Chapter 5

Riley's voice was so faint that Xavier couldn't make out her words. Frowning, he leaned closer. "What did you just say?"

She parted her lips to repeat herself, but before she could speak, the door suddenly swung open.

A nurse hurried inside. "Mr. Parker, it's time for Miss West's examination, but she can't find you and refuses to cooperate..."

Xavier's brow furrowed. Without another word, he turned and left, sparing Riley not even a second glance.

...

The moment the door closed, Riley pulled out her IV needle. Ignoring the doctors' objections, she endured the excruciating pain and insisted on being discharged.

She didn't have much time left.

Now that she'd decided to die, there were certain arrangements she needed to make beforehand.

A bitter smile touched her lips. After all, Xavier certainly wouldn't be the one to claim her body.

She went to a photography studio to have a funeral portrait taken, then purchased a burial plot and chose a small urn for her ashes.

When she returned to the villa, she heard the familiar patter of paws across the living room floor. A golden retriever bounded toward her, his tail wagging furiously as he rubbed his wet nose against her leg.

Riley's eyes stung with tears. She crouched down and wrapped her arms around him. "Goldie..."

He was the dog she and Xavier had adopted when they were eighteen.

They had just moved in together back then. Holding the little puppy in his arms, Xavier had smiled and told her, "Riri, now we're a family of three. We'll grow old together, all three of us."

Now, their family was gone, their love was gone, and growing old together had become an impossible dream.

"Woof!"

Goldie brought her his toy ball, gazing up at her expectantly. Riley stroked his head. "Good boy. Mommy's going to make you something yummy."

Despite her pain, she managed to prepare Goldie a homemade meal. Watching him wolf it down, she felt a familiar ache in her chest.

In three days, she would be leaving this world. Goldie was getting old, and she needed to find him a good home before then.

After searching all day, Riley finally found a suitable couple to adopt him. They were retired teachers with a yard, and they'd owned golden retrievers before, so they had plenty of experience.

She packed Goldie's toys and dog food and was just about to take him to his new home when the villa's front door suddenly opened.

Lily walked in, her high heels clicking against the floor. Her gaze settled on Goldie, and a mocking smile curled her lips.

"Riley Quinn, Xavier hates you so much he's already destroyed practically everything you care about. I guess this dog's all you have left now, isn't he?"

"What are you planning to do?" Riley went rigid and instinctively moved in front of Goldie.

"Xavier hasn't given you permission to touch him, so you have no right!" Her voice trembled. "We've had him for ten years, and Xavier cares about him too. He'd never let you take Goldie away without his permission!"

Lily scoffed. "You're so naive. Xavier hates you, and he hates everything that has anything to do with you!"

She clapped her hands, and two bodyguards immediately rushed inside, roughly grabbing Goldie by the collar.

"No!" Riley lunged forward to stop them, but one of the men shoved her aside. Her forehead struck the coffee table, sending blood streaming down her face.

Terrified, Goldie struggled desperately to protect his owner. The scuffle quickly spiraled out of control, and in the chaos, something went terribly wrong. Goldie couldn't survive it and stopped breathing.

"Goldie!" Riley screamed in anguish, fighting desperately to push past the bodyguards and reach him. In her struggle, however, she accidentally collided with Lily.

"Ah!"

Lily tumbled down the stairs, landing in a pool of blood that quickly spread across the floor.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Xavier's voice thundered from the doorway. Taking in the scene, he immediately strode over and swept Lily into his arms before turning an icy glare on Riley.

"You pushed her? She just had a kidney transplant! Are you trying to kill her?!"

With blood covering her face, Riley pointed a trembling finger toward Goldie, who lay motionless on the floor.

"She's the reason Goldie's dead! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Xavier froze briefly, his gaze shifting to Goldie. For a moment, a distant look crossed his face, but his expression soon hardened.

"Good riddance.

"Nothing that reminds us of the love we once shared deserves to be kept."

Those words shattered what little was left of Riley's heart. She stared at Xavier in anguish, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

Of course. None of it deserved to exist anymore.

After all, even the man standing before her no longer loved her.