Eternal Dawn, Fleeting Dusk

[Mrs. Gardner, are you sure you want to hire our team to stage a fire and fake your death in ten days?]

Camellia Shaw paused for a moment. Just as she was about to reply to the message, a video call suddenly popped up.

"Camellia, look! Andres is spending a fortune on you again!"

The video was of an auction in progress.

At the front, a man of striking elegance and charm was decisively bidding on several antique collectibles worth hundreds of millions.

The crowd was already abuzz with excitement.

"Mr. Gardner is so good to his wife! He bought all these antiques just to make her smile!"

"$400 million is nothing! I heard Mr. Gardner even built her a private estate and named it Eterna Haven. Just the name alone is proof of how much he loves her."

A wealthy businessman nearby sneered. "It's all for show. Who knows what he's really like behind closed doors?"

That comment immediately sparked a wave of backlash. Many argued back, talking about how devoted Andres Gardner was to his wife.

"If anyone in our circle could make me believe in love, it would be those two."

"Mr. Gardner had risen to fame as a genius young painter, but it was his masterpiece, 'Beyond the Ordinary,' that made him a household name.

"He once said his wife was his muse and source of inspiration. You can see his affection for her in every stroke and in every shadow of his paintings."

As she listened to their murmurs, Camellia forced a bitter smile.

She and Andres had entered an arranged marriage to merge their powerful families, meeting for the first time at the county clerk's office.

Her family had never given her much love, so she assumed her marriage would be just as emotionless. However, Andres unexpectedly showered her with a special kind of affection.

He remembered her peanut allergy and lactose intolerance, and he always prepared exquisite, expensive gifts for her birthday.

Her heart softened over time. She even took him to visit her late mother's grave.

Andres had solemnly vowed in front of the gravestone, "Mom, I swear that if I ever betray Cam, may I lose the one I love the most."

Camellia laughed bitterly to herself.

When did things start to change?

Perhaps it was when she learned about his first love, who had passed away long ago, and found out he had taken in her younger sister to care for her.

Maybe it was the day Valentina Dawson returned from abroad, throwing herself into his arms with a familiar intimacy he did not even try to refuse.

Perhaps it was the faint lipstick stains on his shirt and the barely visible bite marks on his collarbone...

That was when Camellia could no longer lie to herself.

"Mr. Gardner, can you tell us if these are birthday gifts for Mrs. Gardner?"

The question from the video snapped her back to the present.

Andres' clear and steady voice rang out from the phone, "No, these are just small trinkets. I've prepared something far better for her birthday."

This response drew envious gasps from the wealthy socialites watching.

As Camellia prepared to end the call, she caught fragments of teasing voices in the background.

"Andres, are you really planning to throw a grand wedding for Camellia in ten days?"

"Of course. Anything to do with Camellia is a top priority. Make sure it's perfect!"

"Understood. So… should we invite her to Val's celebration tomorrow night?"

"No need. Don't let her find out."

After that, Camellia could not hear anything else that Andres said.

She hung up the call, staring at the message asking for her final decision. Slowly but firmly, she typed out her reply.

[I'm sure.]