"Please! Whether I read it today or tomorrow, I'm still marrying you. What's with you today? Are you so thrilled about marrying me that you've lost your mind?" Caleb asked.

I was genuinely happy because I finally had the chance to see him alive again.

I smiled and said, "I think you're the best man in the world. Whoever marries you will be very happy."

"Cut it out and get going!" Caleb let out a cold snort and turned away, walking off without giving me another glance.

I got into the car to head home. As we passed a busy street, I heard people chatting on the sidewalk.

"I heard the art museum has a 'Starry Night Wishes' event tonight. Couples can buy a pair of tickets, write their wish, and hang a love lock on the wishing wall. They say if you lock it there, you'll never be separated for the rest of your lives!"

My fingers tightened around the hem of my dress as memories from my previous life flooded back.

Back then, I had waved a flyer in front of Caleb and begged him to go with me.

He had crumpled it into a ball, tossed it into the trash, coldly laughed, and said, "That is incredibly childish! Why not write your wish on a balloon and send it up so aliens can read it too?"

Those cutting words still seemed to echo in my ears. I turned my face toward the window and quietly rolled it up.

"Do you want to go?" Caleb asked suddenly, his fingers idly tapping the steering wheel. "I can take you tonight. I've never really had the time to go with you when you visit your parents' graves. Consider it my way of making it up to you."

I looked up at him, caught off guard. It surprised me, yet somehow it felt exactly like him.

Caleb had always been this way. His tongue was sharp, but his heart was softer than anyone else's. He never loved me, but he still dragged me back from death three times.

The first time he saved my life was on a trip. I had slipped while taking photos at the edge of a cliff and went over the side. He lunged after me and caught my arm, but ended up with a broken arm himself.

The second time, a car lost control and forced me into a dead corner against a wall. Caleb rushed out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground, taking the full hit and spending a day in the ICU.

The third time, a mugger pulled a knife on me by the side of the road. Caleb stepped in front of me and took the knife, and he died right in front of my eyes.

Caleb really was a good man. He just didn't love me.

I knew that after that day, whatever fate we once shared would come to an end. Yet when he asked me that question, I still couldn't stop myself from smiling and nodding. "Sure. Let's go together."

While we waited at a red light, his phone lit up with Layla's name.

He listened for a few seconds, and his brows drew together. "Layla's blood sugar has dropped again. I need to check on her. Grab a cab home first, and I'll meet you at the art museum tonight."

"Okay," I softly replied.

He glanced at me, a little surprised. "You used to hate it when I went to see Layla. Since when are you so calm about it?"

I opened my mouth to explain, but he cut me off with a cold laugh.

"Right. We're about to get married. From your point of view, she's not a threat anymore."

With that, he got out of the car and walked away, never noticing the flicker of disappointment and bitter amusement in my gaze.

The truth was, I had never tried to stop him from caring about Layla.

Once, by accident, I discovered that she was involved with some people in the business world. I looked into it and confirmed that it was true, so I did everything I could to persuade Caleb to keep his distance from her.

He never knew any of that. After Layla passed, he lived in pain for 12 long years.

If I had to choose, I would rather watch him be with Layla than see him wreck himself with grief and die young because of me.

I went to get my passport done, then headed over to the Vale residence.

When I arrived, I saw that Caleb's mother, Helena, had cooked for us. The dining table was covered with all my favorite dishes.

"Mrs. Vale, you should take it easy. You need to look after your health," I said.

Helena looked at me, her smile bright and loving. "You're always so thoughtful. Come on. Show me the wedding invitation. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I can't believe you're finally about to get married!"

"Now, Caleb's grandfather can finally stop worrying," Helena said.

Caleb's father, Liam Vale, set his newspaper down hard on the coffee table when he saw me walk in alone.

"Did Caleb bail on you again? You're getting married soon. When he comes back later, I'll—"

"Mr. and Mrs. Vale, I'm not going to marry Caleb," I interjected.

After my parents died, I became an orphan. Liam and Helena took me in and gave me all the love that I'd lost.

I had always been obedient and grateful, but this time, I had to defy their wishes.

I looked straight at them and spoke slowly so they would hear every single word. "Mr. and Mrs. Vale, I've decided not to marry Caleb. I'm flying overseas tomorrow. Once I leave, I won't be here to look after you anymore. So you'll have to take care of yourselves."

Helena froze, panic flashing across her face. "Your parents are gone. You only have us. We're your family. Where would you even go?"

"Is it because of Layla? Is she messing with you again? We're not letting her off the hook. Don't leave just because you're upset!"

In my previous life, Liam and Helena had begged me the same way. In the end, I lost my husband, they lost their son, and every one of us lived with regret.

I brushed away the tears at the corner of Helena's eyes and tried to comfort her. "Mrs. Vale, forcing a relationship will never bring happiness. Caleb doesn't love me. I shouldn't force him to marry me.

"I had a dream last night. In the dream, I married Caleb, but he was always cold to me. He buried himself in work until he made himself sick, and even then, he refused to let me care for him. He told me that I brought him nothing but pain. In the end, he lost his life at 31 years old because he tried to save me."

The ache in my chest sharpened as I spoke.

