Brandon was in the kitchen making dinner when I got home.

From the entryway, I watched him wearing his loungewear and an apron while he cooked. My eyes started to sting a little.

Maybe I stared too obviously, for he quickly noticed and turned around to smile at me. He turned off the stove, washed his hands, and got on his knees to help me change my shoes.

"You've been out shopping all day. Are you tired? What did you buy?" he asked.

Before going to the hospital, I told him I was going to the mall.

He reached out for the medical report. I paused for a second, forced a smile, and shook my head. "I'm not tired. I didn't buy much."

He didn't think too much about it and just told me to rest on the couch for a bit as dinner would be ready soon.

But unexpectedly, right at dinnertime, an uninvited guest showed up.

Lexie handed him a file and apologized, "Sorry, Mr. Foster. I forgot to get your signature on this."

I only glanced at it briefly, but I clearly saw that there were faint, suggestive water stains on the document.

Brandon twitched his eyebrows. The next second, he blocked my view and spoke with an unmistakable sharpness in his tone. "Don't let this happen again."

I knew exactly what he meant. He was telling Lexie not to be so blatant in front of me.

Lexie's eyes reddened slightly, and she whispered an apology.

She hadn't been gone long before Brandon suddenly said he needed to go buy some seasoning and left after her.

I trailed behind them from a distance.

Sure enough, after just a little while, I saw him at the end of the garden path, holding that delicate woman in his arms, comforting her gently as she sobbed.

"I'm not mad at you. I just told you before not to show up in front of Daniella so often. She'll overthink things, okay?"

Lexie had already noticed me. She raised an eyebrow at me and whined coyly, "But this time wasn't my fault. Mr. Foster, you were the one messing around in the office…"

By the end of her sentence, her voice had turned into that sickeningly sweet tone.

Brandon playfully tapped her nose and whispered something I couldn't hear. Soon, the two of them were kissing.

My vision blurred, and I had no idea how I got home.

When Brandon came back, I was sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

He met my empty gaze, and maybe he felt a little guilty because he clumsily tried to explain, "The store in our area is closed. But it's fine. I can cook without that seasoning. I'll buy it next time."

I hummed softly and looked away.

I didn't tell him there was a lipstick stain on his collar, which Lexie left on purpose.

…

A few days later, my wedding dress arrived. It was an intricate, high-end design with shimmering diamonds embedded into the skirt.

When it was delivered, Brandon went to pick it up himself. "Be careful, don't ruin it."

He suggested I try it on, but I didn't have the energy to deal with him anymore. I just smiled. "It's fine. We already did the fitting."

"Alright."

Brandon finally noticed I looked a little pale. His expression was filled with concern. "Daniella, are you feeling okay?"

I shook my head and brushed him off. "It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night."

Brandon still looked worried and insisted on taking me to the hospital, but his phone rang as soon as he helped me into the car.

He turned his back to me to check it. He frowned like he was dealing with something complicated at work.

Then, he turned around and said apologetically, "Daniella, I'm sorry. There's an issue with a contract. I have to go back to the office."

I nodded silently and slowly clenched my hand around my phone.

Before leaving, he reminded me again to get checked at the hospital and said he would ask for my test results when he got home.

But just moments later, I looked down at my phone and saw a message from Lexie.

"Did Mr. Foster tell you there was some emergency at work again? Hehe! Well, he does have something to do at the office."

Then, I received a video call request.

My throat went dry. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to find the strength to answer.

It was a view in a fitting room.

Lexie was wearing the wedding dress that Brandon and I had spent so much time working with the designer to perfect. The delicate straps slipped off her shoulders as she draped herself over Brandon.

His hands roamed greedily up her smooth, pale thigh. In the middle of the wet, obscene sounds of their kissing, his voice was husky and low.

"Ms. Pace…" The driver's voice pulled me back to reality.

That was when I realized that my nose was bleeding again. I pressed a tissue against it and turned off my phone. "Take me home."

The driver hesitated. "But Mr. Foster told me to take you to the hospital…"

I let out a soft laugh. "It's fine. He won't give you a hard time over it."

After all, whether he had me in mind was another matter entirely.

I never planned on going to the hospital. No matter how many checkups I had, the results would always be the same. If there was no cure, then there was no cure. There was no need to keep going through the motions.

But I didn't expect to fall asleep on the way back. I wouldn't wake up no matter how much the driver called out to me. It scared him half to death. He broke out in a cold sweat and rushed me to the hospital.

By the time I woke up, it was already the next afternoon.

The driver's face was as pale as a sheet, and he was trembling as he looked at me.

I figured he must have already found out. To reassure him, I said, "It's okay. I'll talk to Brandon about it."

The driver hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just sighed. His eyes were red-rimmed as he looked at me.

After all, he had watched me grow up. Seeing me like this must have made him feel awful.

Not long after, Brandon called me. His tone was evasive as he asked where I was.

I paused for a moment when a sudden sneaky thought crossed my mind. I told him, "I'm at the hospital."

I wanted to see if, after all this time, hearing that I was sick would still make him lose sleep at night.

But reality proved that I was overthinking it.

As soon as I spoke, I heard Lexie's voice over the phone. "Brandon, my chest feels so tight. I was having heart palpitations just now."

