick.”

With a final glare full of loathing, Sherina turned and stormed off.

She had barely stepped out when my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Kervin.

[Preston, so what if you’re rich and powerful? In the end, my three months still beat your ten years.]

I replied with a single word [Congratulations], then blocked him.

But I didn’t even make it to the door.

Before I could leave, five bodyguards arranged by Sherina grabbed me, covering my mouth, dragging me into the bathroom—Forcing my head into a filthy toilet bowl, again and again.

When I was barely conscious, my body trembling, gasping for air, they stripped me naked and threw me into a -99°C industrial freezer like I was a dead dog.

In the final moments before I lost consciousness, I heard Sherina’s voice blaring from the restaurant’s broadcast system.

“I told you to keep an eye on Preston! What do you mean you ‘don’t know where he went’?”

“Useless fools! Get out of my way—I’ll find him myself!”

Half an hour later, after searching through hundreds of rooms, she finally found me.

The moment she opened the storage cabinet and saw my body—frozen purple and barely breathing—someone burst in, breathless with excitement.

“President Andrews! We found Mr. Welch! He rear-ended an Audi at an intersectio...”

Before the sentence was finished, Sherina had already turned and bolted out the door—without even a backward glance.

—

At the hospital.

When I opened my eyes, Sherina was standing beside my bed, adjusting the IV drip.

The moment she noticed I was awake, a flicker of uncertainty flashed in her eyes.

“Do you feel short of breath?” she asked gently. “The doctors said you just had a rib removed—some side effects are normal.”

My gaze stayed blank.

“...Why did I have a rib removed?”

After a pause, she cautiously explained, “Kervin injured his nose in the car crash... He kept crying, saying he was disfigured. So I... I used your rib to reconstruct his nasal bridge.”

I closed my eyes, exhaled deeply, and spoke slowly and clearly. “Sherina, let’s break up. From this moment on, I never want to see you again.”

She sighed, rubbing her temples with a look of forced patience. “Preston, you’re already thirty. Can you stop throwing these childish tantrums?”

Then, as if offering a peace treaty, she added, “Didn’t you always nag me about going on a honeymoon? Fine—I promise, once work settles down, I’ll make time for it.”

"Satisfied?”

Just then, her phone buzzed with a new voice message.

Kervin’s rich, honeyed voice rang out.

“Sherina~ My passport finally came through. Are you really taking me to Barcelona? I heard that’s where you and Preston’s parents first met and fell in love...”

Without hesitation, she replied, “Of course. Pack your things—we’re leaving tonight.”

While hurrying toward the exit, she announced flatly, “Preston, I have an urgent business trip. The wedding in seven days will have to be postponed. We’ll set a new date when I return.”

No argument. No apology. No explanation.

As her figure vanished from the room, I slowly unclenched my fist—my palm bloodied from my own fingernails.

Late that night, at the international airport.

Standing in the waiting area, I received a text from Sherina.

[It’s gotten chilly these past couple of days, so I ordered a new scarf for you. Minette will drop it off at your place tomorrow.]

I remembered Kervin’s designer overcoat he bragged about earlier, it was missing a scarf.

Without replying, I turned off my phone.

At that moment, I felt a soft pair of arms wrapped around me from behind.

“Preston,” a familiar voice whispered, “I’m back.”

I turned around to speak—only to see Sherina and Kervin not far away, fingers tightly interlocked, heading into the VIP lounge.

I turned my gaze back and gently kissed my fiancée on the forehead.

Then we walked out of the airport hand in hand.

'Goodbye, Sherina. I wish you safe travels and true love fulfilled. And as for me—cheers to my new marriage, to a life of joy and growing old together.'

—

Barcelona. Presidential Suite.

“Sherina, are you still feeling dizzy? Should we go to the hospital?” Kervin asked softly, his concern genuine.

Sherina squeezed his hand and smiled tenderly. “I’m fine. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately. Don’t worry—wherever you want to go these next few days, I’ll be right there with you.”

Kervin beamed with delight and cooed, “Then let me sing you a lullaby. Help you fall asleep nice and fast, my dear Sherina...”