Chapter 3

I stood there on the street in the chilly winter air, my vision swimming at the revelation.

So, Nick had given me a diamond ring, a wedding ceremony, and devoted himself to caring for me, yet he had made sure to leave his true loyalty and the status of spouse for Natalie. Even while putting on a show for me, he hadn't forgotten to set aside the most important parts of himself for her.

A laugh bubbled out of me, even as fresh tears streamed down my cheeks.

Still, a glimmer of hope remained burning in me. I dialed the number for my future self.

"I want to know. Did he ever love me, even if for a moment?"

There was no reply for several long seconds, then—

"Head to the VIP room at City General right now, and you'll realize just how stupid this question is."

Feeling like a lost soul, I headed to the hospital as instructed.

In the VIP room, Natalie was dry-heaving as her gastritis flared up.

As for Nick, the man whose severe cleanliness obsession made him unable to tolerate even the slightest foul smell, he was wiping away the vomit stains on the corner of her mouth with his bare hand.

I watched it all happen through the glass window on the door, and before I knew what was happening, tears were spilling from my eyes again.

Half a year ago, I had woken up in the middle of the night to vomit due to side effects from my medications, yet what had he done then?

He had practically teleported to the door in his haste to get away from me. With a deep frown on his face, he had called the housekeeper over to clean up the mess while he went to take a shower in the bathroom, not coming out until he had washed himself three times.

Throughout it all, he had never once glanced at me, even when I had been puking so badly that I could hardly catch my breath.

Why, then, when it came to Natalie, he seemed to have no such fears or hang-ups?

At that moment, Nick stepped out of the room carrying a basin of water. Upon spotting me, he swiftly shut the door behind him tightly.

However, when he actually got a good look at me and noticed my bare feet and the way my lips were blue from the cold, the wariness in his gaze eased a little. Taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around me.

"Are you crazy? Why the hell did you come out at night while so underdressed? Aren't you aware of how frail your body is?"

Even now, he hadn't forgotten about his promise to look after me.

Staring straight at him, I asked in a surprisingly calm voice, "She's inside, isn't she?"

Immediately, Nick's expression darkened, and his grip on me tightened. "A very important client of mine is inside. Your illness is acting up again, so let me take you home."

I abruptly shoved him aside, pushed the door open, and charged inside.

"Yelena!" Nick yelled in shock.

The commotion had the person in bed shrieking before yanking the blanket up to cover her face, the sudden motion jostling the water jug on the nightstand and sending it crashing to the floor.

My fingers seized a corner of the blanket. One pull was all it would take to rip off their masks, yet for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Despite everything, I still wanted to hear them admit to the truth themselves.

As Nick watched on in terror, I fished out a small knife from my pocket and aimed it at my chest.

"Nick Goldberg, either you pull that blanket away and tell me who that woman is, or I'll die right here in front of you. Choose."

Nick didn't move, the patience in his eyes slowly vanishing.

"Yelena Swift, you must think that threatening me with your death is incredibly effective, huh? For the past three years, every time something doesn't go your way, you threaten to kill yourself. Do you seriously think there's any meaning to this? Ever heard of the story of the boy who cried wolf?"

As it turned out, every time I cried out for help while on the brink of a mental breakdown, he just thought it was me putting on a show, and a terrible one at that.

The last ember of hope in me died completely.

Letting out a soft laugh, I raised the knife high and brought it downward to stab myself.

There was an immediate change in Nick's expression.

"Don't you dare harm her!"

He didn't even bother getting a good look at just where I was aiming the knife before he barreled toward me and sent me flying with a kick.

I slammed onto the floor heavily, a sharp pain blooming across my lower abdomen.

Nonetheless, I didn't cry, simply watched quietly as he stood protectively over the woman in the bed, all while his bloodshot eyes remained locked on me warily.

He thought that I wanted to kill her and hadn't even hesitated to become violent with me.

At that moment, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

"Nick, it's time to end this game. Let's divorce."

Nick was surprised for all of three seconds before he let out a mocking laugh. "There's no need to test me. If you truly had wanted to divorce me, you would've done so long before this."

"I'm genuinely serious—"

I wasn't able to finish my sentence as a thud rang out.

The woman in the bed had been trembling so badly that she had fallen off the bed, causing her to land on the glass shards of the water jug. A muffled scream of pain came from under the blanket.

Nick's face fell, and he didn't even hesitate to sweep her up into his arms before striding out of the room.

"Don't be scared. Are you hurt? I'm taking you to the doctor right away."

As I lay on the cold floor, a horrifying pool of crimson began to grow beneath me, originating from between my legs.