For three days and nights, Kara's messages were completely ignored.

On the first day, Vanessa sent her a photo of a distant figure.

"Stop waiting. Bennett is personally relocating my sister's grave. It's a perfect burial site. Beautiful, isn't it?"

On the second day, Vanessa shared a Facebook account with her. It was Bennett's private account. It was filled with thousands of messages, every single one pouring out his grief and longing for Natalie. The content was dense and overwhelming, and it cut Kara like a knife.

On the third day, one of Bennett's friends suddenly messaged her.

"Kara, you need to get to the hospital right away! Bennett got into a fight this afternoon. It was one against eight guys. He's badly injured and has been calling your name the whole time."

Kara's heart sank.

They had been together for eight years. She couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

When she arrived at the hospital, she overheard a nurse sighing in the hallway.

"Bennett really is something. I heard that when his first love got into a car accident, he stayed by her corpse for over 70 hours. He even insisted on dying with her. It took everything to talk him out of it, and now he's fighting over a grave?"

"Kara, you're finally here! Bennett, he–"

Kara trembled. A bitter taste filled her throat.

Just then, a nurse rushed out anxiously.

"The patient is losing too much blood! We're out of his blood type in the bank. Who here has type A blood? We need a donor immediately!"

Kara stepped forward. "I do."

Inside the blood collection room, the nurse looked at Kara's increasingly pale face and felt a pang of sympathy.

"Miss, you've already given two pints. If we take any more, you'll be in danger–"

"It's fine. Keep going."

As the third needle pierced her skin, Kara's mind started drifting.

Through the haze, she caught a glimpse of a figure passing quickly outside the room.

"Michel, the woman Bennett arranged to be the surrogate for my sister is in the blood collection room right now. Just go in and check her. He's taken care of everything else."

"Bennett is quite clever. Afraid his girlfriend wouldn't agree to be a surrogate, so he faked an injury to trick her into coming to the hospital!"

Kara could clearly hear them mocking her.

For a moment, her mind went blank.

Then the door swung open, and Vanessa entered. She was practically glowing with excitement, and she had a foreign doctor in tow.

"Kara, you really are a fool, huh? Rushing to donate blood for Bennett like this. What a shame. It was all just a setup!"

Kara watched Vanessa talk animatedly, but her vision was growing blurry.

She couldn't help but think back to their first meeting.

Bennett had casually slung his backpack onto the desk beside her, pulled out a chair, and said, "Kara, right? From now on, I'll be your deskmate. I'll take care of you."

Time had flown.

But all along, the person he truly wanted to protect was never her.

Bennett was strong, and thanks to timely medical care, he recovered well.

The moment he woke up, the first thing he did was look for his phone. His friends immediately pressed him back down.

"Bennett! Just stay put. If they hadn't gotten you here in time, you might've bled out and met the Grim Reaper already!"

"Move. Give me my phone."

"Bennett–" His friend hesitated.

Bennett's patience ran thin. Feeling exhausted, he rubbed his temples.

"I left in a hurry and didn't explain things to Kara. I've been gone for so long. She must be worried."

His friends chuckled dryly.

"Man, you really are a romantic. Don't tell me you've actually fallen for Kara."

"I–" Bennett's throat clenched.

For the first time, he didn't know how to answer. Whenever he thought of Natalie's gentle expression, he always felt suffocated.

In the past, he had never dared to confront this question.

But now, having brushed against death, his mind had never felt clearer.

Determination settled in his eyes as he slowly spoke. "Actually, all these years–"

Before he could finish, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Bennett! Michel just finished Kara's examination. Her body is in perfect condition. As soon as we get my sister's frozen eggs, we can proceed with the implantation this week! My sister's last wish is finally coming true!"

Bennett's words were cut off abruptly.

He was momentarily dazed. "What examination?"

"Oh, come on, don't pretend, Bennett! Didn't you fake getting injured just to lure Kara here for the surrogacy check-up? Remember how my sister's biggest regret was not being able to marry and have kids with you? Well, now her wish is finally coming true!"

His friends all cheered for him.

Their excitement drowned out the words he had been about to say.

A violent storm raged in Bennett's eyes.

His voice turned ice-cold.

"Shut up. All of you."

By the time Kara woke up, the examination was already over.

She couldn't even be bothered to confront Bennett and went home alone.

