Kara instinctively looked at Bennett.

His face was shrouded in the amber glow of the light, making it hard to see his expression. Someone in the know nudged Vanessa and whispered, "Vanessa, don't stir up trouble. Bennett just made his relationship official. Of course, he loves his girlfriend. There's no doubt about it!"

"This question is pointless. Let's move on to the next round!" Someone urged them to continue.

Kara tuned out their banter, keeping her eyes fixed on Bennett. It felt like an eternity had passed before he let out a soft chuckle, picked up his glass, and downed his drink in one go.

"What a ridiculous question. I can't even be bothered to answer it. I'll take the dare."

Kara was speechless.

Although she had braced herself, she still felt a chill down her spine.

She made an excuse and left for the restroom.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed how pale her face was. Her eyes were tinged with redness as if she had suffered a great grievance. She lowered her gaze, forcing herself to swallow the bitter ache rising in her heart. Just as she turned to leave, someone blocked her way.

Vanessa leaned leisurely against the restroom door, a cigarette between her fingers, and smirked.

"So, you're the woman Bennett chased for eight years? Kara, right? I heard you had heart surgery eight years ago. The heart beating inside you belongs to my sister. Did you know that?

"Do you really think you've turned into some kind of Cinderella? If not for my sister's heart, he wouldn't even look at you. You're nothing more than a vessel."

Vanessa flicked the ash from her cigarette. Her tone was laced with mockery. "Oh, and do you remember that guy back in senior year who hid behind the door to scare you? Do you know what happened to him in the end?"

Vanessa smiled.

Kara's face turned even paler.

Back in her senior year, a boy had played a prank on her by jumping out from behind a door to startle her. Bennett had stormed forward in a rage, throwing punch after punch at the guy until he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. He was nearly dying.

Later, Kara heard that the same guy had been robbed and stabbed more than a dozen times.

Kara felt ice-cold blood rush through her veins. "That robbery… Bennett arranged it?"

"A vessel should know its place. Your only job is to keep my sister's heart healthy. Stay out of everything else."

Vanessa tilted her head back and laughed.

When Kara returned to the room, the game of truth or dare was still ongoing.

This time, Bennett lost again.

The question was 'Do you love your current girlfriend?'

Standing just outside the door, Kara clearly heard Bennett scoff.

"Love Kara? She's just a vessel. How could I possibly love her? Stop asking stupid questions."

"Hahaha, of course! Bennett's photo album is still filled with pictures of Natalie. He spends every night on his secret Facebook account reminiscing about her. A guy like him? How could he ever fall for someone else? Hey, wanna bet? I'll mess with Kara a little, and I guarantee Bennett won't even object!"

"Really? I thought after chasing her for eight years, he might've developed some feelings."

Vanessa returned at the perfect moment. Just as Kara was about to turn and leave, Vanessa shoved her forward, forcing her back into the room.

The next round began. This time, Kara lost.

One of Bennett's close friends poured out 88 shots and grinned. "Well, looks like you have no choice but to take the dare! Either drink all 88 shots, or do 10 push-ups!"

"Only ten? That shouldn't be too hard, right? You should pick the push-ups, Kara. I heard you're allergic to alcohol."

Kara stared at the shots lined up on the table. Her throat clenched.

She lifted her head and looked at Bennett. "Bennett, should I drink or do push-ups?"

Kara had been allergic to alcohol from a young age. Drinking would make her break out in painful red rashes all over her body, but doing push-ups would mean putting strain on her heart.

She left the choice to Bennett.

He picked up a shot glass, brought it to her, and spoke in that same gentle tone.

"Babe, be good. You have a heart condition. Even one push-up could make you unwell. Drink these, and I'll take you straight to a doctor."

"Okay, I get it."

Kara let out a small, bitter laugh. She tilted her head back and tried to hold back her tears.

But they fell anyway, slipping down her cheeks and mixing with the harsh burn of the alcohol. It tasted salty and bitter all at once.

She kept drinking, glass after glass.

By the time she was almost done, red rashes covered her arms, itching and stinging unbearably.

And still, she kept going.

She didn't stop until Bennett cursed under his breath and snatched the glass from her. He scooped her up in his arms.

"All you do is drink. Why don't you just drink yourself to death? Somebody get the family doctor, now!

"And bring her heart medication! Kara's upset. Her heart might act up!"

Seeing how worried he seemed, Kara finally closed her eyes.

A vessel should indeed know its place.

Kara was allergic to alcohol. She broke out in a widespread rash.

The doctor prescribed eczema medication, but it seemed to have side effects on her heart.

