Chapter 1

Three years into my marriage with Ethan, my cancer came back.

I clutched my medical report and called him.

The phone rang for a long time before he finally picked up.

His voice was harsh and impatient:

"You don't need to call me every time you get a checkup. I'm busy. I don't have time for your nonsense."

"Chloe, can you grow up? When you were diagnosed with cancer years ago, even your adoptive parents threw you out the moment they found their biological daughter. I was the one who paid to save your life!"

I wanted to tell him the truth, but then I heard Serena’s voice in the background.

"Ethan, come back over here and play with me!"

The line went dead.

When I tried calling back, I realized he had already blocked my number.

I froze for a moment, then picked up the pen to sign the consent form myself.

The doctor looked at the blank signature line reserved for family members and sighed.

"The surgery carries a very high risk. Does your husband know?"

I shook my head.

"There's no need to tell him. We are getting a divorce."

I walked back to our house with the signed surgery consent form in my bag.

In the backyard pool, Ethan and Serena were splashing around, having the time of their lives. Wearing skimpy swimwear, they clung to each other, laughing and flirting in the water.

I stopped in my tracks and watched them for a long time.

After the sharp, familiar pang in my chest passed, all I felt was envy for their vibrant, healthy life.

Then, Serena spotted me. Her giggles faded, and she quickly hid behind Ethan's back, acting terrified.

Only then did Ethan turn around. He instinctively shielded Serena behind him and glared at me.

"Don't start acting crazy again!"

I knew exactly what he meant.

On Valentine's Day, I caught Ethan taking Serena on a secret trip.

I blocked them at the airport. Consumed by anger and betrayal, I lost control and screamed at them. The extreme emotional stress caused me to faint, and I ended up in the hospital.

And today, I found out the cancer was back.

I forced a weak smile.

"Keep having fun. I'm going to my room to rest."

It was rare for me to be this peaceful.

Maybe it was because I knew I was dying.

The way I looked at Ethan had slowly changed from intense, desperate love to mere gratitude for saving my life.

After all, the Harper family had abandoned me three years ago.

If he hadn't paid for my medical bills back then, I wouldn't have survived until today.

In the master bedroom, I searched through the drawers and found the divorce papers Ethan had left behind last week.

I signed my name.

Just as I put the pen down, the housemaid called me down for dinner.

At the dining table, Ethan sat in the host seat, holding Serena’s hand.

I didn't say a word and quietly sat across from them.

Halfway through the meal, Serena looked at my pale face.

She finally couldn't help but apologize.

"I'm sorry, Chloe."

"Back then, I really thought you were going to die, so I confessed my feelings to Ethan. I didn't expect you to recover. I didn't mean to ruin your marriage."

Ethan squeezed her hand.

Then, he looked at me with a firm, uncompromising gaze.

"It's my fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me. But I can't keep letting Serena live in the shadows without a proper title."

"If you don't agree to the divorce, we'll have to take this to court."

I stared at Ethan's face. There were so many things I wanted to ask him.

Why?

Why did you cheat?

Why did you love me so much back then, doing everything to save me, only to stop loving me so suddenly?

But in the end, I said nothing.

I just pulled out the signed divorce papers and slid them across the table.

"I’ve signed it."

Then, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a credit card, and pushed it toward Serena.

"This is the money you lent me for my treatment back then. Thank you."

"I added some extra as interest. I'll move out in a couple of days. I already had the maid move my things to the guest bedroom before dinner. You can move into the master bedroom now."

Looking at their shocked and guarded faces, I smiled.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just tired of fighting. It's exhausting."

"A divorce will set us all free."

Hearing this, they both let out a sigh of relief and embraced each other with excitement.

I looked at the joy on their faces and lowered my head.

Slowly, I dug my fingernails deep into my palms.

Late that night, my doctor called.

"Chloe, I highly recommend you go abroad for the surgery. We don't have much clinical experience with this type of relapse here, and the success rate is only 20%. Over there, you'll have about a 40% chance. I'll email you the details of the hospital abroad."

"We can't delay this anymore. You need to leave as soon as possible."

After thanking the doctor, I sat in front of my laptop to go over the files.

The summer night was incredibly quiet.

Because of that, the intimate sounds coming from the master next door—from Ethan and Serena—were painfully clear.

It wasn't until a warm drop of nosebleed hit the back of my hand that I realized I had been staring at the same page for a long time.

Startled, I clicked to the next page.

I grabbed a few tissues, plugged my bleeding nose, and kept reading.

Three hours after the noises next door finally stopped, I booked the hospital abroad.

And then, I bought my plane ticket.

In three days, a morning flight at 9:30 AM.