"What's going on? Don't move. I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

Then, without another word, Brandon hastily muttered that something had come up and hung up on me. He probably hadn't even heard what I said.

As I listened to the dial tone, I suddenly felt like crying.

A moment later, though, I let out a quiet laugh.

I wanted to go home, but the doctor insisted I stay another day.

After dinner, I found the hospital room stuffy and went outside for a stroll. I didn't expect to run into Brandon and Lexie.

They had just come out of the obstetrics department, looking overjoyed.

Lexie was cradling her stomach with one hand, her face glowing with happiness. Brandon was watching over her carefully, his gaze full of affection so tender it was enviable.

They walked straight toward me, yet they didn't notice me until they were right in front of me.

"Daniella!"

Brandon looked startled and instinctively shielded the woman beside him. "What are you doing here?"

Then, stumbling over his words, he explained, "There's nothing going on between me and Lexie. I just came with her for a checkup. She wasn't feeling well. You know how it is. She's all alone here, with no family or friends…"

I looked at him steadily. He felt like a stranger to me now. I almost wanted to laugh.

"Yeah, I got it," I replied softly. "A friend of mine is sick. I came to visit her."

Brandon relaxed at that, stepping forward. "Then, let's go home?"

Lexie frowned and called out to him in a low voice, "Mr. Foster—"

Before she could say anything else, I cut her off. "It's fine. The driver's waiting for me downstairs. You should take Ms. Gilmore home first."

After all, she was pregnant. That was something to celebrate. Without me around, they could enjoy the moment properly.

Lexie hesitated, looking somewhat surprised. She seemed like she wanted to say something.

Brandon frowned. "Daniella! Don't throw a tantrum. Lexie really isn't feeling well."

I was at a loss for words. I turned to say something to him, but I no longer had the energy.

In the end, I only gave a slight nod. "I'm not throwing a tantrum."

He studied me for a moment as if checking whether I suspected anything. Once he was sure I didn't, he let out a breath and left with Lexie.

I watched them go.

Brandon never looked back. Lexie, on the other hand—the one who had always tried to provoke me—glanced over her shoulder with an unexpected hint of concern in her eyes.

When I got home the next day, I realized that Brandon hadn't come back all night.

It was also only after returning that I noticed all my medical reports had been left in the entryway. I hadn't even had a chance to put them away.

They were right there in plain sight, yet Brandon hadn't noticed them at all.

I let out a self-mocking laugh and didn't bother tidying them up. It was not like he would see them anyway, right?

Brandon didn't come back until the afternoon.

However, he wasn't alone. His assistant followed behind him, carrying luggage, and Lexie was beaming with joy.

The moment they saw me, the air seemed to freeze for a second.

Brandon instructed his assistant to put away Lexie's things. Once the assistant left, he turned to explain to me, "Daniella, Lexie is pregnant. Her boyfriend isn't around, and he asked me to look after her. It's not safe for her to live alone, so I let her move in with us. Plus, she can keep you company."

I studied Brandon carefully. He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, without the slightest hint of guilt.

I found it all rather dull and simply murmured, "Okay."

Brandon didn't seem reassured. Just as I turned to head upstairs, he grabbed my hand. "There's nothing going on between me and Lexie. She has a boyfriend, and I have you, Daniella!"

His grip was tight enough to hurt. I frowned slightly. "I know."

Right now, I didn't want to hear any more of his excuses.

If he wanted Lexie to move in, then it was fine by me. I wasn't planning to stay here much longer anyway.

After taking a deep breath, I went upstairs and started packing my clothes.

There was no need to pack anything for colder weather. I wouldn't be around long enough for that. I just grabbed a few summer outfits, and in the end, my suitcase wasn't even half full.

That was good. At least it wouldn't be too heavy to carry.

I didn't expect Brandon's expression to instantly shift when I walked out with my suitcase.

He blocked my way and asked, "Daniella, what are you doing?"

I told him I didn't want to stay there anymore and wanted to move out.

Brandon's frown deepened. "Stop throwing a tantrum. I told you, I only let Lexie move in because she's pregnant. It's not safe for her to live alone."

I felt sick.

I wasn't as strong as Brandon to begin with, and now, with him physically stopping me, I couldn't break free. Anger flared up inside me.

"Oh, really?"

I looked him dead in the eye and said casually, "I thought Ms. Gilmore was carrying your baby."

Brandon froze.

Lexie, standing to the side, arched a brow before putting on a pitiful expression and tugging on his hand. "Mr. Foster, it's fine if I don't stay here. Don't argue with Ms. Pace because of me."

Her words triggered Brandon instantly, and he shoved me. "Daniella, when did you become so unreasonable?"

I barely heard what he said. A sharp ringing filled my ears, my vision blurred, and my legs suddenly gave out.

Instinctively, I reached for something to hold on to, but before I could, my body collapsed.

"Daniella!"

I heard Brandon's panicked voice. He seemed like he wanted to help me but stopped.

Because right beside him, Lexie said, "Ms. Pace must be doing this just to stop me from moving in…"

Meanwhile, Brandon actually believed her.

He scoffed coldly and said, "Stay on the floor if you want. I'd like to see how long you can keep up the act."

Then, he walked away.

A chill spread through my chest.

As for when my consciousness finally faded completely, I had no idea.