"Kara, it's just some itching. If you just bear with it, it'll pass.

"If it leaves scars, I'll find the best plastic surgeon in the country to treat you!

"We can't take any chances if this medicine possibly has side effects. Your heart has been through surgery. I can't even begin to imagine losing you if something happens!"

Inside the villa, Kara looked up at the man keeping watch beside her.

His eyes were filled with concern and love, yet his words only made her heart grow colder. It was summer, yet she felt ice-cold. There was a chill that seeped into her bones.

"Bennett, the doctor said the side effects are so rare that maybe one in a thousand people would experience them.

"I can't even sleep from the itching. Are you sure you won't let me take it?"

Her throat felt dry when she spoke.

"Kara–"

Pain flickered across Bennett's face.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he quickly pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills from the drawer and eagerly poured out a few.

"Take this. These sleeping pills were prescribed by our family doctor. They have no side effects. If you take them, you'll be able to sleep."

Afraid that Kara would insist on taking the eczema medication, he swiftly stuffed the bottle into his pocket. Just then, his phone rang. Anxiously, he rushed out to take the call.

It was as if staying even a second longer would give Kara the chance to ask for the medicine again.

Kara's hand was suspended in midair. There were more than ten sleeping pills on her palm. If she took them all, it would likely be a fatal dose.

She turned away. Her tears silently soaked into the pillow.

At that moment, a call came in from abroad. She absent-mindedly picked it up.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Miss Sierra, hello. I heard from Miss Carter that you've agreed to the marriage. I'm calling to inform you that the wedding will be held as soon as possible. Are you okay with that?"

Kara suddenly recalled that she had agreed to Marilyn's request.

She forced a smile. "I'm fine with that. But there's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"I'm at your service."

"I don't want a wedding gift worth billions or a villa. Instead, I'd like you to help me fake an accident. On the day I head to Solaria, I plan to take the Odyssey Cruise. Could you fabricate news that I accidentally fell overboard?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before they quickly agreed.

"Understood, Miss Sierra. I'm looking forward to our wedding."

Kara politely ended the call.

The moment she hung up, Bennett rushed in with an anxious look on his face. Visibly tense, he sat by the bed. "Kara, I just heard you mention a wedding. Who's getting married?"

"Just a friend," Kara brushed him off.

Fortunately, Bennett didn't press further.

For the next few days, he seemed unusually busy. He always left home early and returned late.

Kara wasn't idle either. Unable to sleep at night due to the itching, she spent her time researching immigration policies. At dawn, she went to the immigration office to complete the necessary paperwork.

Once everything was settled, she returned home and slowly began packing her belongings.

Eight years wasn't a short period of time.

Over the years, Bennett had written her a love letter every week, filling an entire bookshelf. She gathered them all, placed them in a fire basin, and burned them.

Bennett had a diary filled with notes about her preferences.

The first page stated that she had a heart condition and needed special care, followed by a list of precautions. Things that had once felt like love now felt like a sharp blade, cutting her open and leaving her bleeding.

The second page noted her alcohol allergy, warning that she must never drink. Yet, hadn't she downed those 88 glasses of alcohol under his watchful eyes? The fiery taste had burned straight into her heart.

–

Kara hugged her knees, crouching on the floor as she watched the flames consume the letters and diary.

Bennett rushed home just in time to witness this scene. Panicked, he pulled off his jacket and frantically tried to smother the fire, completely disregarding the risk of burns as he pulled the diary from the flames.

Ash scattered everywhere, some landing on the back of Kara's hand, scalding her and making her inhale sharply.

"Kara, didn't I tell you not to touch anything in that room? If anything happens to this diary, I'll make you pa–" Bennett caught himself before finishing the words' pay for it'.

He had noticed that the diary was still signed with 'Kara' on the cover. After sighing in relief, he finally realized that she had been burned. He frowned. "How could you be so careless? There's burn ointment in the drawer. Go take care of it yourself."

With that, he strode upstairs without looking back.

There was a locked room on the third floor of the villa, a place where Bennett never allowed anyone near.

Now, as if desperate to prove something, he unlocked the door in a hurry. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice Kara following silently behind him.

At the corner of the hallway, Kara caught sight of the room's interior. Her eyes widened in shock.

The walls were covered with photos of a couple.

Beneath a cherry blossom tree in spring, amidst golden wheat fields in summer, on a bed of red maple leaves in autumn, and beside a snow-covered road in winter.

These were places she and Bennett had once traveled together, and they included every photo they had ever taken.

Her face had been replaced in all of them.

