For three years of marriage, Olivia and I maintained a polite distance, appearing to be the perfect couple in high society’s eyes. But on our wedding anniversary, as Olivia lay beneath me, the name she called out was that of her first love. In that moment, I realized our contract marriage had reached its end. But I wasn’t ready to let go. I used every connection I had to try and ruin Ethan, but not only did I fail to harm him, I ended up alienating everyone around me. Because of this, Olivia had someone lock me in a dark basement for three days. She knew I suffered from severe claustrophobia. Three days later, when I was finally released from the basement, a divorce agreement was thrown in my face. Olivia looked down at me, nearly driven mad, with contempt in her eyes. “Jack, apologize to Ethan, then sign this!” 0 I lay on the ground, gasping for air, my body drenched as if I’d been doused with water. I’d developed severe claustrophobia after an incident in my childhood. Even now, I needed at least one light on when I slept at night. Olivia knew this. Our mansion even had several backup solar generators in case of power outages. Yet she had locked me in a basement for three days because of Ethan. The first day, I screamed until I lost my voice. The second day, I clawed at the walls until my fingers bled. The third day… I couldn’t bear to remember. Those three days were hell on earth. Olivia frowned, kicking me lightly with her foot. “Jack, stop playing dead. Get up and sign the divorce papers, then go apologize to Ethan!” I struggled to my feet, using all my strength to shout at her. “Olivia, have you lost your mind?! You know I have claustrophobia!” “Three days! I almost died in that basement!” My voice was hoarse and painful, filled with fear and disbelief. Olivia looked at me with disdain, letting out a cold laugh. “Hmph, stop pretending. Ethan told me that someone with real claustrophobia couldn’t last even a second in that environment.” “Besides, you’re not dead, are you?” “Looks like Ethan was right. You’ve been lying to me all these years. But I’m giving you some assets in the divorce out of consideration for our past.” Her eyes narrowed with disgust. “Otherwise, you’d be leaving with nothing!” “So hurry up and sign it, then go apologize to Ethan. My patience is wearing thin.” With that, Olivia turned and left, not sparing me another glance. I knelt on the ground, watching her retreating figure, my eyes filled with disappointment and sorrow. I picked up the divorce agreement from the floor, my emotions in turmoil. Did I love Olivia? The answer was yes, at least before she locked me in that basement. Thinking of this, I hesitated no longer, resolving to sign the divorce papers. Sitting in a chair, I turned on my phone. An overwhelming sadness washed over me. Missing for three days, and not a single person had tried to contact me. How ironic… I shook my head with a bitter smile. Just as I was about to put the phone down, it rang. “Hello? Is this Mr. Lin?” “Yes, it’s me.” The voice on the other end noticeably relaxed, then continued. “Mr. Lin, we’ve finally reached you. Do you remember the physical examination you had at our hospital last week?” “Yes, are the results in?” “They are, but… the situation is complicated. We may need you to come in so we can discuss it in person.” My heart tightened. I asked, “Can you… give me a brief overview of the situation?” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then the voice spoke in a low tone. “Mr. Lin, you… don’t have much time left.” 0
Late-stage stomach cancer. The doctor said I had at most six months left. If I went abroad for treatment, there was a one in a thousand chance of recovery. As I walked out of the hospital, I looked up at the sun, staring until my eyes watered from the pain. This warm sunlight would soon no longer be mine to enjoy. As I stood there, my phone rang. I rubbed my eyes and answered. Olivia’s angry voice came through. “Jack! Where the hell have you been?!” “Didn’t I tell you to come apologize to Ethan right away?” “Get your ass back here now!” Listening to this barrage of words, my heart clenched in pain. “Something came up.” The voice on the other end suddenly fell silent, then her breathing became rapid. A few seconds later, Olivia spoke through gritted teeth. “Fine, fine, fine! You dare to talk back to me now!” “Jack, I don’t care what you’re dealing with.” “Even if you were dying!” “You need to come back right now! This instant! And get on your knees to apologize to Ethan!” [But I really am dying] I didn’t say these words out loud. I didn’t want her to know. Since I had decided to leave, there was no need for any further entanglement with her. I responded affirmatively to the phone, then hung up. On the other end, Olivia stood frozen, listening to the dial tone. She slowly turned to look at the man sitting on the couch, speaking in a disbelieving tone. “He… he dared to hang up on me?!” Crack! Olivia, her face contorted, smashed the phone on the ground, shrieking. “Jack actually dared to hang up on me!!” “How dare he!!” “I’ll kill him! Kill him!!!” Olivia stomped on the shattered phone repeatedly until it was crushed to pieces. Seeing that she had finished venting, Ethan walked over and took her into his arms, gently patting her back. “Olivia, it’s not worth getting angry over someone like him.” “Even if he died, no one would care.” Olivia pouted, snuggling against Ethan. “But I can’t stand seeing him bully you.” Ethan lightly caressed her face, chuckling softly. “It’s alright. I don’t take someone like him seriously.” “How about this – if he apologizes this time, I’ll let bygones be bygones. What do you think?” Olivia breathed in Ethan’s scent greedily, her face flushed. “Ethan, you’re so kind. That’s what I love about you. While that loser isn’t back yet, why don’t we…” 0