Soon, everything would come to an end.

By the time Bennett returned, Kara was packing her suitcase. She didn't have much. Her stuff was just enough to fill a small luggage bag.

Bennett rushed forward, gripping her hand excitedly, yet he didn't dare meet her eyes. "Kara, remember I mentioned that top cardiologist, Michel, a couple of years ago? I went on a business trip this week just to bring him here. I finally convinced him to come!

"He's only staying in Crestmoor for two days. I'll take you to see him today so he can check your heart, okay?"

Bennett sounded desperate.

Kara studied him for a moment before responding, "Didn't you say a friend had an emergency? How did that turn into a business trip?"

"I–"

"Let's go. I only have four hours. Will that be enough?" Kara pretended not to notice the way Bennett's expression turned gloomy. She continued packing.

Only then did Bennett realize how much emptier the room had become.

He frowned. "Kara, why are you packing? And where are all your plush toys?"

Kara stopped moving for a moment.

"My best friend just went through a breakup and asked me to go on a trip abroad with her. You weren't home these past few days, so I didn't get a chance to tell you. The cruise leaves tonight, and I already bought the ticket. If we're going to the hospital, we need to leave now, or I won't make it in time."

"Oh." So that's what it was.

The unease in Bennett's heart was forcibly suppressed.

With time running short, he didn't have the luxury to think about anything else. He grabbed Kara's hand and took her straight to the hospital. He even tossed her suitcase into the trunk just in case.

Kara silently observed it all.

The examination was soon completed. This time, she was here for the embryo transfer.

Before the procedure, Michel walked in with the test results. The first thing he said was, "Hello, Miss Sierra."

"Let's speak in your native language. She won't understand," Bennett interrupted hastily.

As he spoke, he stole a quick glance at Kara.

Seeing that she looked unaffected, he looked away.

Michel nodded quickly. "Ah, of course, Mr. Miles. Miss Sierra's health has improved a lot under your care! She is now fully capable of carrying a child. However, pregnancy can be tough. Is she willing to go through with it?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Just find an excuse to implant the embryo."

Bennett spoke with a hint of indulgence in his tone. He even looked at Kara with affection.

Kara found it laughable.

She had already learned the foreign language three years ago.

Bennett still thought his deception was flawless.

Would he really feel no guilt, even when she was lying on the operating table?

Kara bit her lip and turned to Bennett. "What are you two talking about? Is there something wrong with my health?"

"No, nothing. Michel just mentioned a small issue with your heart. You'll need a minor procedure. It's only an hour-long surgery. Is that okay?"

Bennett stroked her long hair intimately.

Although Kara had expected this, she still felt a hollow ache in her heart.

She smiled at him. "Will it be done in time? I have a ship to catch tonight."

Bennett hesitated for a moment.

Then, as if making some sort of decision, he gently patted her head. "Be good. After the surgery, I'll personally arrange a helicopter to take you there."

With that, Michel's assistant led Kara away to be prepped for anesthesia.

In the office, Bennett couldn't shake the image of Kara's eyes as she looked at him before leaving. Her gaze, clear and bright, was filled with deep grievance and fear.

His unease grew stronger.

Michel continued adjusting the implantation procedure on the computer, but Bennett only grew more irritable. When the operating room's red light flicked on, he finally snapped and kicked over a chair.

"Stop! I've changed my mind. Cancel the surgery now!"

Bennett bolted out and tried to stop the doors from closing.

A few nurses attempted to hold him back, but he pushed past them. He flung open the operating room doors, only to find that the person on the hospital bed wasn't Kara.

His heart dropped, and his roar nearly shook the entire hospital. "Where's Kara? Where did my girlfriend go?"

"Please don't panic, Mr. Miles, Miss Sierra said she was in a hurry to catch her ship, so the surgery has been postponed," the assistant stammered.

The man who had been on the verge of exploding suddenly went quiet.

For some reason, he felt a hint of relief.

He immediately reached for his phone, intending to call Kara, when a notification popped up at the top of his screen.

"The Odyssey Cruise collided with reefs. Nearly 20 passengers fell overboard. The casualty list has been released–"

Such bad luck!

Bennett instinctively dismissed the alert.

However, his finger froze mid-air.

The casualty list was displayed.

Kara was one of the deceased.