"I'm sorry, Noria. I know you don’t want me here. I’ll leave right now…"

She suddenly stood up and ran out, forgetting to put on her black cloak. Without a moment's hesitation, David chased after her and I felt a twinge of panic as I hurried out after them.

But as I reached the sunlit ground floor, I saw Claire collapsed on the ground, her face pale.

David pushed me aside and quickly lifted her into the car. I intended to follow them inside, but he locked the car doors and slammed down the accelerator. The sudden movement caused me to stumble forward and I fell to the ground, my knee scraping painfully against the pavement.

The sunlight was warm and inviting, something I usually loved, but at that moment, I felt a chilling dread wash over me.

Later that evening, David returned to grab a change of clothes. I covered my injured knee and hurriedly asked, “How is Claire?”

“She’s going to be hospitalized for a day. I’ll have to compensate for that. You need to stay home and reflect on your mistakes!”

David didn’t even spare me a glance as he turned and headed down the stairs.

Confusion welled up inside me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that her condition couldn’t possibly be severe enough to cause her to faint at the mere sight of sunlight. I wanted to go to the hospital to see if her fear of light was really that extreme.

But as soon as I stepped into the elevator, it malfunctioned.

A piercing noise rang out and then the elevator came to a standstill, the internal lights flickering off. I frantically pressed the alarm button, but there was no response. In the tight, enclosed space, my claustrophobia kicked in, making it harder to breathe.

David shouldn't have gone far and he might be able to help me call the property management, so I quickly dialed his number.

“David, help me! I’m stuck in the elevator and it’s really dark in here…”

David was silent for a moment before responding, “What are you trying to pull now? Noria, I’ve had enough of you. There has to be a limit to your jealousy.”

My voice trembled with unshed tears as I tried to explain that I was really stuck in the elevator. But the next moment, I heard the sound of an engine starting.

“Noria, jealousy has its limits. I don’t have time for your nonsense! Claire was so scared that she was crying. I need to get to the hospital right away.”

He hung up the phone without hesitation.

He was just in the underground parking garage, only a few steps away from the elevator, yet he refused to come up. Fear washed over me like a tidal wave as I curled up on the floor, my consciousness slowly fading.

When I woke up again, I found myself in a hospital room. It turned out that the maintenance workers for the elevator had discovered me and promptly taken me to the hospital.

I hung my head, a deep sense of disappointment washing over me.

This time, it wasn’t David who came to my rescue.

He walked in with a furrowed brow and when he saw I was awake, he snorted dismissively. “I told you there was nothing to worry about. Those property guys always overreact...”

I stared at him blankly, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. “Why don’t you believe me? David, I have claustrophobia. I suffered from severe shock when I was trapped in the elevator. I’ve never lied to you. But when I needed you the most, you were with another woman?”

My outpouring of tears seemed to take him by surprise. But in an instant, his expression shifted to anger. “What claustrophobia? That’s just a made-up condition for people with nothing better to do. It’s like those who fear the ocean, do they never go to the beach? It’s all just making a big deal out of nothing. Noria, you have no idea how much Claire envies your ability to be unaffected by light. If she had even half your luck, she wouldn’t be causing trouble like you do every day!”

I couldn’t believe David to be so hypocritical. He dismissed my condition as mere pretentiousness, yet he completely trusted Claire’s claims. I stared at him, feeling a mix of hurt and disbelief.

“David, what if I said Claire is just pretending? Would you believe me?”

He paused for a moment, then let out a disdainful laugh. “She’s not you.”

As soon as a nurse announced that Claire had woken up, David didn’t hesitate for a second to turn and leave.

“She’s not you.” Those words stabbed deep into my heart like a knife.

I dazedly finished my IV drip and took a taxi back to the villa. With only five days left until our wedding, David had started a unilaterally cold war.

During these five days, Claire remained in the hospital. David spent his days at work and his nights keeping vigil at her bedside, while I was left alone at home, lost in my thoughts.

My anxiety grew with each passing day and I was haunted by nightmares, fearing that David would forget about our upcoming wedding. Finally, I decided to call him and this time he actually answered.

“Do you realize your mistake?”

I bit my lip. “We have the wedding tomorrow. I just want to confirm the guest list and make sure we haven’t missed anyone.”

There was a brief silence before David’s voice suddenly took on an angry tone. “Noria, you don’t need to keep reminding me. I haven’t lost my memory and I haven’t forgotten that we’re getting married!”

His tone was a mix of anger and exasperation, as if marrying me was some kind of obligation he was forced to fulfill.

I tried to rationalize the situation in my mind. After all, I was marrying the man I had pursued for eight years. During those five days, I worked hard to eat healthily and take care of my skin, hoping to become the most beautiful bride on our wedding day.

On the wedding day, I woke up early, bustling around to prepare. However, David was late in coming to pick me up. I anxiously called him, but he replied impatiently, “I’ll be there soon. You should just follow the wedding car to the venue.”

The driver started urging me to get in, so I hurried into the wedding car. But soon, I realized that the route had changed. I knew the way to the outdoor wedding venue so well that I could have done it with my eyes closed and this was definitely not the right direction.

