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After a long pause,Nathan set down his pen,looming over me.
I hung my head, trying hard to hold back my tears. “Please,I’m desperate.”
No response came.
“Aren’t you pathetic?Kneeling for five million.”
“If you’d agreed to divorce earlier,didn’t I say I’d give you five million as compensation?”
His cold words pierced my heart like daggers.
But it didn't matter anymore. My heart felt numb.
Please give me the money so that Grace can live longer. “Well,Claire,why on earth are you kneeling?”
Lily Carter walked in,approaching me.
“Here,let me help you up.Talk it out—maybe I can help.”
She put on a show of concern,bending slightly as if to lift me.
Nathan,seeing this, pulled her close to him. “Ignore her. She refused the divorce before, but now she’s begging for money, saying she’ll agree. Who knows what she’s up to?”
I looked up determinedly. “I’ll divorce.Let’s go to city hall next Monday.”
Lily’s smile widened.
Cuddled in Nathan’s arms,she rummaged through her bag,pulling out a bank card and tossing it at me.
“Oops,sorry, it just slipped out of my hand.”
“This card has five million.The PIN is the same as Nathan’s birthday.Take it—your divorce settlement.”
“And stop wearing denim skirts.That was my high school look.You may resemble me,but you’re a poor copy.”
Ignoring her taunts,I I quickly picked up the black card from the floor.
Despite their mocking glances, I dragged my numb legs and ran all the way home.
At the door,Nathan’s cold voice rang out.
“You’d better be at city hall on Monday, or I won’t let you get away with it.”
Panting,I reached home,only to find Grace had stopped breathing.
I screamed for her to wake up.
I had the money—she could get treatment now.
How could she die?
We didn’t even say goodbye.
The bed was scratched raw—she must’ve suffered horribly.
I couldn’t even hold her for her final journey.
Her hand clutched a note,scrawled shakily:“Divorce him.”
I broke down, collapsing over her, sobbing uncontrollably.
She’d urged me to divorce him countless times.
Even in death,she thought of my happiness.
Why?
Why did fate take her from me?
No one loved me anymore.
No one was left for me to love.
My soul felt drained, yet I managed to handle her death certificate calmly, arrange for her cremation…
Everything seemed so orderly on the surface.
But back in the cold empty room, I knew it was all a lie. Moldy,damp walls.
A half-eaten, moldy piece of bread on the table. Blood gushing from my thigh, staining the floor..
Everything was methodically spiraling into ruin. Unable to bear the abdominal pain,I collapsed by the trash can.
As death approached, I felt a strange sense of relief.
Good.
Death felt like a release.
Watching my frail soul, I couldn't help but believe in the existence of spirits after death. But where was Grace’s soul?
I searched frantically but couldn’t find her.
Fearing the sunlight I hadn’t seen in ages,I huddled in the corner by the trash can.
Soon,the door was pounded loudly.
“Claire Bennett, how dare you play tricks on me?I called all morning—you didn’t answer.Today, I won't let you off easily.I’ll drag you to city hall if I must.”
“Open the door…I’m counting to three,or I’ll break it down.”
“One…two…three…”
Nathan kicked the door open with a loud crash..
His eyes scanned the room in disbelief..
A pampered man, he looked completely out of place in this rundown city apartment,covering his nose as he approached.
Recent rains had made the room even more damp. Dried blood on the floor shocked him,his pupils dilating in disbelief.
He stumbled back, kneeling down, his eyes reddening with tears. He tried to stand but fell,crawling over to my body, cradling me in his arms.
