The day I got my cancer diagnosis, Ethan Cole secretly emptied my bank account.

He took all that money to Maya Vance’s wedding as a gift.

I went to the reception hall, desperate to get that money back for my surgery deposit.

Maya, tipsy and bold, pointed at me and slurred, "Ava, you look so pale… anyone who didn't know better would think you were dying!"

Laughter erupted around us; they all thought it was just a drunken joke.

I lowered my voice, telling her I was dying and needed the gift money back.

But Ethan flared up first. "Maya just had a little too much to drink! It's her big day, why are you making a scene?"

He then dragged me out of the reception hall.

He even took the last five hundred dollars I had on me.

"You crashed Maya’s big day like that, you definitely owe her another gift."

"Look at yourself, Ava. All you do now is stir up drama and act jealous. You don't even bother to take care of yourself anymore. You look frighteningly pale!"

He was so sure I couldn't live without him.

But this time, I saw him clearly.

So I turned around, went home, and called a real estate agent.

"Ms. Thorne, if you're not in a rush, we could probably get a better price for this place," the agent suggested.

I shook my head.

"I am in a rush. Please find a buyer as soon as possible."

The young agent was diligent, calling several potential buyers right then and there.

We scheduled meetings with buyers for the following week.

On the way home, maybe I was lost in thought, spacing out.

I didn't notice the yellow light flashing at the crosswalk.

A car, rushing God knows where, startled me, and I stumbled, cracking my arm hard on the curb.

It was bleeding badly.

Thankfully, a passerby called 911 for me.

"Ma'am, I need to contact your emergency contact," the paramedic said.

I nodded, pointing to my phone.

Ethan was saved in my contacts as "My Love."

Easy enough to find.

The nurse kindly put the call on speaker.

"Hello, are you Ms. Thorne's husband? This is County General Hospital. Ms. Thorne was in an accident, we need you to come down as soon as possible."

"An accident? She's really committed, isn't she? Now she's stooping to faking accidents out of jealousy? Fine, just call me when she's actually dead so I can sign whatever papers!"

Then, through the phone, came a sickeningly familiar voice.

"Ethan…"

The nurse instinctively hung up.

But I'd heard it.

It was Maya’s voice.

2

Today wasn't the first time I'd encountered Maya.

It just seemed like every time I did, Ethan and I ended up fighting.

Like the last time, when Ethan got a call from Maya late at night.

Without a second thought, he got dressed and rushed out to find her.

"It's late, she just broke up with her boyfriend, it's not safe for a girl to be out alone. I'll just check on her and be right back."

But that day, I waited until the early hours of the next morning, and Ethan never came home.

Meanwhile, Maya's social media feed was filled with pictures of her eating and drinking lavishly.

And in one photo, showing someone peeling a crab for her…

I recognized Ethan’s hand immediately.

Because the wedding ring on that hand was the custom one I had specially made for him.

Ethan had once told me that crabs were expensive and a pain to peel, and feeding them to me would be a waste.

When he finally came home that day, I showed him the picture.

He actually turned it around on me, accusing me of not trusting him.

"Ava Thorne, I swear, you have too much time on your hands! All you do is pick fights and act jealous. Don't you have anything better to do?"

But I used to be a key player at a tech company.

He was the one who said he couldn't bear seeing me overworked, practically forcing me to quit my job.

"Ms. Thorne?"

I snapped back to reality, looked at the nurse, and forced a smile.

"Wrong number. That was just an old nickname from a game I forgot to change."

"I… I don't have a husband. And my family lives out of state. Can I just handle this myself?"

That day, thankfully, the kind young nurse stayed with me and helped get my arm treated.

But the gash was deep. The doctor warned me not to put too much strain on my arm for a while.

After thanking the nurse profusely, I took a cab home.

Before I even opened the door, I heard Maya's voice.

"Ethan, do you think maybe it's my fault? Otherwise… otherwise, why would something like this happen to me? Being left at the altar…"

No wonder I hadn't seen the groom at the wedding hall.

Turns out, he'd run off.

