Chapter 2

“Natalie, try my cooking. I learned how to make this just for you!”

William placed a bowl of creamy fish soup before me.

I looked at him weakly and noticed the bandage wrapped around his finger.

He had always been like this. He would try anything for me, even if it meant hurting himself.

But his gestures would never move me again.

I turned my head away and silently refused.

William did not get upset. Instead, he scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it carefully until it cooled, and brought it to my lips.

“Natalie, just eat a little. You already feel so weak. If this continues, you won’t be able to take it.”

I sneered inwardly, but I opened my mouth and tasted the soup.

William was right. I needed to get better so I could cut ties with him completely. Even if I died, I would make sure my last moments on this earth were not as his wife.

I ate one spoonful after another until I could not eat anymore. Then, I made up an excuse to send William away so I would not have to see him.

“I want the cake from that shop in the East District. The one you used to buy for me all the time…”

“Okay. Get some rest. When you wake up, you’ll have your cake.”

I had only closed my eyes for a few seconds when a sudden knock on the door disturbed me.

I went to open it, and a box was immediately placed into my arms.

Inside were stacks of neatly arranged letters. There was a note on top. The words on it caught my eye.

[A thousand love letters mean nothing compared to seeing you once. William, I miss you.]

The signature was Xenia Zane.

The man who had been so busy that he even forgot my birthday could still patiently write a thousand letters for someone else.

My hands trembled as I opened the first letter.

[The first little thing I love about you: Tonight, I suddenly thought about you while we were on the Ferris wheel. When you were young, you were afraid of heights and held onto my hand tightly. I complained about it, but I secretly did not wash that hand for the entire day.]

I remembered that date with William.

Atop the Ferris wheel, we held hands and kissed with our eyes closed. But at that moment, he must have been thinking about someone else.

A sharp pain spread through my chest. I opened the second letter.

[The second little thing I love about you: You’re always picky about food, but you love fish. I learned every fish recipe there is. I can cook for you for the rest of your life.]

I tore open the letters like a madwoman. In the end, I sat among the mess and cried silently.

A thousand love letters in total…

Every single one was filled with love for someone else.

What had I been to William all these years?

Was I just some random nobody to him?

The fish soup in my stomach suddenly churned.

A wave of nausea rushed over me. I stumbled into the bathroom and threw up until I had no strength left.

I looked in the mirror. The person staring back at me had a face that was deathly pale, with an unnatural flush on her cheeks.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

It was the special ringtone I had set for William.

I had just taken a step forward when my vision went dark, and I fell to the floor.

I forced myself to endure the discomfort and crawled back to the bedroom to answer the phone.

But the first thing he said was, “Natalie, something came up. I need to go back to the country for a while. You can take care of yourself, right?”

“William, I think I have a fev—”

He cut me off. He only said two words before hanging up. “Good girl.”

I stared at the dark screen and finally uttered the words that I had wanted to say.

“I think I have a fever… Can you stay with me one last time?”

The moment I finished speaking, I collapsed onto the cold floor.

The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the news playing on the television.

“Just now, Xenia Zane, the adopted daughter of the Zane family, fainted at a banquet. The Zane brothers are rushing to the scene.”

…

When I opened my eyes again, I was still on the cold floor.