“We’re having an outdoor wedding at Silverleaf Park. Why are we heading to a hotel?” I asked, my voice trembling with confusion.

The wedding planner replied apologetically, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Weston just instructed us to change the venue at the last minute.”

I received photos on my phone showing that the originally arranged outdoor wedding venue had been moved. When I arrived at the hotel, the entire wedding scene was draped in black fabric. I was covered in cold sweat and immediately called David.

He answered impatiently, "I know what you're going to ask. Claire insisted on attending the wedding today and it's too bright outside, so we had to change the venue at the last minute. The wedding is just a formality; it doesn't matter where it's held. Stop making a fuss over nothing."

At that moment, I felt as if a string in my mind had completely snapped. How could he treat me like this? Just for Claire, for her so-called illness, he was willing to ruin my once-in-a-lifetime wedding?

The guests couldn't help but gossip, wondering whose wedding was so dark and inauspicious. It felt like they were slapping me in the face.

As soon as the door opened, David arrived.

Claire, dressed in a black dress, affectionately linked her arm with his and walked slowly toward me, standing at the end of the red carpet.

David was in a black suit and didn't wear the white dress I had picked out for him.

At a glance, they seemed perfectly matched.

“Noria, congratulations on your wedding! Unfortunately, I’m afraid of light, so I can only give you black flowers. I hope you won’t think it’s old-fashioned or that black flowers are inauspicious!"

Her eyes were filled with a triumphant smirk as she casually handed me a bouquet of black flowers. The meaning was clear.

David gestured with his chin and said, "These were personally picked by Claire. If it weren’t for her fear of light, I would’ve had her be your bridesmaid."

At that moment, I was so furious that I couldn’t stop trembling and I completely lost control of my emotions. I raised my hand and knocked the flowers out of her grasp.

"Photophobia? Just because of this made-up illness, my wedding has been completely ruined. Who does she think she is that I have to accommodate her like this?"

With a sharp slap, David hit me hard across the face. The surroundings fell into instant silence and the onlookers widened their eyes in shock.

"Kneel down and pick up the flowers!" David's commanding voice rang out.

I fought back the humiliation, glaring at him with reddened eyes. "What if I don’t?"

David narrowed his eyes, letting out a cold, disdainful laugh.

"Noria, Claire just wanted to attend our wedding and offer her blessings. Why are you pushing her like this? Today, either you kneel down and pick up the flowers, or we get a divorce!"

At that moment, my heart turned completely cold and it felt as though the blood in my veins was flowing backward.

Watching David protect Claire so fiercely, I couldn’t help but question everything. What exactly did my eight years with him mean?

Suddenly, Claire put on a pitiful, tearful expression.

"David, I know I'm afraid of the light and Noria has never liked me!" she whimpered. "But today, whatever she wants, I'll do my best to overcome it. I’ll take off my clothes right now to make her happy!"

She knelt in front of me, removing her black outer robe.

At that moment, someone unexpectedly turned on all the lights. Instantly, the venue was as bright as daylight. Claire screamed in agony, clutching her head as if she were being burned by the light.

"Claire!" David shouted, immediately stripping off his suit jacket to wrap the frantic Claire in it.

As soon as he stood up, he viciously kicked my abdomen. I collapsed to the ground, feeling excruciating pain and a warm flow slowly seeped from my lower body.

"If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay for it!" he shouted, storming out of the banquet hall with Claire in his arms, right in front of everyone.

"Noria, you're bleeding! Quick, take her to the hospital!"

A buzzing sound filled my ears as my consciousness slowly faded.

When I woke up, I learned that I had miscarried. I hadn't even known I was pregnant.

The relatives who had taken me to the hospital looked at me with a mix of gossip and pity in their eyes.

There was no greater sorrow than a heart that had died. Strangely, I felt a calmness.

After leaving the hospital, I quickly listed our marital home for sale through a real estate agent. Immediately, I bought a ticket to Nimblewood.

Just before boarding the plane, I received a call from David. “I'm at the hospital. Hurry up and come apologize to Claire; she'll forgive you.”

I calmly replied, “David, the wedding is canceled. We're breaking up.”

He was silent for a moment before angrily responding, “What? Canceled? Are you joking?”

“I'm not joking. The house is already listed with the agency. I'll send you the divorce agreement—sign it as soon as possible.”

I sent him the link to the property listing.

Only then did David realize the seriousness of the situation and his tone softened. "Noria, calm down. I know you're jealous, but marriage isn't a joke. Once I finish taking care of Claire, the wedding will go on as planned."

In the past, I would have softened at his attempts to placate me. But now, I looked up and thought, the sunlight outside was really beautiful.

I said, "I've left the divorce agreement on your desk. If you don't agree with the division of assets, I can leave without taking anything."

He raised his voice in disbelief. "Noria, are you crazy? You'd rather walk away with nothing than stay with me?"

I only gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Mr. Weston, your love is just too cold. I can't bear it anymore. I just want to be close to the warmth of the sun."