When Alison stepped out of the bathroom, Ivan was already sitting on the couch, waiting for her.

He stood and scooped her into his arms, tucking her beneath the blanket, holding her tight.

"Alison, what's going on today? Did something happen at the hospital? If something's bothering you, tell me. I'll always be your rock."

Afraid he might call Dr. Sterling, Alison gave a vague answer. "It's nothing. Maybe I just didn't sleep well."

Right then, his phone rang.

He didn't try to hide it. He tapped the screen in front of her. A photo popped up—sent by someone saved under the name Jessica. The woman in the picture wore a tight, cat-like costume and knelt on a bed, eyes glazed, lips slightly parted.

Jessica: [Waiting for you in bed, Master!]

Ivan's breath hitched. His lips curved up before he could stop them.

Ivan: [I'll come once Alison's asleep.]

Jessica: [Come now! She's blind. She can't even get down the stairs without help. I miss you.]

Ivan locked the screen and pressed a kiss to Alison's forehead.

"Something came up at work," he murmured. "I'll be in the study for a bit. Don't wait up."

Then he left quickly.

Alison lay still, staring up at the stark white ceiling.

Maybe, deep down, Ivan had already accepted that her eyes would never recover. That's why he no longer bothered hiding anything. That's why he acted without restraint or shame.

She sat up and quietly made her way downstairs. The living room was empty. From a bedroom on the right came soft, playful sounds and laughter of a man and a woman.

"Jessica, are you crazy? Alison isn't even asleep, and you're already trying to seduce me?"

"And yet, here you are."

The door hadn't fully closed. Through the crack, Alison saw them wrapped around each other on the bed. The room was done up in soft pinks, stylish and lived-in. At least a year, she guessed.

So the happy little family she thought she had… had included a fourth person all along.

Ivan had settled both his wife and mistress under the same roof. The first half of the night was for Alison. The second half, he slipped downstairs—to what? To his "real" home? To Jessica?

How thrilling it must be.

Alison pressed her hand over her mouth, stifling the scream trying to claw its way out. When she turned around, she ran straight into the night-shift housekeeper.

"Madam? What are you doing down here?"

Before she could answer, the bedroom door flew open. Ivan stumbled out, shirt half-buttoned, hair a mess, face pale with panic.

Behind him trailed Jessica, arms wrapped around his waist, her hands roaming freely over his body.

Ivan shoved her back into the bedroom, then hurried over.

"Alison, did you… hear anything just now?"

Alison clenched her fists so tightly that her nails pierced her palms. The pain was the only thing stopping her from slapping him across the face.

"No," she said calmly. "I was just thirsty. Came down to get a glass of water."

Ivan visibly relaxed. "I left a glass for you on the nightstand. Why come down yourself? It's dangerous."

He guided her back to the bedroom, fussing like nothing had happened.

Some time later, he called out softly, "Alison?"

She didn't respond.

Assuming she'd fallen asleep, he stood.

Just then, the bedroom door creaked open.

His voice dropped to a whisper, but she could still hear him.

"What are you doing up here? Go back down."

Then came Jessica's sultry reply, "You left me hanging earlier… I just had to come find you, Master."

There was a pause, then the rustle of clothing, followed by Ivan's voice, low and strained. "Downstairs."

"No," she said. "Let's do it here. She's blind. She can't see anything. That makes it even more exciting, doesn't it?"

The only response was the sound of his heavy and ragged breathing.

In the darkness, two bodies collapsed onto the sofa on her side of the room, limbs entwined.

Alison lay still, eyes open. Tears slid silently down her cheeks as she bit her lip, holding the sobs in.

In the black quiet of night, she saw everything.

Right before she pulled the blanket over her head, her eyes landed on the cup of water Ivan had left for her on the nightstand.

It had gone cold… just like her heart.

'Ivan, I'll make sure the rest of your life is pure hell,' she swore silently to herself.

The days that followed were no different from the one when Alison first uncovered the truth.

The three of them went out together during the day, then came home and pretended silently that nothing was wrong.

Every night, Ivan would slip downstairs to vent his desires on Jessica, only to quietly return at dawn.

Alison watched their little performance in silence. Eventually, unless absolutely necessary, she stayed in the upstairs bedroom.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for another of Alison's treatments.

That morning, Ivan followed his usual routine—gently waking her with a kiss and helping her downstairs for breakfast.

Just then, Jessica, who had always been careful to keep up appearances, suddenly started gagging.

Ivan and Josh both froze.

Ivan lunged toward her, trying to cover her mouth.

Josh, on the other hand, looked worried. He mouthed silently, "Jessica, what's wrong?"

Alison stared at her panicked husband and son, and calmly played along. "What's going on?"

"One of the maids," Ivan blurted out, grasping at straws. "She just started vomiting out of nowhere."

To make it more convincing, he even turned toward the empty air and scolded the imaginary maid.

But Alison saw everything clearly—when Ivan mentioned the maid, a flicker of jealousy and resentment passed through Jessica's eyes.

Breakfast ended in an awkward rush. The three of them retreated into Jessica's room.

Alison didn't know what they discussed inside, but a moment later, Josh let out a cheer—quick and restrained, as if worried someone might hear.

Then the three of them reemerged.

Josh ran up and kissed Alison on the cheek. "Mom, I'm off to kindergarten!"

Ivan crouched in front of her with a smile. "I have to head to the office again today. I'm going to miss you, my love."

If she couldn't see, if she were only listening to his voice, she might have believed it and kissed him back and scolded him for acting like a child.

