Scalding tears landed on my shoulder, seeping through my clothes.

“Promise me you won’t vanish again, alright? I’m begging you, Avery.”

“I can’t afford to lose you a second time.”

His voice trembled with such sincerity that it almost made me believe him.

Ever since I came back to the country, he had messaged me every hour whenever he left for work.

Checking if I was still at home, making sure the man from abroad hadn’t appeared again.

Last month, I went to the supermarket and didn’t see my phone in time.

He abandoned a hundred-billion project just to rush home.

The moment he saw I was safe, his eyes welled up with tears.

His hands trembled as he clutched me, just like now.

“Avery, thank goodness you’re alright...”

From that day on, five bodyguards followed me wherever I went.

Only when I finally complained about the inconvenience did he pull them away.

I used to believe that was love.

But now I understood that it was never about protection.

Those men were likely stationed not to shield me from danger but to prevent me from crossing paths with Addison to keep the truth hidden from me.

The love had once been real.

But now, the absence of it felt just as real.

I forced a faint smile and gently pried his hands off me.

“Sorry, I went out shopping. My phone died. I didn’t see your messages.”

A moment later, the living room lights flickered on.

Soft light poured over the rose petals scattered across the floor. The three-tiered cake on the table, and the wedding ring clutched tightly in his palm.

Just as three years ago, he got down on one knee; his expression was solemn and reverent.

“Avery, marry me, will you?”

“The wedding I promised is three years late. Before, I was afraid you hadn’t healed. Now, I want to make it up to you properly.”

I was just about to ask, ‘Are you really ready to marry me?’

When his phone vibrated violently.

“President Carter, something’s wrong. Addison had a bleeding ulcer and was rushed to the hospital. The surgery needs a family member to sign…”

The voice didn’t even finish.

All that remained was the sight of his back as he rushed out.

He didn’t even bother checking the ring size; he just shoved it roughly onto my finger.

Then he threw on a coat and left without so much as a glance back.

“Avery, something urgent came up at the company. Wait for me to come back.”

I looked down at the diamond ring digging into my skin, the metal slicing open my flesh. Blood slowly seeped out, staining the stone.

Tears slipped silently down my cheeks.

As if under a spell, I grabbed my still-damp coat and ran after him.

At the hospital’s emergency entrance, I saw a side of him I had never seen before: frenzied, furious, completely out of control.

“Didn’t I tell you to watch her? How could you let her drink herself into a stomach bleed?”

“What the hell were you doing?”

His friend looked like a scolded child, head hung low in guilt.

“There was nothing I could do! I can’t control your wife, can I? She was upset and insisted on drinking with me. What was I supposed to do, leave her there alone?”

“Anyway, they’re still waiting for someone to sign the surgery papers. Stop yelling at me and go sign already.”

Easton scribbled his signature with a fury that nearly tore through the paper, his voice sharp and ice-cold.

“Remember this: Addison is my legal wife. Her surgeries don’t need my approval. Next time, all of you are fired.”

The surgery lasted for an hour. He remained outside the whole time, motionless.

His friend, not wanting to get dragged any deeper, muttered some excuse and slipped out of the hospital.

When Addison was wheeled into the room, Easton’s eyes reddened.

“How could you be so reckless? Don’t you know your own limit?”

Addison burst into tears, her voice trembling with grievance as she collapsed into his arms like a wounded rabbit.

“But I missed you. Today is our anniversary. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be like this, but I really can’t share you with Sister Avery.”

"Easton, how much longer are we going to keep doing this?"

His back stiffened instantly, and at that moment, my breath stopped, too.

My nails sank deep into my palm, tearing the skin open. Drops of blood fell quietly onto the floor.

In the silence of the corridor, his sigh came, helpless, low.

"You know I can’t leave Avery. You're my wife. You should understand."

"In the future, I’ll spend more time with you. Please, stop hurting yourself. Even if not for me, at least for the baby inside you."

My heart cracked. Darkness closed in. And just like that, I lost all consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital room.

The doctor’s voice was blunt and cold.

"Two months pregnant, and you didn’t know? Why were you out in the rain? If you don’t want the child, just have the surgery early."

Pregnant?

I froze, unable to speak. Tears slid down uncontrollably.

During those three years abroad, my body had already been pushed to the edge.

After returning to the country, Easton had even arranged a check-up for me.

The diagnosis was cruel: after two miscarriages and delayed treatment, I would likely never bear children again in this lifetime.

That day, Easton fell silent for a long, long time.

Then he brought in specialists from all over, doing everything he could to save what was already slipping away.

For three years, I never stopped taking medication, even when I had already given up.

But Easton kept comforting me, again and again. "It’s okay. Even if you can’t have children, we’ll adopt. I’ll never blame you."

And now, the child I had waited three years for had finally come, just at the wrong time.

A selfish thought took root in my heart.

I wanted to keep this baby. Raise it on my own.

I had no family and no friends.

This child was the only reason I still wanted to live.

But before that, I had to leave Easton.

I gently placed my hand over my still-flat stomach and whispered, "Baby, don’t blame Mommy..."

At dawn, Easton sent a message. [Something urgent came up. I’m going on a business trip. I'll be back in seven days.]

[Don’t worry, I’ve already asked the staff to arrange the wedding. Once I’m back, I’ll take you to see it all.]

[Avery, take care of yourself. Don’t make me worry.]

The nurses often whispered about the VIP ward on the top floor.

I knew Easton was there.

Taking care of Addison.

Not wanting to stay a moment longer, I completed the discharge procedures.

In the entire seven days that followed, I didn’t receive a single word from him.

Wedding decorations piled up in the villa like mountains. Delicate. Beautiful. It was clearly expensive, but there was not a trace of sincerity in any of it.

In those seven days, I quietly canceled my official documents.

Booked a one-way ticket out of here.

And erased every piece of myself I had left behind.

Three years was a long time.

The gifts he had given me filled the walk-in closet, everything except the Carter family’s heirloom ring.

I sold it all at auction.

Donated the proceeds to mountain villages.

And just as I finished the last of it, Easton came home.

The moment he stepped through the door, he rushed toward me, eyes glowing with excitement.

He pulled me into his arms.

"Avery, the wedding venue is ready. The invitations are out. Let’s go try on your dress, okay?"

"Avery, I’ve waited five years for this day. Thank you for fulfilling my dream."

Before I could even say no, he had already taken me to the car.

On the way there, he spoke in vivid detail about our dream wedding. His eyes were sincere, his tone filled with longing as if he had cherished this moment all along.

I turned my head to the window, letting silent tears fall.

Panicked, Easton leaned over and gently kissed the tears from my cheek.

"Why are you crying? Avery, please don’t cry. It hurts me when you cry."

"Three days from now, we’ll be family. We’ll never be apart again."

But there was no future left for us.

At the bridal boutique, she was already there, holding the wedding dress in her arms.

His expression froze. "Why are you here?"

She pouted, her voice tinged with grievance.

"How could a sister miss her brother’s wedding? And this dress is so expensive, I wouldn’t feel at ease letting someone else handle it."

"Sister-in-law, try it on. My brother picked it out just for you."

I slipped into the dress and stood before the full-length mirror.

Behind me, his gaze clung to my reflection, eyes brimming with longing and infatuation.

"Avery, you’re still just as beautiful."

In the distance, she flung her hand and stormed off, her retreating figure heavy with reluctance.

He pulled me tightly into his arms.

Then she stepped forward with a camera, her forced smile stiff and unnatural.

"Brother, let me take a photo of you and Sister-in-law?"

"Okay."

As she adjusted the angle, she accidentally stepped on a clothing rack.

In the next second, the rack toppled, bringing the chandelier crashing down with it.

Screams tore through the air.

Blood streamed from my forehead as I collapsed, completely disheveled.

The chandelier had crashed down on my leg, bones shattered, pain blinding.

In the blur of my fading vision, the last thing I saw was Easton rushing toward her.

"Addison, are you hurt? What about the baby? Please don’t scare me..."

Tears spilled freely from my eyes. "Easton..."

When I opened them again, the surgery was over. I was lying in a hospital room.

From beyond the curtain came the sound of Addison’s choked sobs.

"I didn’t mean to..."

Easton sighed, his voice low and tired.

"I’m not blaming you. But you’re not alone now. What if something happened to the baby? What if something happened to you? What do you want me to do?"

"Luckily, you’re alright. No more of this, just wait outside."

Footsteps faded into the distance. I slowly opened my eyes.

It was the same doctor from before. His expression carried disapproval.

"Miss Chandler, I told you last time, your pre…"

Before he could finish, I swept my phone off the bed and let it crash to the floor.

Easton bent down to pick it up.

I looked at the doctor, pleading silently, and slowly shook my head.

He sighed and spoke gently.

"You're out of danger now. Get some rest."

The door clicked shut. Easton turned to me, brows furrowed.

"What’s wrong with your stomach?"

"Nothing. Just an old injury, you know that."

There was a flicker in his eyes, something unreadable.

"Avery, let’s adopt a child someday. Treat them as our own. Don’t let this weigh on you."

"I already looked into it. The accident was caused by aging equipment at the store…"

"And Addison? You’re telling me it had nothing to do with her?"

Adopt a child? Or adopt her child?

I let out a bitter laugh.

His expression instantly darkened.

"You don’t believe me?"

"Addison’s just a young girl. How much strength could she possibly have?"

"You’ve been suspicious of her for three years and still haven’t let it go?"

"If there was really something going on, wouldn’t it have happened by now? Why would I have brought you back?"

Staring at his familiar face, I suddenly felt exhausted, so tired I could hardly breathe.

Seeing my silence, he softened his voice and gently took my hand.

"Avery, be good. It was just an accident. The doctor said your injuries aren’t serious, you can still attend the wedding. Worst case, I’ll carry you down the aisle. We’ve done that plenty of times as kids, haven’t we?"

For six hours, Easton never left my side.

Even while handling work calls, he stayed there in the hospital room.

It wasn’t until late at night that his phone rang.

On the other end came Addison’s trembling, panicked voice. "Easton, the villa’s on fire! I couldn’t catch the arsonist. He spoke French. The front door was sealed shut. Please… please come save me!"