"How could it be your fault? It's definitely because Ava showed up today and made such a scene. When she gets back, I'll make sure she apologizes to you!"

Ethan’s words were meant to be comforting.

If only I wasn't the one being blamed.

I unlocked the door and walked in, my eyes immediately falling on the two of them snuggled together on the sofa.

So that was the proper posture for comforting someone.

3

"You finally decided to come back? Get over here and apologize to Maya. Do you have any idea that because of your stunt today, Maya’s wedding was called off?"

"So you have to hold her like that? Is that how you're apologizing for me?"

Ethan looked startled for a second, released Maya, and stood up.

"Ava, look, this whole thing is mostly your fault. You should at least apologize to Maya. And if you hadn't stormed into the wedding demanding money, tonight would have been Maya’s wedding night."

I nodded with a humorless smile.

"Since you think it's my fault, why don't you help her make up for the lost wedding night? Don't worry, I won't disturb you."

No anger, no shouting. I calmly walked into the master bedroom.

Surprisingly, Ethan actually followed me this time.

Standing in the bathroom, I looked at my bandaged arm, wondering how I'd manage.

"Ava, don't be mad. Maya's going through a tough time, you know."

Ethan hugged me from behind, his hand brushing against my injured arm.

"You… you really got hurt? Just your arm? That nurse was overreacting, saying you were in a car crash!"

I didn't say anything, just pushed him away.

But he tightened his grip, pulling me under the showerhead.

"Since you're hurt, let me help you wash your hair. I know how clean you like to be; you probably can't stand going a night without washing it."

Ethan turned on the shower, full blast, water soaking the bandage on my arm.

He didn't seem to care at all.

"Ava, your clothes are soaked too. Might as well just take them off."

He tugged at my shirt without any hesitation.

"Ethan, I'm injured."

My voice was flat, devoid of emotion as I refused him. He let go of my shirt.

Only to slide his hand onto my waist.

I let out a bitter laugh, took his hand, and placed it on my back.

Because of the cancer, I hadn't been able to eat much lately.

I hadn't paid much attention to it at the time.

It wasn't until the diagnosis day that I realized how frighteningly thin I'd become.

Ethan’s hand touched my bony back.

The next second, he snatched it away.

As fast as if he'd touched something monstrous, something that could devour him.

"Ava, I…"

Just as Ethan started to explain, a crash came from the guest room where Maya was staying.

Ethan immediately ran out.

But moments later, he stormed back in like a madman, roughly dragging me from the bed to the guest room.

On the guest room bed, Maya lay still, as if asleep.

Sleeping pills were scattered on the floor.

"Ava Thorne, you knew Maya was vulnerable right now, and you still put sleeping pills in the guest room drawer! You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

"Do you realize I could call the cops right now and report you for attempted murder!"

I looked at my arm, where his grip had reopened the wound slightly, then at the pills on the floor.

They were indeed my sleeping pills.

4

It was just from that period when the constant stomach pain kept me awake all night.

Afraid of disturbing Ethan’s sleep, I had moved into the guest room.

But the pain still wouldn't let me sleep, so I bought a bottle of sleeping pills.

And now…

"Ava Thorne! What time is it to be throwing a tantrum! Hurry up, grab the car keys, and take Maya to the hospital!"

I held up my bleeding arm for him to see.

He just impatiently swatted it away.

"Ava Thorne! This is a person's life! Don't you have a conscience?"

Ethan roughly shoved me aside.

Then he carefully lifted Maya and rushed towards the door.

Ethan basically forced me all the way down to the underground parking garage.

"Get in! Unlock the car!"

He yelled so loud that several neighbors cursed at us.

Thinking about selling the house in a few days, I didn't want things to get too ugly.

So I got in the car.

The entire ride, Ethan sat in the back, holding Maya.

He kept talking about their shared memories, trying to rouse her.

And I was just the invisible driver.

A free driver, at that!

The moment we reached the hospital, Ethan rushed Maya into the emergency room.

He didn't even glance at the bandage on my arm, now soaked bright red with blood.

