On our third wedding anniversary, I tricked Sera into signing the divorce papers. The doctor had just told me I had terminal stomach cancer and only three months to live. Sera just thought I was being difficult. Annoyed, she signed, then jetted off to Europe with Leo, her adopted brother and childhood friend. Later, she tried every trick in the book to threaten and retaliate against me, desperately hoping I’d come back to her. But all she got was the video I left for her at my funeral. When the first words flashed on screen: “Sera, by the time you see this video, I’ll already be dead…” The once utterly arrogant Sera completely lost her mind. I was in the hospital, my stomach bleeding from overwork, while Sera and Leo watched a private fireworks show in our backyard. Facing the cameras practically shoved in my face, I forced a weak smile onto my pale lips. “Everyone, stop guessing. Sera and I are doing great. The guy she’s leaning on is just a family friend, her adopted brother, that’s all.” The crowd of reporters surrounding me looked disgusted, as if my answer was too rehearsed. Actually, it wasn’t entirely false. Leo wasn’t her biological brother; he was an orphan adopted by the Harrison family. Sera and I were in an arranged marriage, and she was a perfectly suitable partner for a business alliance. But three months ago, after Leo returned from overseas, Sera’s personality completely shifted. She clung to him constantly. She utterly forgot she was a married woman, and she forgot the media once hailed her as the perfect wife. All the household staff had been sent by Sera to prepare the fireworks show for Leo. I called her several times, but she didn’t pick up. I had no choice but to drag my weakened body through the discharge process and take a cab home. The quiet night, my silent self, seemed utterly out of place amidst the raucous celebration. Watching the fireworks explode across the sky in the backyard, Sera attentively lit a cigarette for Leo, feeding him cake. Suddenly, I realized I was the outsider in my own home. It was deep autumn. Leaves littered the ground, rustling underfoot. Leo was the first to spot me. He jumped up, startled like a bird, looking genuinely pitiful. “Myles!” “Please don’t misunderstand, Sera and I were just celebrating the company’s revival, that’s all.” Ha! Celebrating the company’s revival? *Just* that? What did he have to do with our company clawing its way back from the brink of collapse to reach its peak today? Seeing the contempt etched on my face, Sera rushed forward, shielding Leo behind her. “Myles, stop acting like you’re on your deathbed all the time, okay?” “Haven’t you had enough of faking your calm, collected demeanor for the cameras and interviews every single day?” “You want me to pity you? Feel sorry for you?” “Dream on!” Leo, still behind her, looked scared by her outburst. He sniffled, his eyes red, and tugged on her arm. “Sera! Please don’t be so angry!” “I’m scared.” This grand performance almost made me applaud, but I no longer had the energy to compete with them. Unexpectedly, I forced a smile and stepped closer, putting on a pathetic act for Sera: “Sera, I absolutely didn’t misunderstand anything between you two.” “It’s just… it’s my birthday today. I know you’re busy, so you forgot. I don’t blame you.” She froze for a second, then any trace of guilt on her face was quickly hidden. “Birthday?” She scoffed, a sneer twisting her lips. “Didn’t you say you hated celebrating your birthday?” My mother died giving birth to me; my birthday is the anniversary of her death. My father cherished my mother deeply, and every year he would prepare elaborate memorials for her, so I had never celebrated a birthday growing up. But she had forgotten that it was *she* who, for two consecutive years after we married, celebrated my birthday, pulling me out of the darkness. I remember her eyes sparkling as she leaned in close, whispering to me, “Myles, from now on, you’ll never feel alone on your birthday again.” “You were never a curse; you are my lucky charm.” Looking at her now, defending Leo with the same unwavering devotion, my heart no longer ached. She didn’t know. A week ago, I had tricked her into signing the divorce papers.
The stomach bleeding today wasn’t a coincidence. A week ago, I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, with barely three months to live – the memory still vivid. I remember it was our third wedding anniversary. I was sitting alone in the hospital corridor, the sweat on my hands dampening the diagnostic report. My legs felt like jelly; I tried to stand several times but couldn’t. My taut heart was slowly torn to shreds when Sera finally answered on the tenth call. “Myles! Are you sick or something?” “Just because you’re bored to death doesn’t mean everyone else isn’t busy, does it?” She actually got it right. I was sick, and critically so. A man’s voice in the background made the words I wanted to spill catch in my throat. “Sera! I knew you’d come!” “You must miss me, right?” Sera’s laughter echoed from the other end, followed by an abrupt hang-up. This wasn’t the first time. The first time Sera stood me up was to pick up Leo from the airport. The first time she hit me was because Leo broke my architectural model. My initial shock had gradually evolved into indifference. The searing pain in my chest had now become a dull throb. More than once, I made excuses for her, telling myself it was all because Leo was her adopted brother, and she was helpless. But eventually, I had to face the truth: she wasn’t helpless; she was willing. Sera saw me as a temporary distraction when Leo wasn’t around, trampling on my dignity and my feelings. So I decided to make her taste the agony of unrequited love, to force her to fall for me, to make me unforgettable. If she wouldn’t see me, I would become the thorn buried deep in her heart. Alive, I’d cause her constant pain. Dead, I’d make her wish she were dead. I recorded three videos, determined to give Sera a grand parting gift.