I returned to the mansion. As expected, Ethan was there. Olivia was nestled in Ethan’s arms, her face still flushed. Seeing me return, Olivia immediately stood up and walked towards me. Slap! The sound of a slap rang out as Olivia coldly looked at me and said, “Jack, so you finally decided to come back?” “Now get on your knees and apologize to Ethan!” “Let me tell you, Ethan is being generous. After you apologize, he’s willing to let the past go, considering you’ve been by my side for a few years.” “So hurry up! Ethan and I have plans later. Don’t waste our time!” Olivia’s voice was full of disgust, as if what she was saying was some kind of favor to me. I ignored her. From the moment this woman locked me in that basement, any love I had for her began to fade away. I looked at Ethan sitting on the couch and said to him, “Looks like you’re feeling pretty confident now?” “Why wouldn’t I be?” Ethan took a sip of his red wine and said mockingly, “Your so-called friends were only interested in the benefits you could bring them. I can offer more.” “Olivia never loved you. She only saw you as my replacement. But now I’m back.” With each sentence, Ethan took a step towards me. He came close, patted my face, and said, “As for family, you’re just an orphan whose parents are dead.” “I won’t make things difficult for you. Just kneel down, apologize to me, sign the divorce papers, and you can get lost.” Having said this, he sat back down on the couch, swirling his wine glass, looking at me with a victorious smile. I took a deep breath, suppressing my anger. The doctor had warned me not to get upset before I could go abroad for treatment, or it might worsen my condition. If that happened, I might… “Ethan, I’ll sign the divorce papers, but I won’t apologize!” As soon as I finished speaking, a shrill voice came from behind me. “Jack! Who do you think you are to refuse to apologize?!” Olivia looked crazed, a sight that filled me with sadness. She had never been like this for me. She came up to me and slapped me again. I didn’t say anything. When she tried to slap me a third time, I caught her hand. Olivia’s eyes widened in shock. She glared at me and said, “You! You dare to stop me!!!” I looked at her coldly and said, “Why wouldn’t I dare to stop you?” “After that last slap, any feelings between us are completely over.” “From now on, we have no connection whatsoever.” “I hope you won’t bother me again in the future.” “There’s still a week left in the divorce cooling-off period. I’ll sign the agreement after seven days.” With that, I turned and left the mansion. Olivia stood there, stunned by my words. When she came to her senses, her face twisted in anger. She turned to Ethan and said through gritted teeth, “Ethan, I want him to pay!” Ethan narrowed his eyes, staring at the direction I had left. “Don’t worry, Olivia. He will.” 0
Over the next two days, I moved all my belongings out of the mansion and into the house my parents had left me. Olivia and Ethan didn’t cause me any more trouble after that day, but someone I never expected came to see me. “Jack, long time no see.” I looked at the woman standing outside my door, a hint of nostalgia in my eyes. “How did you find me?” Luna, Olivia’s half-sister. Our fathers had been close friends, and Luna and I had known each other since childhood. Five years ago, she went abroad, and I hadn’t seen her since. Luna chuckled and said, “I’ve heard everything. Looks like the five years I’ve been gone haven’t been kind to you.” “How did you…!” I looked at her in surprise, then shook my head resignedly. Of course, my issues with Olivia had become known to everyone around us. With Luna’s connections, it wouldn’t be hard for her to find out. “Weren’t you abroad? Why did you suddenly come back?” Hearing my question, Luna rolled her eyes at me and said, “If I hadn’t come back, you might really be dead by now.” She looked at me reproachfully. “Do you know how many forms I had to fill out to bring you the special medication? It was such a hassle.” I stared at her in shock and asked, “How did you know about my illness?!” She pushed past me into the house and said, “The doctor who diagnosed you is my senior from medical school. He contacted me earlier saying there was a late-stage stomach cancer patient here and asked if I could take over the case. I looked into it and found out it was you.” “I heard you and my sister still have a week left in your divorce cooling-off period. So, I rushed back from abroad to avoid delaying your treatment.” Luna sat on the couch, spreading her hands and looking at me. Hearing what she said, I wanted to thank her, but when I opened my mouth, no sound came out. Seeing me like this, she came over to me, gently caressing my face, her voice soft. “Don’t thank me. If it weren’t for you reaching out to help me when the Yus were in trouble back then, the Yu family would be long gone by now.” “From that moment on, I swore in my heart that I would always stand by your side. It’s a pity you ended up choosing Olivia in the end.” “I…” She cut me off and continued, “But now my chance has come. So, for my sake, please live on.” Even if I had a thousand things to say, in the end, they all condensed into one sentence. “I promise you.” I looked into Luna’s eyes and said firmly. Then I remembered something and told her, “By the way, I left something back at the mansion. I need to go get it. Wait for me here.” … When I returned to the mansion, Olivia and Ethan weren’t there. I didn’t think much of it and went straight to my room. But the moment I opened the door, I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, darkness surrounded me. That familiar feeling of fear instantly washed over me like a tidal wave. My heart started racing, and cold sweat soaked through my clothes in an instant. I immediately felt around, hoping to find the door, but after groping for a while, I realized that I was surrounded by walls on all sides! The fear grew stronger and stronger, and I could feel my strength slowly leaving my body. I started pounding on the walls like a madman. I’d rather die from cancer than in this pitch-black space. Blood ran down my face, my fists were raw to the bone from hitting the walls, and due to the extreme stress, the blood vessels in my eyes burst, causing me to cry tears of blood. But still, no one came. I screamed and shouted until my voice became hoarse, until… I could no longer make a sound. At that moment, I understood. It was Olivia and Ethan. They wanted me dead, but they couldn’t kill me themselves. But who would care about a terminally ill cancer patient who accidentally fell into an abandoned well? Yes, I was at the bottom of an abandoned well, with a stone slab pressed on top. I curled up at the bottom of the well, like a dying maggot, slowly being consumed by fear. One day, two days, three days… My consciousness was slowly fading. In my delirium, I thought I heard Luna’s voice. “I’m sorry, Luna. I broke my promise…”
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