Everything happened too fast.

"Kelsey!" I shouted, instinctively reaching toward her.

Heavy footsteps thundered from downstairs.

Dimitri. He appeared below almost instantly, his expression changing the moment he saw Kelsey hanging there crying.

"KELSEY!"

The second she saw him, Kelsey suddenly loosened her grip.

"No!"

Her body fell. A sickening crash echoed through the mansion. Blood spread slowly across the white marble floor beneath her motionless body.

My entire body froze.

Dimitri rushed forward like a madman and dropped to his knees beside her.

"Kelsey! Kelsey, wake up!"

His hands shook while lifting her into his arms. Blood stained his expensive black shirt immediately.

Then his eyes lifted toward me.

"Annika!" he roared. "Wasn't destroying my fucking family enough for you?!"

I started shaking instantly.

"It wasn't me..." My voice cracked apart. "She did it herself, Dimitri, I swear she jumped on purpose—"

"Shut up!"

The entire hall fell silent.

Dimitri stood slowly while holding Kelsey tightly against his chest. His eyes were so red they looked terrifying.

"If anything happens to her," he said in a deadly quiet voice, "I'll bury you alive beside her."

Tears blurred my vision immediately.

"Dimitri, please listen to me..."

But he wasn't listening anymore. He looked at me like I was filth. Like loving me had been the greatest mistake of his life.

Then suddenly, another voice echoed from the mansion entrance.

"Oh my God!"

Everyone turned.

Vivienne Romanov, Dimitri's sister, stood near the doorway beside several guards, still wearing a long black coat from her flight. A luxury suitcase rested beside her.

She had just returned from Spain.

For one second, shock crossed her face as she stared at the blood surrounding Kelsey.

Then her eyes slowly lifted toward me.

And instantly filled with disgust.

"Brother! What happened?"

Dimitri's jaw clenched violently.

"Annika pushed her."

Vivienne froze. Then she looked at me again like she wanted me dead.

"I knew it," she said shakily. "I knew she was dangerous. She's a murderer, just like her parents!"

"Vivienne, that's not true—"

"I just came back from Spain!" she cried emotionally while pointing at me. "And the first thing I see is your wife pushing Kelsey over the railing!"

"I didn't push her!" I screamed desperately. "She let go herself!"

But Vivienne immediately moved beside Dimitri protectively.

"Brother, don't listen to her," she whispered urgently. "People like Annika never change. First our parents... now Kelsey too?"

Those words hit Dimitri like gasoline thrown onto fire. His entire expression darkened instantly.

I saw it happen. The final piece of trust inside him died right there. Dimitri looked at me with absolute hatred.

Then he turned away coldly while tightening his hold around Kelsey's unconscious body.

"Get the car ready," he ordered sharply. "Call the best surgeons now."

The guards immediately rushed into motion.

As Dimitri walked past me carrying Kelsey in his arms, Vivienne stopped beside me for half a second. Only half a second. Long enough to lean close and whisper coldly into my ear:

"You should've died seven years ago instead of my parents."

Then she walked away beside her brother.

The mansion exploded into chaos instantly.

The moment the cars arrived outside the mansion, Dimitri climbed into the backseat with Kelsey still against his chest.

I caught one last glimpse of him lowering his head desperately against her hair.

"Kelsey... stay awake. Don't scare me like this. Open your eyes."

My chest twisted painfully.

That used to be me. I used to be the one he panicked over.

Now I was just the person he blamed.

The guards shoved me into another car, and we sped toward the private hospital owned by the Romanov Empire.

The entire ride felt suffocating. Nobody spoke to me. Nobody cared that my hands were shaking so badly I could barely breathe.

....

When we arrived at the hospital, Kelsey was rushed straight into the emergency room while Dimitri followed beside the stretcher like he was terrified she would disappear if he let go.

Meanwhile, the guards forced me onto my knees outside the operating room.

Pain shot through my legs immediately.

At the end of the hallway, Dimitri stood motionless in his black suit, and Vivienne stood beside him the entire time. One arm wrapped around her older brother while softly comforting him.

"It's okay, Dimitri," she whispered gently. "Kelsey will survive. Evil people like Annika don't get to win forever."