"It's you again! Your arm…"

Thankfully, I ran into that same kind young nurse.

"Get off your feet! Didn't the doctor tell you not to strain that arm?"

She asked a hospital valet to park my car and quickly pulled me inside.

"Dr. Evans, quick, take a look at her! I think her wound reopened."

She anxiously found a doctor for me.

"You need to be careful with this wound! If this keeps up, forget about avoiding a scar, you'll probably get an infection!"

Dr. Evans carefully re-bandaged my arm.

"Ava Thorne! What are you doing here!"

Ethan barged in, roughly pushing the young nurse aside.

"I just heard him call your name, I thought he was your friend…" the nurse explained timidly, afraid she'd caused trouble for me.

I shook my head.

"Maya is still in the ER getting her stomach pumped, and you're here fooling around with this guy!"

I was truly amazed by Ethan’s audacity.

"Thank you. Uh, could I talk to him alone for a minute?"

I watched Dr. Evans lead the nurse out, then turned to face Ethan.

"Ava Thorne, why did you make them leave? Feeling guilty?"

"Let me tell you, I am definitely calling the police! You better go wait outside the ER right now, and when Maya wakes up, you apologize and beg her forgiveness. Otherwise, you really will end up at the police station!"

5

I looked at him, amused, and pointed to the trash can containing my freshly removed bloody bandage.

"Ethan! Do you see that? That's the bandage I just changed."

"If you insist I tried to poison Maya, then call the police! I'll wait right here!"

Ethan froze, about to argue.

Just then, a voice came from the direction of the ER.

"Maya Vance's family? Where is Maya Vance's family?"

As usual, Ethan dashed off immediately.

But this time, as if afraid I'd run away, he grabbed me and took me with him.

He actually remembered to grab my uninjured arm.

"You wait here until Maya wakes up. After all, if it weren't for you, Maya wouldn't be lying here."

He locked me in the hospital room, forcing me to watch over Maya.

Until Maya finally woke up.

"Ethan, what are you doing? My… my situation has nothing to do with Ava."

"It's just my bad luck, being jilted at my own wedding. I couldn't bear to live anymore, and then I just happened to see those sleeping pills in the nightstand drawer…"

"I thought… it must be a sign from heaven… It has nothing to do with Ava, she just happened to leave a bottle of sleeping pills there."

Tears streamed down Maya’s face as she spoke.

Those tears were like fuel for Ethan’s anger.

He spun around, grabbed my wrist, demanding I apologize to Maya.

"Ava Thorne! Did you see that? Maya is lying here in a hospital bed, and she's still trying to cover for you!"

"Ava Thorne, it's just one apology, is it really that hard for you?"

"And even if tonight's suicide attempt had nothing to do with you, it was still your tantrum at her wedding that caused her groom to leave her! So either way, isn't it still your fault?"

I looked at him, forcing a laugh as my stomach started cramping violently again.

"Since she's awake, can I go now? As for the apology you mentioned, sorry, I did nothing wrong, so I won't apologize. If you think that's unfair to her, then call the police and have me arrested."

Clutching my stomach, I quickly walked out of the room.

But the pain was too intense. I collapsed just as I reached the corner of the hallway.

When I woke up again, I was in a room in the oncology department.

"You're awake?"

It was Dr. Evans, the one who had bandaged my arm earlier.

The young nurse was behind him.

"Ma'am, this is the third time we've met, and each time you look so pitiful…"

A sharp look from Dr. Evans silenced the nurse.

"Thank you, you saved me again."

"It's okay, ma'am. Oh, here's your phone."

Dr. Evans repeatedly warned me not to get too emotional.

If the cancer cells spread before the surgery, the success rate would drop significantly.

I nodded, understanding.

Bored, I scrolled through videos on my phone.

Suddenly, a recommendation for a local live stream popped up.

I tapped on it instinctively.

"Thank you all for your concern, babies. I'm okay. I'm feeling much better now. Thankfully, I have him here with me."

It was Maya.

And the "him" she was referring to was Ethan.

