Chapter 8

The divorce agreement was opened to the signature page. Olivia signed it without a second thought the second it was handed to her.

"Aren't you going to read it first?" Joshua asked.

"Isn't it just about adjusting your treatment plan? Honey, whatever you think is best works for me. I trust your call entirely."

Watching her walk out the door, Joshua couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He laughed at how every word out of her mouth was still supposedly for his sake.

He picked up the preion bag that had sat on the coffee table for six whole days and tossed it into the trash.

He had given her so many chances, yet she hadn't caught on even once.

Joshua packed his luggage and headed to the hospital alone.

The diagnosis confirmed his worsening depression, and the doctor increased his dosage. This was the final preparation before his fake death.

Before leaving the hospital, Joshua made a point to express his gratitude to the doctor who had treated him for four long years.

"You and your wife will surely have a child of your own soon, but please make sure you don't take random medications again this time. Otherwise, all your progress will be wiped out."

Joshua froze. The only thing he had ever taken was the herbal medicine Patricia sent over.

"It goes for your wife, too. Tell her not to fall for those home remedies to keep the baby safe. It was truly a tragedy to suffer a stillbirth at seven months."

The doctor sighed softly.

"Are you saying… my abnormal lab results and my wife's previous stillbirth… were both caused by drinking the wrong herbal medicine?"

Joshua's throat felt dry, and each word was painfully difficult to get out.

The doctor frowned. "Yes. Didn't Ms. Peterson tell you?"

So she knew, too.

A loud buzzing hummed through Joshua's ears.

When Olivia was pregnant the first time, Patricia had sent over prenatal herbal brews every single week.

Joshua hadn't dared let her drink them, but Olivia always drank them in secret whenever he wasn't around.

She had said she couldn't let her mother's efforts go to waste.

For four long years, he had thought that the stillbirth and forced induction were entirely his fault.

He had tried every possible regimen time after time, only to meet failure every single time.

All the while, Olivia had watched him drown in guilt and self-blame day after day.

She had told him it didn't matter if they never had children, reassuring him it wasn't his fault.

Yet not once did she ever tell him that he truly wasn't to blame.

"Mr. Bennett, are you alright?"

Joshua took the tissue the doctor handed him, only then realizing that tears were streaming down his face.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Joshua's voice was raspy.

He was thanking the doctor for looking after him for four years, but above all, for finally telling him the truth.

As Joshua stepped out of the consultation room, his feet abruptly froze in place.

Not far away, Damien was walking side-by-side with Olivia out of the OB-GYN department.

"Olivia, I get so nervous every time I accompany you to these pregnancy checkups."

Olivia's face was filled with smiles as she pulled his hand over to rest on her belly. "Tell Daddy not to worry, baby. Our little one is doing amazing. Every single test marker passed with flying colors."

Damien pulled her into his arms, his eyes locking directly with Joshua's across the hallway.

Damien let out a smile, his expression full of smug pride. He deliberately raised his voice as he asked, "Can you stay over and keep me company tonight?"

Olivia fell silent.

"You have plenty of anniversaries to watch fireworks with him. But our baby just turned three months old today. It's an exceptionally important milestone for both the baby and me… Olivia, I really don't want to be alone."

After a long pause, Olivia finally gave in. "Alright."

"I knew you were the best."

As Joshua watched them leave, his eyes turned icy cold.

The trending story had been pinned for 22 days straight.

The entire city was waiting to watch the spectacular fireworks show Olivia was hosting for him at 7:00 pm tonight.

Olivia knew about that, but she still chose to leave Joshua behind alone anyway.

A text from the fake-death organization flashed on his phone. "Mr. Bennett, everything is set and in place."

Joshua threw his newly prescribed pills into the trash can and sent one final text to Olivia. "The surprise I prepared for you is ready."

Olivia would find out very soon that her husband was going to die tonight, and she was the one who sent him off on his final journey.

Joshua switched off his phone, handed it to the courier, and wrote down the address of the Peterson residence.

At 7:00 pm sharp, vibrant blue fireworks exploded across the sky right on time, dazzling and bright, illuminating half the night.

Amidst waves of distant cheers, Joshua dragged his suitcase away without looking back.