During that last month, I abandoned my former pride and dignity, even ignoring Leo’s blatant provocations. But he wasn’t done with me. He spilled coffee all over my design blueprints. When Sera returned, she found me furious at Leo. “Do you have to be so aggressive?” I silently raised my hand. The angry red marks on my wrist from the hot coffee were stark. “Sera! Don’t you know he—” She glanced at Leo, who was trembling with fear, then a sharp slap echoed as her hand connected with my face. “If your hand is hurt, go to the hospital! Why are you throwing a fit here?” “You’re nothing but a savage!” All the glory and aspirations of my first half of life vanished in that moment. And my wife, my supposed rock, mocked me with disdain. “The designs are ruined, so what? They’re just tools for you to grab attention anyway.” My hysterical questions sounded like a madman’s ravings to her. “How dare you compare yourself to Leo?” “He studies design because it’s his dream, but you? You’re just after a bit of superficial gain.” Leo picked up a glass of water, poured it over his head, then smashed the glass on the floor, leaving a mess. He looked at me pitifully. “Myles, I didn’t mean it, are you satisfied now?” Sera hurried to comfort him, helping him change clothes. As she left, she shot me a cold glare: “Myles, Leo is my adopted brother. Watch yourself.” Her gaze flickered to my reddened hand, and for a fleeting second, a hint of emotion sparked in her eyes. Leo seemed to notice Sera’s change in demeanor. He closed his eyes and fainted into her arms. “Leo!” Her resolute departure extinguished the last glimmer of light in my heart. In the end, I took a cab to the hospital alone to treat my injury.
I sent all the recorded videos to my sister, Rowan. She knew about my illness and my plan. Our family relations were always distant. Under our father’s influence, my sister had always believed I was the reason she grew up without a mother. “Myles, your cancer is your karma. You should have paid for Mom’s life a long time ago.” That was the first thing she said to me after learning of my illness. I promised her the company, and she agreed to play the video at my funeral. My phone kept flashing on and off, a relentless stream of messages. It was Sera, the IP address indicating she was overseas. “Myles, don’t worry, I’ll definitely make it back for the family dinner tomorrow night.” “You’re not mad, are you?” “Myles, you have to understand. Leo threatened to kill himself, I had no choice but to go.” “That’s a human life at stake! I can’t just stand by and do nothing!” My lips felt numb, my limbs heavy. Messages popped up on the screen, one after another, until I gradually lost consciousness. As I fell to the ground, the question in my heart remained unanswered: “Sera, how miserable will your end be?” My soul drifted out of my body. I watched my own pale, rigid form lying on the floor. Perhaps my deep unwillingness to accept my fate touched the heavens, granting me this chance to stay and witness their end. My phone had one bar of battery left, the message list already 99+. Sera had just sent me one last message. “Myles, stop making a scene.” “My flight might be delayed, so go to the old family estate and wait for me first.” I scoffed. My consciousness traveled to the Harrison estate, waiting for the show to begin. Sera seemed to be in a hurry; her tie was still crooked. She ran breathlessly into the estate. “Grandpa, where’s Myles?” “I need to talk to him about something first.” Grandpa Harrison looked flustered, his brows still furrowed. “Sera!” “Always rushing around like this, what kind of manners are those?” “And from now on, you can’t let Leo run wild just because he’s throwing a tantrum. Our Harrison family isn’t completely free from the Rowan family’s support. If he hadn’t insisted on going abroad to study design back then, and you hadn’t secretly embezzled company funds, the company wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.” “You can’t afford to anger Myles away, so rein in your temper!” Sera’s brows furrowed instantly, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Grandpa! Why are you still talking about that now?” “If Myles hears any of this, everything will be ruined!” Watching this, my heart still ached. So, the company’s financial black hole I had worked myself to death to fix was all Leo’s doing. And her kindness to me before? It was merely a calculated act, preying on my ability to revive her company. “Myles? What Myles?” Grandpa Harrison asked, bewildered by her agitated tone. Sera froze for a second, then panic flashed in her eyes. “Myles… he hasn’t arrived yet?” She sighed, pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialed my number. After three calls with no answer, standing rooted to the spot, she finally grew anxious. “Answer the phone, Myles!” She paced frantically, stamping her foot a few times in frustration. Grandpa Harrison suggested they sit down; the entire family was already assembled. Just as Sera sat at the dining table, a call came in. I clearly saw her face shift from excited joy to confused bewilderment. Rowan’s voice came through the phone. “Sera, come to Myles’s funeral tomorrow.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “322492”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply