"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!"

In an instant, the illusion of tenderness shattered into pieces.

"A Frenchman?"

"Stay there. Cover your mouth and nose with a wet towel. Hold on, I’m on my way!"

He hung up and immediately told his assistant to arrive within ten minutes and save her.

Then he turned back to me, his eyes sharp and cold.

"Was it him?"

I let out a bitter laugh.

"You think he listens to me? If it were really him, why would he have agreed to the divorce back then?"

But he wasn’t listening at all.

"A Frenchman, who else could it be but him! Avery, I told you Addison is just my sister. Why are you so obsessed with her?"

"If I’d known it would come to this, I never should’ve brought you back! You two are so close that he even crossed the ocean to help you. I really underestimated you!"

The words I wanted to say caught in my throat.

Without a second glance, he stormed out of the hospital.

The doctor walked in, holding a medical report.

"Miss Chandler, due to the severity of your injury and miscarriage, your previous treatments have been rendered useless. You’ll no longer be able to have children. Please take care of yourself."

That night, my heart-wrenching cries echoed down the corridor.

I laughed and sobbed by turns, looking every bit the lunatic.

At dawn, I discharged myself and went straight to the airport.

Just before boarding, a message from Easton arrived.

[Addison is out of danger. I’m not blaming you. I just hope you don’t turn into someone I can’t recognize. Avery, you weren’t like this before.]

[I’ll be staying here with Addison for the next two days before the wedding. Get some rest. Don’t let me down again.]

Was he truly caring for Addison? Or was he simply afraid I’d hurt his so-called “sister” again?

At that point, I no longer cared.

A notification popped up. My identity documents had been successfully canceled.

I snapped my SIM card in half and threw it away.

Without looking back, I boarded the plane.

Easton, this time, I set you free.

Let’s never meet again.