My fingers curled tightly against the floor.

Vivienne glanced toward me and smiled coldly.

"Honestly," she sighed dramatically, "I'm not even surprised anymore."

Dimitri stayed silent. Then the emergency room light finally turned off and the doors opened. A doctor stepped outside while removing his mask.

"Mr. Romanov," he said seriously, "Ms. Velasquez lost too much blood from the fall. We stabilized her condition for now, but she urgently needs a blood transfusion."

Dimitri stepped forward immediately.

"Then do it," he snapped sharply. "Why are you wasting time talking?"

The doctor looked nervous beneath Dimitri's stare.

"Her blood type is rare. Type B negative. The hospital supply isn't enough right no—”

"Annika has the same blood type."

My entire body froze.

Vivienne let out a quiet laugh beneath her breath. "Perfect," she said coldly. "At least she can finally be useful for something."

My fingers trembled violently against the floor.

Dimitri walked toward me slowly.

"Take her for testing," he ordered. "If she's compatible, use her blood."

"Dimitri… You really believe I pushed her?"

"You were the only one there."

"Because she came to my room!" I cried softly. "She provoked me and climbed the railing herself! Why won't you believe me even once?"

His eyes turned colder instantly. The guards dragged me up from the floor and pulled me toward the testing room.

I tried resisting weakly.

"I don't feel well..." I whispered desperately. "I already lost so much blood yesterday from the ice chamber..."

Vivienne rolled her eyes immediately. "Here she goes again," she scoffed. "Always pretending to be pitiful."

But Dimitri cut me off before I could speak further.

"Stop pretending."

Those two words crushed whatever remained inside my chest.

The doctor checked the test results several minutes later.

"She's compatible."

Dimitri answered instantly. "Take whatever Kelsey needs."

I stared at him numbly. This was the same man who once treated me like fragile glass.

When I was sixteen and got caught in heavy rain after school, Dimitri carried me all the way home because I had a fever and couldn't walk properly.

When I burned my hand trying to cook for him at nineteen, he panicked so badly he threw away every knife in the kitchen because he couldn't stand seeing me hurt.

When I had an allergic reaction at twenty, he stayed awake beside my hospital bed the entire night changing cold towels on my forehead while his eyes turned red from exhaustion.

Back then, if I felt even a little pain, he looked more hurt than I did. He used to hold me tightly and whisper against my hair:

"Anni... I wish I could take your pain instead."

But now? Now he couldn't even see me bleeding anymore.

"Kelsey... don't be scared," he murmured while holding her unconscious hand. "I'm here now. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

I closed my eyes slowly. Because once upon a time… He used to say those words to me too.

….

After the blood transfusion, I was wheeled back into my hospital room.

The anesthesia slowly wore off, and pain spread through my body little by little until even breathing hurt. My arm throbbed badly where they kept taking blood, and my whole body felt weak and cold.

I bit my lip hard to stop myself from making any sound.

Crying wouldn't change anything anyway.

Two nurses stood beside me while changing the medicine on my arm.

"Mr. Romanov really loves his wife," one whispered softly. "He stayed outside her operating room the entire time. He looked so worried."

The other nurse sighed dreamily.

"I know. He's handsome, rich, powerful... and still that devoted. Ms. Velasquez is seriously lucky. If a man from the Pentagon X Syndicate loved me that much, I'd die happy."

Something inside my chest twisted painfully.

I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before speaking weakly.

"...I'm his wife."

The room instantly fell silent.

Both nurses froze.

Their faces turned pale with embarrassment as they finally looked at me properly.

"O-Oh... sorry, ma'am."

Then they quickly left the room.

The silence afterward felt unbearable. Only the sound of the IV drip remained.

Drip.

Drip.

I slowly turned my face away and tears slipped quietly into my hair.

Funny.

Even strangers thought Kelsey was Dimitri's wife now. Maybe everybody already forgot I existed.

After a while, I tried sitting up because I needed the bathroom. My body still felt numb and weak, but I didn't want to call the nurses again.

I carefully pushed the blanket aside and stood up.

The second my feet touched the floor, my legs gave out completely.

I crashed hard against the edge of the bed, and pain exploded through my body so suddenly that my vision turned black for a second.

