Chapter 3

The sky grew dark, but the house no longer held the warmth of another person being present.

I was just about to call the hospital when William came back.

“What happened to you? Didn’t I tell you to take care of yourself? How did you let yourself get this bad?”

He looked exhausted from the journey, and his words were harsh the moment he walked in.

I turned away and did not answer him.

William’s expression softened. He quickly returned to the gentle and familiar version of himself.

His voice grew softer, almost as if he were comforting a child.

“Natalie, I’m not blaming you, but you really can’t get hurt again. As long as you focus on getting better, I’ll do anything you ask.”

I suddenly opened my eyes and made a request.

“I want to go back to the country.”

William froze for a moment, then quickly agreed.

“Okay. We’ll go back. Although our daughter was unfortunate enough to pass away, I still gave her a name. Once we return, we can build a grave for her.

“Her name is Xena Zane.”

Xenia Zane.

Xena Zane.

She had been born only for Xenia.

On the private helicopter, I kept my eyes closed and bitterly repeated the name over and over in my mind.

William thought I was asleep. He lowered his voice and called someone.

“Yes, we’ll be back soon. Make sure the room is ready and have the family doctor on standby. Also, tell the chef to strictly follow the nutrition plan I gave them…

“Yes, make sure her body recovers well. If that heart fails to mature properly, at least we’ll have a backup to save Xenia.”

A chill ran through me. I could no longer pretend to be asleep.

When William saw me open my eyes, he quickly ended the call. He looked at me with a strange expression.

“What’s wrong? Did I wake you?”

I shook my head. I pretended that I had just woken up. Then, I took a stack of documents from my bag and placed them in front of him.

“These are the grave sites I chose for our daughter. Which one do you think is better?”

William took the documents from me, but he felt too guilty to even look at them.

“Buy them all. When we get back, you can take your time choosing. I’ll listen to whatever you decide.”

His kiss landed lightly on my forehead before he quickly pulled away.

Then, he picked up a pen and signed his name on each of the grave purchase documents.

When he reached the last document, his guilt made his hand tremble. The pen dragged across the paper and left a long streak of ink.

I watched him coldly. He looked like a clown putting on a ridiculous act. My fingers gently brushed over the last document.

It was a divorce agreement.

I had secretly placed it among the papers beforehand.

This was the last thing I was going to do for myself before I died.

I would cut all ties with William.

I did not want him to taint my next life.

…

After a day of traveling, I returned to the Zane residence.

When the servants opened the basement room, William lost his temper.

“I told you to prepare a room, and this is what you prepared?!”

“It was Ms. Zane’s order. She didn’t want outsiders on the second floor, and the guest room on the first floor is already occupied by the family doctor.”

The servant answered coldly. I looked at the iron bed in the basement and clenched my hands.

Just as I expected, the moment William heard that it was Xenia’s order, his expression softened.

He looked at me apologetically and said, “Natalie, you’ll have to endure this for now. Xenia’s health is not good, so we should understand.

“The basement has everything we need. It’s still a place where you can stay.”

But that night, William complained that the bed was too small and went upstairs.

After we returned to the country, William stayed with me less and less often.

The servants also watched me as if I were an animal.