6

Maya was sitting up in bed, live streaming.

Ethan was beside her, handing her water, peeling an apple for her.

After a short while, Ethan disappeared from the camera's view.

The comment section flooded with people asking where he went.

Maya, while saying they were "just friends," picked up her phone and got out of bed.

The next second, Ethan appeared in the frame.

He was crouched over a small basin, washing Maya’s underwear.

"Oh! Ethan, I told you I could do this myself!"

"The water's cold here, don't touch it."

The comment section erupted with blessings and praise.

【OMG, marry a guy like that!】

【Wow, why can't I ever meet a good man like him!】

I looked at the comments and exited the live stream.

Cold water.

I'd heard that excuse before.

Only the original words were, "This water is so cold, how could I touch it?"

Ethan and I dated for three years, married for four.

I hadn't ignored little things like this.

It's just that Ethan always seemed uninterested.

I just figured he wasn't the romantic type.

When we were dating, he pursued me.

But every time we ate out, I paid the bill.

When we traveled and needed a hotel, I paid.

Even his daily expenses were often covered by me helping him out occasionally.

Because his family was struggling financially, and he had to support his parents.

I always thought we would definitely get married, so there was no need to split hairs over money.

Even the roses he gave me the day he proposed were ones he'd picked out of a trash can.

But I never called him out on it.

After we got married, he took my support for granted even more.

Never mind simple chores like putting clothes in the washing machine – he found even that too troublesome.

Even taking out the trash on his way downstairs to work, something perfectly convenient, he'd say wasn't his job.

So usually, the cooking and cleaning at home fell entirely on me.

I laughed bitterly at myself.

What a ridiculous fool I used to be.

Completely manipulated by a guy who married up.

I took a deep breath and decisively blocked Ethan’s contact information.

Then I put my phone aside and, for once, slept soundly.

7

"Honey, sweetie, your phone's ringing."

The older lady in the next bed woke me up. Seeing an unknown number on my phone, I answered.

"Ahem… It's Ethan."

"Where have you been the past few days? Why haven't you even come home?"

"We're out of cooking oil at home. How are we supposed to cook if you're not back?"

"Uh… I was just going out to buy oil anyway. Where are you? I can swing by and pick you up."

I listened to Ethan's self-absorbed rambling and ridiculous excuse, shaking my head.

But remembering I had the meeting with the buyer in a couple of days, and I needed him to move out before that…

I agreed anyway.

"I'll send you my location in a bit."

After hanging up, I sent him the hospital's location.

He arrived shortly after.

But his first words were: "I know you're angry, Ava, but you don't need to waste hospital resources just to make me worry!"

Lying in the hospital bed, I looked at him, amused.

He knew nothing.

His first reaction was to assume I was just throwing a tantrum.

"Alright, get up, get dressed, and go handle the discharge paperwork. I'll come pick you up later."

Ethan turned and walked out.

When I finished the discharge process, I ran into Ethan.

He was holding a bouquet of red roses.

"Turns out Maya is being discharged today too. She doesn't have anywhere to stay right now, so she's coming back with us to stay for a little while longer."

I nodded.

This time was about laying everything bare anyway. Whatever happened after wouldn't concern me.

Back home, he kept harping on about my hospital stay.

"Ava, stop throwing these tantrums. Maya was really sick when she was hospitalized, you saw it that day. There's nothing wrong with you, staying in the hospital not only wastes medical resources, but it's also kind of morbid, don't you think?"

I constantly reminded myself of the doctor's warning: don't get too emotional.

But Ethan was just too disgusting.

I threw the diagnostic report right at him.

"I am sick! Read it carefully!"

Ethan stared blankly at the report in his hands.

After seeing the diagnosis, Ethan quieted down considerably for a few days.

Maya, however, found out I was sick.

She actually started cooking soup.

"Ava, this is beef soup I simmered for hours. Try some."

I looked at her, amused.

"You should save this soup to suck up to Ethan."

"Ava, you… you still mind me living here, don't you? I can leave. But I really made this soup for you with good intentions."

Ethan heard the commotion and rushed out.