A broken gasp escaped my throat.

The door outside opened slightly. Through blurry eyes, I saw Dimitri standing there.

He froze.

For one second, he actually stepped forward instinctively. His hand even lifted slightly toward me.

My heart stopped.

But then his expression hardened again.

He slowly lowered his hand and stepped back.

Like he regretted caring.

I watched him turn around and walk away.

Outside the room, I heard his assistant speak carefully.

"Mr. Romanov... if you're worried about her, why don't you just go inside?”

Dimitri answered coldly and immediately.

"She deserves this."

The assistant hesitated before speaking again.

"But sir... none of this was really Miss Annika's fault. Her parents already died paying for what happened. You've punished her for seven years already."

Silence.

Long silence.

Then Dimitri finally spoke again, quieter this time.

"If I forgive her, then who'll forgive me for losing my family?"

My breathing shook violently.

By the time their footsteps disappeared, I was already crying silently on the floor.

...

The next few days passed quietly.

Nobody visited me. I slept most of the time because staying awake hurt too much. Honestly, I’m glad Vivienne didn’t come to my room either. It makes me sad what happened between us. We used to be so close. Our age gap is only four years, and we treated each other like real sisters. But ever since that accident, Vivienne has hated me so much. So when Kelsey came, Vivienne doted on her and even kept asking her brother to marry Kelsey as soon as possible.

One night, my phone suddenly vibrated beside me and woke me up. I reached for it weakly.

Unknown Number.

A message appeared.

【Your blood saved me really well~ From now on, everything that belonged to you will slowly become mine too. Including Dimitri.】

Below the message was a picture.

The moment I saw it, my entire body went cold.

Around Kelsey's neck hung a silver locket necklace.

My necklace.

Inside the small heart-shaped locket were tiny pictures of my parents. That was the last thing they ever gave me before they died.

My hands started shaking violently.

No.

No, no...

I ripped the IV needle out of my hand so fast blood splattered onto the bedsheets. I didn't even stop to clean it.

I stumbled out of the room and ran down the hallway as fast as my weak body could manage.

Every step hurt.

But I didn't care.

When I reached Kelsey's private ward, I shoved the door open hard.

Kelsey sat comfortably against the bed pillows while eating fruit casually.

The moment she saw me, she smiled slowly.

"Oh?" she said sweetly. "Look who came visiting. You really care about me that much?"

My eyes locked onto the necklace around her neck immediately. My voice shook badly.

"Give it back."

Kelsey touched the locket gently and blinked innocently.

"This?" she asked softly. "But Dimitri gave it to me himself."

Pain hit my chest so hard I almost couldn't breathe.

"No..." I whispered.

She smiled wider. "He said it suited me better. Then he told me it reminded him of the old you. The version before everything got ruined."

I felt sick.

Actually sick.

I stepped closer instinctively and reached toward the necklace, but stopped halfway because I was scared of damaging it.

That necklace still carried my parents' pictures inside. It was all I had left.

I lowered my hand slowly and swallowed my pride completely.

"Please..." My voice cracked. "Kelsey, please give it back to me. That necklace is all I have from my parents now."

She watched me quietly.

I forced myself to continue.

"You can take anything else. Money, jewelry, my room, my position... anything I still have left. I'll give it to you willingly. Just please don't take that too."

Kelsey tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment.

Then she laughed softly. "But I don't want those things." She slowly touched the necklace again while staring directly into my eyes. "The only thing I still don't have is your place beside Dimitri."

My chest tightened painfully.

"So why don't you give me that too? Give me the title of Mrs. Romanov. Divorce him and disappear properly."

I closed my eyes.

For a few seconds, I couldn't even speak.

Maybe this was how losing everything felt.

Empty.

Cold.

Hopeless.

When I finally opened my eyes again, they were full of tears.

"F-fine," I whispered hoarsely. "I'll do it."

Kelsey looked surprised for a second.

I kept staring at the necklace.

"As long as you return that necklace to me," I said weakly, "I'll give you the position of Mrs. Romanov myself. You can have Dimitri too."

The moment the words left my mouth, the ward door suddenly opened behind me.

