At that very moment, a fierce gust of wind churned the sea into towering waves, violently rocking the yacht. Karina's words were completely drowned out by the roar of the waves and the startled cries around them.

Nicholas frowned slightly. "What did you just say? The wind and waves are too loud."

Karina was about to repeat herself when Rowena whined, "It's too dangerous out here. I'm really scared. Let's hurry back to the cabin."

The others quickly shielded her as they made their way out one after another, with Karina trailing at the very back.

She glanced back one last time at the dolphins gradually fading into the distance and suddenly smiled.

Perhaps this was meant to be.

They would never know she had wished to never see them again.

Just as they had never truly cherished her sincerity, they would also never know she was about to vanish from their world forever.

…

On the day Rowena received the invitation to the debutante ball, none of the four men could spare the time to go with her.

"Clarence, Irving, and Luther are flying to Belport to bid on that pink diamond for me," Rowena said sweetly, waving the invitation. "And Nicholas has a 100-billion-dollar contract to sign. Karina, won't you go with me?"

She batted her eyes pitifully. "I haven't attended an event like this in five years, so I'm afraid I'll embarrass myself."

"I'm not going," Karina said flatly.

But the four men gave her no room for refusal.

"Rowena isn't in good health. You should go with her," Clarence commanded coldly.

"You're the most familiar with these events," Irving said, adjusting his glasses. "Don't let Rowena make a fool of herself."

Luther simply pushed her into the car. "Take good care of Rowena. Don't cause any trouble."

The door slammed shut. Through the window, Karina watched the four men's worried expressions and could only feel a bitter irony.

They only ever worried about whether Rowena might feel wronged but never once cared if Karina was willing to go.

…

At the ball, Rowena stood out in a dazzling red dress.

"Here, drink this for me," she said, pushing a champagne glass into Karina's hand with a sweet smile. "After all, if I go home drunk, what do you think they'll say?"

Karina's fingers tightened around the glass until her knuckles turned white.

She knew Rowena was doing this on purpose, but she could only do as she was told. If anything happened to Rowena, those four men would never let her off.

As she drank one glass after another, Karina felt the world begin to swim before her eyes.

"Oh dear, are you drunk?" Rowena feigned surprise. "Here, I'll help you to a room."

Karina struggled to push Rowena away, but she was no match for her strength.

Half-dragged, half-carried, she was led away from the ballroom, down a long corridor, and finally pushed into an unfamiliar hotel room.

"Enjoy yourself," Rowena whispered in her ear with a light laugh before closing the door.

Karina slumped to the floor, and through her bleary eyes, she saw a strange man approaching. The man loosened his tie, a nauseating smile spreading across his face.

"Ms. Fleming paid a high price to have me take care of you," the man said, reaching for her dress. "She wasn't wrong. You really are a rare beauty."

Karina struggled with all her might, but her alcohol-numbed body refused to cooperate. The man's hand clamped around her wrist like an iron vice, his hot, sickening breath hitting the side of her neck.

Just as the man was about to press down on her, Rowena's delighted voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. "Nicholas? What are you doing here? I thought you had an important contract to sign?"

"I couldn't stop worrying about you, so I came to take you home." Nicholas' voice came through the door, as cool and composed as ever. After a pause, he asked, "Where's Karina?"

"Oh, she's in the restroom," Rowena replied without missing a beat.

Karina mustered every last ounce of her strength and threw herself against the door.

"Nicholas! Save me!"

For a second, silence fell outside the door.

"Are you sure she's in the restroom?" Nicholas pressed, his voice growing colder.

"Of course," Rowena replied, her tone wounded. "If you don't believe me, we can go check the restroom right now. It's almost time for my medication, though… But it's fine. I can wait."

Karina's heart sank. She knew Nicholas would choose to take Rowena back first to take her medicine, just as he had countless times before.

After a suffocating silence, Nicholas' voice finally came through. "Never mind. I'll take you back to take your medicine first."

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance. Karina felt as though her heart had been carved out, the pain so sharp it nearly choked her.

Inside the room, the man had already torn open her collar.

In desperation, Karina reached for the crystal ashtray on the bedside table. With all her remaining strength, she slammed it against the man's head.