"Ava, Maya is just trying to be nice, what's wrong with you?"

"I saw the soup too. Maya got up early this morning to make it, spent hours on it. You… you can't keep being so prejudiced against Maya!"

I took the bowl of soup and poured it directly into the kitchen sink right in front of them.

"Ava…"

"Ava Thorne! What is wrong with you!"

"Stomach cancer patients can't eat tough, greasy things like beef! Things like this only irritate the stomach and offer no benefits to someone with stomach cancer!"

I retorted sharply, intending to turn and go back to my room.

"Forget it, Maya. Don't stoop to her level. She's just being difficult because she's sick."

"If she doesn't want to drink it, fine. I'll drink the soup."

Ethan’s voice wasn't loud, but I heard him clearly.

Back in my room, I confirmed the meeting with the realtor and a buyer for two days later.

Then, just as I was about to message Ethan to schedule a time to talk…

A message from Ethan popped up first.

【Let's talk tomorrow night after I get off work.】

【Okay.】

Looking at the divorce papers I had already printed out, I felt a rare sense of relief.

8

The next day, Ethan left for work early.

Only Maya and I remained at home.

Maya, still smarting from yesterday's rejection, was stubbornly making soup again.

This time it was lamb soup.

Gamey and pungent.

Just the smell made my stomach churn.

"Oh, Ava, you're up?"

"I told you yesterday, I can't drink this kind of soup."

"I never said I made this soup for you. But if you want some, I don't mind sharing a bowl. After all, more than anyone, I hope you kick the bucket soon."

Maya suddenly dropped the pretense, no more fake sweetness or manipulative words.

It actually surprised me.

"What? Done with the act?"

"Acting? Of course, I have to act! But you only perform for people who matter. Someone like you, who won't live long anyway, isn't worth my time."

I didn't want to get tangled up with her any further and turned to go back to my room.

"What's wrong, Ava Thorne? Does it sting realizing the man you defied everyone to marry isn't all that great?"

"Suddenly wish you'd listened to your parents back then, so you wouldn't have ended up like this?"

"Too bad, your parents are six feet under now. They can't hear your regrets."

"But hey, you could beg me. Maybe after you die, I'll do you a favor and put your ashes next to theirs."

It was true I had fought with my family about marrying Ethan back then.

But besides Ethan, hardly anyone knew about it.

Rage surged through me.

I spun around and slapped Maya across the face.

"Don't you dare talk about my parents!"

Maya crumpled to the floor, deliberately pulling the bowl of soup off the table as she fell.

The hot soup splashed onto the floor, splattering upwards.

Maya’s wrist got scalded slightly.

But most of the soup splashed onto my leg.

"Maya!"

Ethan was back.

Ethan rushed over and scooped Maya up.

He carried her to the kitchen sink, running cold water over her scalded wrist.

"Ethan, it's not Ava's fault! It was my fault, I said the wrong thing. That's why Ava accidentally hit me."

Ethan shot me a look filled with blame.

"Ava Thorne, when are you going to stop this drama! You're constantly overthinking things and making trouble, no wonder you got sick!"

My emotions were haywire.

My stomach cramped fiercely.

The burn on my leg started to throb with pain.

"Ava Thorne, you better pray Maya doesn't get a scar here, or you deserve to die! Maya's a streamer, a scar like that is for life!"

Ethan said, about to take Maya to the hospital.

I curled up on the floor, clutching my stomach in agony, my voice trembling.

"Ethan, call… call 911 for me…"

Ethan saw me, his steps faltering for a moment.

But Maya just whimpered "it hurts" in his arms, and he continued towards the door.

"Ava Thorne! Stop acting! Your condition has been stable lately, you just need to wait for the surgery!"

"And seriously, Ava, your acting is terrible! Stop it! I'm taking Maya to the hospital first."

Without a shred of hesitation, Ethan turned and carried Maya out the door.

He was in such a hurry he didn't even close the door behind him.

Clutching my violently aching stomach, tears dried on my cheeks.

"Help… someone… help me…"