Dimitri stood at the doorway of Kelsey's hospital room, his face terrifyingly dark. His eyes landed on me first. Then on the silver locket in Kelsey's hands.

His jaw tightened instantly. "So in your eyes, being Mrs. Romanov means less than some necklace?"

My throat tightened painfully. I looked at him for a long moment before answering weakly.

"That isn't just a necklace," I whispered. "It's the last thing my parents left me. Their pictures are inside it. Once it's gone... I really won't have anything left anymore."

The moment I mentioned my parents, Dimitri's entire expression changed. Hatred flooded his eyes immediately.

"Parents?" he repeated with a sharp laugh. "You still dare talk about them in front of me?"

Before I could react, he suddenly snatched the locket from Kelsey's hands.

I froze.

Dimitri stared at the necklace coldly while gripping it tightly in his palm.

"You know what?" he said quietly. "Maybe I've been too soft on you lately. I should've destroyed every single thing connected to your parents years ago."

Fear shot through my chest instantly.

"Dimitri... don't."

But he already turned toward the hospital window.

"No!" I screamed.

He raised his hand, destroyed the chain and threw the necklace.

Everything inside me broke apart at that moment. I rushed toward him without thinking. I just wanted to catch it. Just this one thing.

The second I collided into Dimitri, the necklace flew through the air toward the open window.

Then suddenly...

My body lost balance too.

"ANNIKA!"

His voice sounded panicked for the first time in years. I felt his hand reach for me desperately.

But he missed. The world spun violently.

Then came the impact.

Pain exploded through my body as I crashed onto the lawn below the hospital building. Something sharp pierced my palm.

The silver locket had shattered beside me. Tiny metal pieces and broken glass scattered across the grass, stained red with my blood.

But somehow...

That wasn't what hurt most.

My vision blurred badly. Far away, I heard screaming. Then footsteps. Fast. Desperate.

The next thing I knew, Dimitri dropped to his knees beside me so hard it looked painful.

"Annika!" His hands trembled while lifting me carefully into his arms. "Look at me. Open your eyes. Fuck... Annika!"

I stared at him weakly. His face looked pale. Terrified. The same expression he used to make years ago whenever I got hurt.

For a second, my chest tightened painfully. Was he... worried about me? Did he still care? Even a little?

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Dimitri roared at the hospital staff around us. "CALL THE DOCTORS NOW!"

Then darkness swallowed me again.

...

When I woke up, pain hit me everywhere at once. It felt like every bone inside my body had been shattered and rebuilt wrong. I could barely breathe without hurting.

Voices came from nearby.

"Mrs. Romanov suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries," the doctor said quietly. "She needs complete rest after this. If she doesn't recover properly, there could be permanent complications later."

Dimitri answered immediately. "Use the best medicine available. I don't care about the cost."

My heart trembled weakly.

The doctor nodded before leaving the room.

A few seconds later, Dimitri turned around and noticed I was awake. Our eyes met. For one brief second, I saw worry there. Real worry. But it disappeared so fast I almost thought I imagined it.

His expression turned cold again instantly.

"Don't misunderstand," he said flatly while walking closer to the bed. "I'm not doing this because I care about you."

I stared at him silently.

Dimitri looked down at me with those familiar cruel eyes again.

"I just don't want you dying too soon," he continued coldly. "If you die now, then all this suffering would've been pointless."

My chest hurts. Not physically this time. Something worse.

"From the moment your parents killed my family, our ending was already decided."

His eyes darkened completely.

"One of us was always going to destroy the other."

Tears slipped silently down my face.

I felt stupid. So stupid. For believing his panic downstairs meant something. For hoping there was still love hidden somewhere inside him.

It wasn't love. It was guilt. Or habit. Or maybe nothing at all.

I slowly closed my eyes. Then whispered softly, "Fine." My voice cracked badly. "Then I'll die.”

The room fell silent.

A few seconds later, Dimitri frowned slightly.

"What did you just say?"

He leaned closer to hear me properly.

I opened my mouth slowly. But before I could answer, the hospital room door suddenly burst open.

A nurse rushed inside nervously.

"Mr. Romanov, Ms. Velasquez is supposed to go for another check-up, but she refuses to cooperate unless you go with her."