The man grunted and crumpled to the floor.

Karina staggered to her feet and stumbled out of the room.

The hallway was empty. She ran desperately toward the exit, her high heels long since lost. Her bare feet pounded the cold floor, yet she felt no pain.

In the rainy night, she rushed onto the road. Suddenly, blinding headlights swept over her.

A loud crash echoed as Karina was thrown into the air and landed heavily on the road several yards away.

"Nicholas, I think we hit someone." Rowena's panicked voice came from inside the car. "Should we get out and check?"

Rain blurred his vision. Nicholas frowned and glanced out. "It's fine. I'll have my assistant handle it."

Without hesitation, he stepped on the accelerator. "It's more important for you to take your medicine."

The car sped away, its tires splashing mud and blood across Karina's pale face. She lay in the spreading pool of blood as the rain washed it toward the roadside drain.

When Karina opened her eyes, she found herself in a hospital bed. The sharp scent of disinfectant filled her nose, and the steady beep of a heart monitor echoed in the room.

A nurse pushed the door open and entered. "You're awake? You were badly injured—three broken ribs. You'll need a family member to take care of you, so give them a call."

The nurse handed her a phone, and Karina took it with trembling hands.

On the screen were dozens of unread messages, all from Rowena.

"Nicholas peeled an apple for me himself. It tasted so sweet."

"Clarence bought me a new dress. He says I look best in white."

"Irving and Luther stayed with me all day for my check-ups. They're so worried about me."

"It's been two days now, and at the slightest mention of a headache, they all fuss over me. No one even asked where you were."

"A thief is always a thief, and stolen love has to be returned sooner or later. Karina, I pity you. Not a single person truly loves you. If I were you, I'd have killed myself a long time ago."

Karina stared quietly, her fingers tightening unconsciously until her knuckles turned white.

"I don't have a family," she said softly, returning the phone to the nurse. "I only have myself."

The nurse seemed to want to say more, but she ultimately sighed and left.

Outside the window, maple leaves covered the ground.

Karina counted the drops of fluid falling through the IV tube, as if counting each piece of sincerity that had been betrayed over the years.

…

Five days later, she discharged herself from the hospital.

When she pushed open the villa's front door, the sound of laughter rushed toward her.

In the living room, Nicholas was peeling an apple for Rowena, while the three brothers stood around them, discussing something. When they saw Karina walk in, they abruptly stopped laughing.

"Where have you been? Why didn't you come home?" Clarence asked with a frown.

Karina didn't reply and walked straight upstairs.

Behind her, Luther scoffed. "There she goes, throwing another tantrum."

The moment her bedroom door closed, she finally collapsed to the floor.

The wound in her ribs throbbed faintly, but it was nothing compared to the pain of her heart being torn apart.

Molly brought in dinner, but Karina didn't eat a single bite.

Late at night, her phone lit up again.

"You persistent bitch! I'll make sure you understand who matters more to them!"

Karina powered off the phone and tossed it into the drawer.

…

Early the next morning, the bedroom door was kicked open with a sharp crash.

"Karina!" Nicholas yanked her from the bed. "Where is Rowena?"

Before she could even process what was happening, Irving had grabbed her by the collar. "She left a note saying, 'Since Karina won't accept me, I'll just leave.' What exactly did you say to her? Did you force her out?"

"I don't know," Karina replied hoarsely.

"You're still lying at a time like this?" Luther roared, smashing the dressing table angrily. "Do you even realize she's terminally ill? If anything happens to her, I'll definitely make you pay!"

"I'm not lying. I really don't know."

Just as the standoff intensified, Nicholas's assistant, Doug Davidson, rushed in. "We found Ms. Rowena! She's at the edge of the cliff!"

Hearing this, the faces of the four men darkened instantly.

"Karina!" Clarence grabbed her by the throat, his grip so tight she could barely breathe. "When did you become so vicious? Rowena is terminally ill. She doesn't have much time left to begin with, yet you still won't spare her!"

Karina struggled to breathe. Forced to tilt her head back, she still managed to pull out a bitter smile.

How utterly ridiculous.

Leaving aside whether the terminal illness was even real, over the past few days, they had brought in the world's top medical teams and developed the most expensive treatments for Rowena.