All of them had been altered with AI, swapping her out for an unfamiliar woman.

That had to be Natalie's face.

Kara's heart clenched. A suffocating pain jabbed at her heart like a thousand needles. Even the burn on her hand seemed insignificant in comparison.

Clutching her aching heart, she found herself unable to breathe or even utter a single word.

Kara clutched her heart in pain. She slowly crouched down and curled into a ball.

When Bennett stepped out and saw this, he was terrified. Rushing over, he scooped Kara up in his arms. He looked genuinely anxious and distressed. "Kara, is it your heart again? The doctor said you can't get too worked up!"

"B-Bennett, my medicine. It's in my pocket," Kara gasped.

Bennett quickly carried her to the bedroom, carefully laying her on the bed before fishing out her heart medication from her pocket. Only after she had stabilized did he realize that he was drenched in cold sweat.

Under his care, Kara's heart condition hadn't flared up for almost four years.

But this time–

A dreadful realization struck Bennett. His throat went dry, and it took him a while to find his voice. "Kara, did you see anything in the room on the third floor just now?"

"Do you mean the secret room?" Kara smiled bitterly.

Back when they first started dating, everyone had told her that Bennett had a secret room where he kept something very important to him.

She hadn't looked into it at the time.

Now she finally understood. The thing hidden in that room was the person he cherished the most.

Under Bennett's searching gaze, Kara shook her head. "I didn't see anything. I collapsed before I could."

Bennett let out a long sigh as if he had narrowly avoided disaster.

He hurriedly picked up the phone to call the family doctor, completely missing the moment when the last trace of hope faded from Kara's eyes.

Kara's heart condition was a chronic illness. It couldn't be cured, only managed.

The doctor prescribed alternative medicine, and for the next week, Bennett personally took care of everything. He stayed in the kitchen for hours each day, carefully brewing the medicine before feeding it to Kara, spoon by spoon.

"Kara, this medicine is too bitter. I bought your favorite chestnut cake to help with the taste." Bennett's voice was filled with affection.

Kara smiled a little.

The chestnut cakes from the north side of the city were always in high demand. To get a box, one had to line up at 3 o'clock in the morning.

He had put in the effort.

If she hadn't uncovered the truth, she might have really believed he loved her deeply.

Even during their afternoon naps, he would hold her hand tightly.

Kara looked around at the wall of dolls that covered an entire side of the bedroom. She felt a deep bitterness in her heart.

She loved claw machines, so Bennett had scoured the entire city for the latest ones, helping her win over ten thousand plushies. In the center of them, two porcelain dolls stood side by side.

Kara fetched a small stool. She climbed onto it to reach the two porcelain dolls.

"Kara, why didn't you call me when you woke up? If you wanted these dolls, you could've just told me. It's too high up. What if you fell? That would break my heart!"

A large hand suddenly reached over her head. Bennett asked in a curious tone, "What do you want these dolls for?"

"Nothing. They just looked a little dusty, and I wanted to wipe them clean."

"The maids can take care of that–"

Before Bennett could finish his sentence, his phone rang. He picked it up, and his expression instantly changed. "How could you be so careless? I'll be right there!"

Through the phone, Kara clearly heard the voice on the other end. It was Vanessa's, and she was choked with tears.

Bennett hesitated. "Kara, a friend of mine is in trouble–"

"Go ahead," Kara said flatly.

Her indifference made Bennett feel inexplicably irritated.

But the voice on the other end was pressing him, and he didn't have time to explain. "Wait for me at home. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He hastily handed the dolls to Kara before turning to leave.

In his rush, the dolls grazed Kara's fingers before slipping from her grasp.

They shattered against the floor.

Amidst the shards of porcelain, a folded piece of paper tumbled out.

"Natalie, my one and only love. I will always be your knight in shining armor."

A jagged shard cut across Kara's hand, but she didn't feel the pain.

Her phone screen kept lighting up with Vanessa's messages.

"See? Didn't I tell you? The reason he loves winning plushies with you is that my sister loved claw machines too! Kara, you're just a stand-in.

"Guess what I told him over the phone? I said my sister's grave had some issues, and Bennett rushed off in a panic. Hahaha.

"Oh, by the way, doesn't Bennett have a secret room full of my sister's things? The password is her birthday! You should check it out. You'll be in for a surprise."

Images of countless AI-generated face swaps flashed through Kara's mind.

Her insides twisted like they were being wrung dry.

She stood at the door of the secret room, lifted her hand, but let it fall again.

She would be leaving soon.

Who Bennett loved no longer had anything to do with her.