Chapter 3

Without sleeping a wink all night, I locked myself in the walk-in closet, mechanically packing my luggage.

Only by keeping myself constantly busy could I suppress that dull, empty ache in my chest.

It wasn't until dawn broke that I dug out a sealed box from the deepest part of the storage room and found my dust-covered photography equipment.

I pressed the power button, and the viewfinder screen lit up with a faint glow.

In that exact second, a sharp ache hit the tip of my nose.

Thankfully, the camera wasn't broken. It wasn't too late for my life to start over, either.

Holding the camera and just walking back to the living room, my phone suddenly vibrated.

It was the realtor who specialized in high-security properties.

"Ms. Harper, regarding that mid-mountain villa you and Mr. Theo looked at last week, the owner has accepted our offer. If there are no issues, we can sign the papers next weekend."

I froze for half a beat, almost forgetting about this.

Recently, Theo had thoroughly purged internal rivals and secured his undisputed position as the chief surgeon.

He said the apartment was too small to fit his status and wanted to move to a single-family house with a basement and a private operating room.

He was the one who initiated the idea.

But from start to finish, touring houses, comparing layouts, handling the paperwork, and dealing with the accountants, I did it all myself.

He only barely made time to accompany me for one site visit.

That day, I pulled him up to the second floor and excitedly asked him what style he wanted for the master bedroom.

He kept his head down, scrolling on his phone, and gave a dismissive "Hmm." "You decide."

From the corner of my eye, I saw it clearly. I saw the chat window bouncing on his screen, and the avatar was Isla's.

Before we even finished touring the house, he was called away by a phone call.

Thinking of this, I spoke calmly. "We don't want that villa anymore."

"Huh? Has something changed? Mr. Theo was clearly very satisfied when he checked the security system back then."

I stroked the metal casing of the camera and let out an extremely light laugh.

"Because we are getting a divorce."

The other end of the line instantly fell dead silent.

I hung up before they could react.

By the time I stuffed the last trench coat into the trunk, the blazing sun was high in the sky.

I tossed the kraft paper envelope containing the divorce papers onto the passenger seat, stepped on the gas, and drove toward the Family's private medical center.

A five-year marriage could be ended with a few thin sheets of paper.

Clutched in my palm, they felt weightless, laughably absurd.

During the midday quiet hours, I figured Theo should be in his private lounge on the top floor and went straight up to knock on the door.

The door opened, but the person standing inside was Isla.

A flash of shock crossed her eyes. "Harper?"

I instinctively looked past the door, trying to find Theo.

She deliberately turned sideways, blocking my line of sight with her shoulder, and lowered her voice.

"Theo drained too much energy on the operating table last night and had to deal with a few old bosses this morning. He just fell asleep. Do you have an emergency?"

I stared at her.

Her long curly hair was a bit messy, and the collar of her silk shirt, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had two buttons undone.

And behind her was Theo's private sanctuary, where outsiders were absolutely forbidden to step foot.

My stomach violently churned, and my eyes stung sharply.

I gripped the file envelope in my hand tighter, forcing myself to pull my gaze back.

"I need him to sign something."

Isla glanced down at my envelope and smiled gently.

"Theo is really too tired. He finally managed to close his eyes, and I really can't bear to wake him up. How about you give it to me? I'll put it on his desk for you when he wakes up."

I instinctively wanted to refuse.

But the moment I thought about the divorce papers lying inside, I suddenly felt that I didn't want to see a single strand of Theo's hair right now.

So I directly slapped the file into her arms.

"Then please do."

I turned and walked away, my steps extremely fast.

But my mind raced, flashing back to that scene.

She was in his private space, keeping him company during his nap.

The atmosphere was so intimate, so matter-of-fact, as if she were the lady of the house.

The spasms in my stomach grew worse and worse.

I rushed all the way into the restroom at the end of the corridor, leaned over the edge of the marble sink, and dry-heaved.

My throat burned with acid, but I couldn't throw anything up.

I turned on the faucet, splashed cold water on my face haphazardly, and just as I pushed open the restroom door, a sharp, piercing cramp shot through my lower abdomen.

The corridor before my eyes instantly began to spin.

My legs gave out, and I crashed heavily onto the cold floor tiles.

When I opened my eyes again, my nasal cavity was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

A nurse saw me wake up and let out a long sigh of relief. "You're finally awake."

I propped myself up, my brain still foggy.

"What happened?"

The nurse handed a lab report right in front of my eyes, her expression grave.

"Ma'am, the test results confirm it. Your IUD shifted. It perforated your uterine wall and caused a massive infection."

"Why would you put this kind of thing inside yourself?"