Chapter 7

Autumn had been reading for a while when a familiar wave of stomach discomfort crept in.

She grabbed her cup and headed downstairs to get some water.

At the top of the stairs, she ran into Julian, who was putting on his jacket.

He glanced at her and said, "Something came up at the office. I have to head back in."

Noticing the way she was holding her stomach, her face tight with pain, he asked offhandedly, "What’s wrong with you now?"

Autumn forced a slight smile. "Nothing, just my usual stomach problem acting up again."

Julian frowned, barely perceptibly, then replied, "I’ve got urgent work. I don’t have time to play along with you right now."

Every time he left, Autumn would conveniently complain about stomach pain, as if trying to make him stay.

She’d done it so many times, he no longer believed a word of it.

Autumn froze for a second.

What did he mean by that?

Did he think she was faking it?

She let out a bitter laugh.

Her stomach hurt, but now her heart ached even more.

She should’ve known better than to say anything.

Here she was, nearly doubled over in pain, and Julian still thought she was putting on a show.

This was the man she had loved for all these years.

She wanted to ask—if she really had stomach cancer and was dying, would he feel even the slightest bit of pain for her?

But she already knew the answer.

Judging by the way he treated her now, Autumn was certain that even if she died right in front of him, he’d probably assume she was faking it.

He’d step around her body without blinking, then take Luna out on a date.

Autumn shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away.

It didn’t matter anymore.

The divorce was already in its cooling-off period.

One more month, and she’d finally be free.

Everything was moving in the right direction.

After Julian left, Autumn popped a pill into her mouth and downed a full glass of warm water.

The pain slowly began to ease.

Back in her room, she shut the laptop and climbed into bed.

The next morning was Saturday.

Autumn was jolted awake by her phone ringing.

Glancing at the screen, she saw it was a call from her grandmother, Ginny Gale.

On the other end came Ginny’s slightly weathered voice.

"Autumn, are you coming home today?"

Still half-asleep, Autumn was momentarily dazed.

Oh, right.

She remembered now.

She usually went home twice a month on her days off.

The timing was never fixed, and she only went when she was free, so her grandmother would call every time to check whether she was coming.

But aside from Ginny, the rest of the Lewis family clearly didn’t want her around.

She was well aware of that.

Autumn let out a yawn. "Grandma, I happen to be free today. I’ll come by in a bit."

Hearing that, Ginny’s voice instantly brightened. "Great! I’ll have Irene make all your favorite dishes."

After hanging up, Autumn glanced at the time.

It was only 7:10 a.m.

Thinking it was still early, Autumn ran a hand through her messy hair, then flopped back into bed and dozed off for a bit longer before finally tossing off the covers and getting up.

By the time she washed up and headed downstairs, Zoe had already prepared breakfast.

Seeing Autumn come down, she greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, ma’am. Breakfast is ready."

Autumn nodded faintly. "Morning."

Seeing that only one portion was laid out, she immediately knew Julian hadn’t come home again last night.

Zoe placed the warm milk in front of her and offered an explanation on his behalf.

"Mr. Carter came home very late last night, so he stayed in the guest room.

"This morning, he left early again. He said there was a lot of paperwork at the office. He didn’t even have time for breakfast."

Autumn replied with a simple, "Okay."

She knew Zoe was trying to speak on Julian’s behalf, probably worried the two of them might argue again.

It was better to keep the peace.

But the issues between her and Julian had snowballed, growing bigger and messier until there was no way to untangle them anymore.

After finishing breakfast, Autumn told Zoe she was heading out, grabbed her car keys, and left the house.

At the Lewis residence, when Autumn arrived, Ginny was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the family wasn’t home either.

Irene Lowe came over to help carry her things, handed her a pair of new slippers, then poured her a glass of water.

"Miss Autumn, you’re back!" she said cheerfully.

"Madam and the others went out shopping. Here, have some water."

Autumn thanked her and took the glass, sipping it slowly.

Just then, a soft, delicate voice drifted down from upstairs. "Is that you, Autumn?"

A slim figure descended the stairs, dressed in a pure white dress.

She looked angelic and harmless, the very picture of innocence.

The moment Luna saw Autumn downstairs, she beamed and hurried over.

Spinning once like a little fairy, she asked sweetly, "Does this dress look good on me, Autumn?"

Autumn gave a faint tug at the corner of her lips.

"It’s pretty."

Truthfully, Autumn couldn’t help but admire her half-sister’s nerve.

Luna was openly stealing her husband yet still acted like nothing was happening, as if the woman sneaking around with Julian wasn’t her.

That sickly-sweet act of innocence made Autumn feel sick.

Luna turned with a bright smile. "Irene, can you bring us some fruit? It’s so hot outside, I’m sure Autumn’s thirsty."

"Of course..."

Irene glanced between them, then turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Luna pointed at the scissors on the coffee table.

"If you think the dress looks nice, then I won’t return it. Autumn, could you help me cut off the tag?"

The scissors were the heavy tailoring kind, bulky but sharp.

Autumn bent down, picked them up, and glanced over Luna’s dress.

"Where’s the tag?" she asked casually.

"I think it’s near the neck. Can you check for me?"

As soon as she looked down, Autumn spotted dark marks across Luna’s porcelain-white neck.

Those were hickeys, and around that same neck hung a necklace.

Her chest tightened.

So that was where Julian had gone last night—not for work, but to be with her sister.

That necklace was a custom piece Autumn had adored.

She had spent half a month working with the designer to create it.

It was something personal and symbolic.

A heart crafted out of true love.

It had meant something to her.

Now, it hung from Luna’s neck like a trophy.

To say Luna hadn’t done this on purpose would’ve been the biggest joke of all—even Luna wouldn’t believe that lie.

Autumn gave a faint smile.

In that moment, she didn’t just want to cut off the tag.

She wanted to slice right through Luna’s delicate little neck.