Chapter 4

If I could have, I would have loved to skip those booze-soaked dinners and work out instead. But I didn't dare stop.

If I stopped, Julian's startup would have failed.

Yet once his business took off, he began to despise me for being unromantic and dull. He started running after other women just to provoke me into begging for his attention.

Why should I ever beg?

Through years of this silent warfare, I developed a malignant tumor.

At first, I didn't take it seriously, just swallowing painkillers by the handful. It wasn't until I collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room that I found out: it was cancer.

It had been three months now. My health was deteriorating rapidly, and I didn't know how much time I had left.

My only regret, my only fear, was my daughter...

If Julian could find a woman who genuinely loved Lily, I could die in peace. But Melanie? Absolutely not!

I couldn't count on Julian anymore. I had to drag my broken body forward to protect Lily until my very last breath!

Even if I only had one day left to live, I was getting a divorce. I had to find someone safe to entrust Lily to.

I pushed myself off the floor, left the hospital, and went straight to a lawyer to draw up divorce papers. Then, I texted Julian:

"Come home tonight. You must."

Surprisingly, he agreed right away, his promptness catching me off guard.

When I got home, the house was pitch-black, save for a few glowing candles in the center of the living room.

Julian walked out of the kitchen, softly humming "Happy Birthday."

"Clara, I'm sorry about the past few days. It's your birthday today. I bought you a cake to surprise you. How do you like it?"

In the dark, the candlelight made his eyes shine bright. But inside my heart, there was only darkness.

So today was my birthday...

Three years ago, on this exact day, he had boldly brought another woman home. Ever since that night, I stopped celebrating birthdays.

The sounds coming from our bedroom that night had brought me so much despair and agony, tearing my soul to shreds. I would never forget that pain as long as I lived.

I looked down at the cake, finding it sickeningly ironic.

"Clear it away," I said quietly. "I haven't celebrated my birthday in years."

Annoyed that I had ruined his romantic gesture, Julian scowled.

"What's wrong with you now? Can't we just have one peaceful birthday together?"

I said nothing. I reached out and flipped the living room switch. The harsh light instantly exposed the impatience written all over his face.

Without an ounce of emotion, I handed him the divorce agreement.

"Let's get a divorce."

Julian froze. Then, in a fit of rage, he grabbed my wrist and shoved me onto the couch.

"Clara, do you know what time it is? Do you really have to throw a fit today? Over an Ins post? Let me warn you, every time you threaten me with divorce, you push me closer to being completely done with you!"

He thought his words would scare me, a smug look in his eyes.

I only looked at him with a deathly pale face, coldly pulling my hand away.

"I'm exhausted. Let's divorce. I'll leave with nothing."

His eyes widened in shock. We locked eyes in silence for a long moment before he let out a harsh, chilling sneer.

"Fine! You want to throw a tantrum? I'll show you what happens when you push me!"

He snatched the papers and scrawled his signature across the page, slamming them down in front of me.

His aggressive motion knocked my hospital papers out of my bag, scattering them onto the floor. The air froze.

"What is this?"

Lowering my eyes, my heart completely numb, I bent down and picked up the paper.

"A diagnosis. Breast cancer."