Helena stared at me, stunned. "Well... That's just a dream. Aurora, Caleb would never treat you like that."

I sniffed and forced a faint smile. "Dreams usually mean the opposite, don't they? Maybe we're not meant to be husband and wife, but I still hope he lives a long, peaceful life.

"He looks so capable out there, but at home, he puts up with so many things that he has no say in. I just hope you can respect what he truly wants."

I gave them a deep bow. Then, I set my passport down on the coffee table, my voice trembling. "I really have made up my mind. I'm letting this go. For all the years you have raised me, I will remember your kindness even in my next life."

Liam's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He reached out quickly to pull me back to stand upright.

Helena's eyes were red as she stuffed a thick stack of cash into my bag. "Oh, sweetheart. If you've made up your mind, then go and see the world. But keep this in mind..."

She suddenly wrapped her arms around me and held me tight. "We're always here for you."

I bit down hard on my lip to keep myself from crying.

As long as Caleb stayed alive, it didn't matter if he resented or misunderstood me.

The sight of him lying in a pool of blood had lodged itself in my heart like a thorn I could never pull out.

...

At 10:00 pm, I stood on the top floor of the art museum and watched the Ferris wheel's lights turn slowly, drawing bright circles across the sky.

Footsteps rushed up behind me. Before I could turn around, a hand clamped hard around my wrist.

Caleb's eyes were bloodshot. He shoved his phone in front of my face.

On the screen was a photo from the emergency room, showing Layla's pale face half-covered by a white sheet.

"Aurora, are you happy now?" His voice came out raw and hoarse, a tone I had never heard from him before.

"Just because I didn't drive you home, you had someone leak her information! Now, she's slit her wrists!"

Caleb's breath hit my face, thick with alcohol. "Aurora, how far are you going to push Layla before you're satisfied?"

His fingers dug into my wrist so hard that it felt like he could snap the bone. A sharp, drilling pain shot up my arm, and the blood drained from my face.

In my previous life, Layla tried to end her life because Caleb married me. A month after our wedding, she slit her wrists and died from massive blood loss.

Caleb couldn't find a matching blood type in time, so he could only watch as her life slipped away.

From then on, he hated me. He held on to that hatred until he died, and he never forgave me.

But in this life, I hadn't even married him yet. So why had Layla still chosen to hurt herself?

The system's voice echoed in my mind. "You only have one wish card left. Are you sure you want to use it on Caleb and not keep it for yourself?"

I remembered what would happen in 12 years and nodded without hesitation. It was the only way to end everything between us.

I had still been wondering how I was supposed to fulfill his third wish. Now, the opportunity had walked right up to me.

I met his furious eyes. "So, you're here to ask me to give blood to save her, aren't you?"

Caleb froze, clearly not expecting me to say it out loud. His expression darkened. "You think I wouldn't dare? You pushed Layla into slitting her wrists! You should be the one to atone!"

He tightened his grip and dragged me straight to the hospital, where Layla was being treated.

Layla lay on the bed, barely conscious, her face as white as the pillowcase under her head.

The doctor checked the test results and looked relieved. "Ms. Wynne's blood type is a match. But to stabilize Ms. Shaw, we'll need about two units of blood."

"No!" Caleb's expression instantly shifted, his brows knitting. "Taking that much blood is like taking half her life! She can't endure that! Isn't there anything else you can use?"

The doctor hesitated, his expression turning grave. "We don't have any Rh-negative blood in stock right now. If you refuse to let us use Ms. Wynne's blood, you need to be prepared for the worst. Drawing the blood won't endanger Ms. Wynne, but Ms. Shaw may not hold on much longer."

Caleb pressed his lips into a thin line, his gaze fixed on Layla's pale face.

I could see how much he hurt just looking at her, so I turned to the doctor. "I'm willing to help her. Go ahead and take it."

The doctor glanced at Caleb for confirmation. "But this will cause significant damage to your body."

I smiled. "It's alright. I'll recover. Saving her is what matters."

Caleb stared at me for a long moment before he finally frowned. "Fine. I'll owe you for this. I'll make it up to you."

He left the room, and the doctor began to draw my blood.

The needle pierced my skin, sinking in deeper. The pain sharpened with each push.

As the blood flowed out of me, memories I had tried to bury floated to the surface.

When I was ten and had just lost my parents, the rich kids at school surrounded me and laughed.

"You don't even have parents. How can an orphan like you sit in the same classroom as us?"

Caleb had stood up for me that day. He shoved the ringleader against the wall, then turned and rested a hand on my trembling head. "Don't be scared. I'm here."

That held me together through my teenage years.

Even later, when his family arranged his engagement to me and Layla stood between us, he was still the one who stepped in front of me whenever danger appeared.

Until that day, when a knife came swinging toward me on the roadside, and Caleb stepped in front of me to shield me.

As he lay dying, he looked at me and forced out the cruelest words I'd ever heard. "Aurora, I would've been better off if I'd never met you..."

I snapped out of the memory and steadied myself against the dizziness, dragging myself up from the chair.

Just then, the door opened, and Caleb walked in with a thermal container. The smell of beetroot soup drifted out, and the warmth of it made my eyes sting.