Dimitri's expression changed immediately. He straightened up without hesitation. Then turned and walked toward the door. Not even one more glance at me. Not one.

The second the door closed behind him, I stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time. Then I laughed quietly to myself.

Of course. What was I even expecting?

I slowly reached up and pulled the IV needle from my arm despite the sharp pain. Blood immediately slid down my skin. But it didn't matter anymore.

My time was almost over anyway. If I was really going to die... then I should prepare everything myself. Because Dimitri definitely wouldn't.

An hour later, I finished the discharge papers alone despite the doctor's protests. I left the hospital quietly wearing loose clothes over my bandages.

First, I went to a small photo studio.

The photographer smiled politely at me.

"What kind of photo would you like, miss?"

I stayed quiet for a moment before answering softly.

"A funeral portrait."

The man's smile disappeared instantly. But he still nodded gently and helped me sit down under the studio lights.

I forced myself to smile for the camera. Even though my eyes already looked dead.

After that, I went to the cemetery. The air smelled cold and empty there.

I walked slowly between rows of graves until I found a small quiet spot. Then I bought a burial plot. Not too large. Just enough for one person.

Lastly, I chose a small urn with trembling hands. Simple. White. Easy to carry.

I stared at it silently for a long time before whispering bitterly to myself, "At least this way... nobody will have to prepare it after I'm gone."

….

When I got back to the villa, I heard footsteps in the living room. Before I even stepped in fully, something small and white rushed toward me. My Persian cat. It rubbed against my leg instantly, purring like nothing bad ever happened here.

My breath broke. I dropped to my knees and held it tightly. "Mimi..." my voice shook as I buried my face in her fur. "You're still here..."

This was the cat Dimitri and I raised when we were eighteen. Back when he still smiled at me. Back when the world still felt like it could hold us together. I remembered him sitting on the floor with me, laughing while holding Mimi. "If we ever end up like this," he had said back then, "then we'll already be a family. No matter what happens outside."

Family.

That word hurt now. Because nothing here felt like family anymore.

Mimi brought a toy mouse and dropped it in front of me, waiting. I forced a small smile and patted her head. "Good girl," I whispered. "Mommy will make you something nice."

I cooked meat porridge with shaking hands even though my body still ached from everything. Mimi ate happily while I watched in silence, my chest tightening more with every bite she took. Three days left. That was all I had. What would happen to her when I was gone?

I couldn't let her stay here.

So I searched the whole day and finally found a retired couple of teachers. Kind faces, quiet home, a yard, and experience with cats. Safe. That was enough.

I packed Mimi's things slowly, her food, her toys, her bed. My hands shook the entire time. Then I crouched in front of her.

"I'm taking you somewhere safe," I whispered. "You'll be okay there... right? You'll forget me, won't you?"

She just purred and rubbed against my hand. I smiled even though my eyes burned.

Before I could leave, the villa door opened. Footsteps. Cold air followed. Kelsey walked in like she owned the place now.

Her eyes landed on Mimi. A slow smile curved her lips. "So this is what's left," she said. "Annika, Dimitri really did a good job breaking you. Everything you loved is already gone... and yet this little thing is still here."

I stepped back and held Mimi behind me. "What do you want?" my voice shook.

Kelsey tilted her head. "I don't want anything," she said softly, then laughed under her breath. "I'm just surprised he forgot this one."

My chest tightened. "Dimitri never said you could touch her," I said quickly. "This cat is ours. He raised her too. He wouldn't allow this."

Kelsey's smile turned colder. "You're still defending him? That's pathetic. He hates you, Annika. He hates everything tied to you. Why are you still pretending otherwise?"

She snapped her fingers.

Two bodyguards stepped inside immediately.

My body went cold. "No," I said, pulling Mimi closer. "Don't come near her."

But they didn't stop. One of them grabbed Mimi by the collar. Mimi screamed and struggled in my arms. "No, please!" I cried out, trying to pull her back. "Don't touch her!"

They shoved me hard. My head hit a huge decorative vase beside the wall. Pain exploded through me and blood instantly ran down my forehead. But I didn't care. All I saw was Mimi. Struggling. Terrified.

"Mimi!" I crawled forward. "Let her go!"