Even if she had been truly ill, she should have been cured by now.

This was nothing but an excuse, one that allowed them to forgive Rowena for running away from the wedding all those years ago.

Seeing Karina remain silent, the four men grew even angrier.

"Get her in the car!" Nicholas commanded coldly. "No matter what, she has to convince Rowena to come back today!"

Karina was shoved roughly into the car. The vehicle then sped off at breakneck speed to the edge of the cliff.

The wind howled fiercely, and Rowena stood at the edge of the cliff in a white dress, swaying perilously. The sea breeze lifted her skirt, making her appear as fragile as glass.

"Rowena!" Clarence, Irving, and Luther shouted in panic. "Come back!"

Rowena turned to look back, tears streaming down her face. "Clarence, Irving, Luther, Nicholas, I can't bear to leave you, but Karina won't accept me. Since I'm dying anyway, why not end it here? This way, I won't be in her way anymore."

The four men immediately turned their furious gazes toward Karina.

"Karina!" Nicholas shoved her forward. "Say something! Convince Rowena to come back!"

Karina simply watched the scene unfold in silence.

"Do you have to drive Rowena to her death before you're satisfied?" Clarence roared.

Seeing her remain silent, Rowena sobbed even harder. Suddenly, she turned and leaped resolutely toward the cliff.

"Rowena!"

All four men lunged forward at the same time, grabbing her wrist at the very last moment.

After they pulled her back to safety, Rowena threw herself into Nicholas' arms, weeping uncontrollably.

"We're here. You're safe now," Nicholas said in an unbelievably tender voice as he held Rowena tightly in his arms.

"Don't be afraid," her three brothers said, gently patting her back. "We won't let anything happen to you."

Rowena sobbed in Nicholas' embrace. But moments later, she suddenly began struggling again. "No, let me go! Let me die! Karina will never tolerate me."

As she spoke, she tried to rush back toward the cliff. The four men hurriedly stopped her.

"Enough!" Luther turned and glared furiously at Karina. "Look at what you've driven her to!"

Irving held Rowena's trembling shoulders and said tenderly, "Don't be afraid. As long as we're here, no one can drive you away."

Karina watched the scene calmly with a cold smile.

She knew Rowena all too well. Her twin sister always used suicide to win sympathy, and they always fell for it.

"You there—hang Karina over the cliff so that she could think hard about what she's done wrong, "Clarence ordered coldly. "

From an angle hidden from the others, Rowena flashed Karina a triumphant smile. The look she gave her clearly said, "Karina, you'll never win against me."

One of the bodyguards immediately stepped forward. He bound Karina with a coarse rope and suspended her over the cliff's edge. The rope dug deeply into her skin, yet she didn't even flinch.

Before Nicholas left, he glanced back at her. The strange calm in Karina's eyes made his chest tighten inexplicably. But just then, Rowena conveniently "fainted".

He frantically scooped her into his arms and left without looking back.

Only Karina remained on the cliff.

The wind howled, and the rope swayed in the gusts, rubbing against her already torn wrists. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she was bound so tightly she couldn't check it.

Karina began to twist her wrists with all her strength, loosening the rope bit by bit. Blood dripped down the rope, but she seemed to feel no pain.

Finally, once the rope had loosened enough, she flipped herself over with a surge of effort. Then, she grabbed onto a protruding rock at the cliff's edge and pulled herself up inch by inch.

By the time she reached the top, her hands were a bloody mess.

Trembling, she pulled out her phone. The screen displayed a message.

"Ms. Fleming, your uninhabited island transfer is now complete. You may move in at any time."

Looking at the rope still swaying in the wind at the cliff's edge, Karina suddenly smiled. Since she was going to leave, she might as well make them think she was dead.

She could never win against Rowena. But then again, Rowena hadn't considered that the living could never compete with the dead.

With that thought in mind, Karina hung her jacket on a branch at the cliff's edge. She then cut the rope and tossed it into the abyss below. Her jacket fluttered in the wind, looking exactly like the final trace of someone who had fallen from the cliff.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

It wasn't a farewell to the others, but to her past self, the one who had foolishly loved them all.

After hailing a cab, Karina left without looking back.

This time, she would keep all her love for herself.