"You promised last time you'd come with me to my treatment today," she said.

She saw it in his expression that he had completely forgotten the appointment and his promise.

"Oh, right!" Josh suddenly slapped his forehead. "There's a parent-teacher meeting at kindergarten today. Dad has to attend!"

"Yes, yes, I completely forgot," Ivan echoed quickly.

Looking at the father and son putting on such a seamless act, Alison smiled. "Alright. You go."

The moment they walked out the door, Alison sent all the maids to the annex, saying she wanted to be alone.

Then she hailed a cab and followed Ivan's car.

What she saw was Ivan and his son accompanying Jessica… into the obstetrics and gynecology department of the hospital.

So he hadn't come to her treatment because Jessica might be pregnant. And of course, that was more important than Alison was.

They hadn't gone to Hardman Medical Hospital. They chose a different facility, somewhere they could celebrate without restraint.

"Oh! Jessica is going to give me a little sister!" Josh shouted excitedly.

Ivan stood protectively at Jessica's side, his hand brushing gently over her stomach as though it were something sacred. His face lit up with uncontainable joy.

"Jessica, you're incredible!" he beamed.

Hearing those familiar words, Alison bit back her tears, but they still slipped down her face.

She remembered the day she told Ivan she was pregnant. He had reacted the same way—hugging her so tightly, then letting go like she was something fragile and precious.

"Alison, you're incredible!" he had said.

One of the deepest regrets of her life had been not seeing her own wedding, not seeing the look on Ivan's face when he found out he was going to be a father.

Now, she had seen it.

Ivan, Jessica, and Josh went off to an auction later, spending lavishly on gifts for Jessica.

Meanwhile, Alison arrived at the hospital morgue.

Elise had told her that the body that would replace her had been found. Someone was already performing cosmetic surgery on it.

Not that it mattered.

What Alison wanted to leave the Hardman family was not a lifelike replica, but a mangled, unrecognizable corpse.

She wanted to leave them a nightmare—one that would haunt them, night and day, for the rest of their lives.

Ivan noticed that Alison had become a shell of her former self.

She used to be full of life. Even though she couldn't see, she loved sitting in the courtyard sipping coffee, claiming it was her way of "feeling nature." She would build blocks with Josh, watch the news with him, and occasionally—even with the help of the nanny—cook a couple of dishes for the family.

She had once been radiant and free.

But now, aside from meals, she locked herself in the bedroom all day, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring blankly at the sky. She looked like a flower on the verge of withering—drained of all color, stripped of all life.

Ivan grew increasingly uneasy seeing such a drastic change in her.

"Alison, what's wrong lately?" he asked anxiously. "Are you upset because I missed your last two appointments? Don't worry. Next time, I promise, I'll go with you. Please don't shut me out… I'm begging you."

By the end, his voice was trembling, almost choked with tears.

But if he was so afraid of losing her, why did he keep another woman? Why did he let them both live under the same roof, without even trying to hide it?

Just moments before speaking to her, he had come from Jessica's room, lipstick still smudged at the corner of his mouth.

Did he think that just because she was blind, she didn't deserve respect?

Had he forgotten why she went blind in the first place?

Alison raised her hand. Ivan instinctively reached out, placing her palm against his face.

She traced his features with her fingers. His face hadn't changed much, only matured with time. He looked steadier now.

But his heart was no longer the same.

He was no longer the boy she had once risked her life to save.

Just then, a crackle sounded outside the window. Fireworks burst in the sky.

The river was bathed in brilliant color.

From the lawn below, she vaguely heard Josh shout excitedly into Jessica's ear, "See that? Daddy set off those fireworks just for you, to celebrate that you're giving me a baby sister!"

A bitter smile tugged at Alison's lips. "Are those fireworks?" she asked. "I haven't seen them in ages."

Ivan looked at her tenderly. "When your eyes recover, I'll set off fireworks for three days and three nights, just for you. You'll see them to your heart's content. How about that? Don't give up on yourself, okay? Our son and I will always be here for you."

He pulled her into his arms, whispering comfort into her ear.

So that's what Ivan believed—that she was upset because her recent medical treatments hadn't gone well.

'But oh, Ivan… If you had come with me to the hospital even once, you would've known the truth. But you didn't. And that's why this chapter between us is coming to an end,' Alison thought.

With that thought, Alison gently pushed him away.

"No need," she said. "It's a waste."

Ivan tapped her nose playfully. "How could it be a waste? Don't you remember what I said? Whatever others have, you must have too. I want the whole world to know that I love you, that I can't live without you."

Alison said nothing.

Because she knew, the man whispering sweet words in her ear now would sneak downstairs at night and spend hours wrapped in another woman's arms.

Maybe sensing her lingering gloom, Ivan and Josh suggested taking her to a party.

She had no interest and was about to decline when Ivan had already called for the car and started picking out a dress for her.

Josh rummaged through her jewelry box, holding pieces up to her. "Mommy, wear this one! It's pretty!"

Ivan chuckled. "Your mom looks good in everything. Who needs fashion advice from a little rascal like you?"

They dressed her with care, helped her gently down the stairs, and escorted her into the car.

Along the way, Josh chattered about amusing stories from kindergarten, trying to lift her spirits.

Eventually, the car pulled into a grand estate.

Alison had been wondering why Jessica hadn't come… until she saw her.

Dressed in jewels and silk, with a slight swell in her belly, Jessica stood at the center of the crowd like the true hostess of the evening.