Chapter 1

"Ms. Lavien, we can't treat your condition."

The doctor's words detonated like a bomb in Camilla Lavien's chest. Her ears rang.

She'd thought she'd taken such good care of herself over the years, yet still couldn't escape her family's hereditary disease.

Walking out of the examination room, her hands and feet felt ice-cold.

Six months. She only had six months left to live.

She didn't even know how to break this news to her husband and son.

She sat numbly in the hospital corridor for a long while before finally calling her husband.

A familiar ringtone echoed from the other end of the corridor. Camilla turned her head and froze in place.

Her husband, Theodric Clifford, emerged from the elevator with his arms around a woman. A small boy followed closely at their heels—her son, Ollie Clifford.

Ollie held Theodric's phone in his hand. Glancing at the name on the screen, he looked at Theodric with something like disdain. "Dad, it's Mom calling."

"Hang up." That cold voice matched his inherently aloof demeanor perfectly—chilling.

Ollie hung up without hesitation.

His innocent child's voice carried thick impatience. "Mom knows we're here with Serena for her rehab today, but she still has to call. So annoying."

The woman in Theodric's arms, Serena Nelson, laughed. "Ollie, your mother is just a housewife. She spends every day revolving around you two—she doesn't have anything else. You should understand her."

Ollie's little face fell, clearly dissatisfied. "My mom is so useless. All my classmates' moms have their own jobs. Only my mom stays home bossing me around all day. I wish Serena were my mom instead."

Hearing Ollie's words, Camilla felt as if her heart had been struck. The pain made even her fingertips tremble.

Through the crowd, she looked toward Theodric.

His gaze rested entirely on Serena in his arms. He didn't contradict his son's words at all.

As if he, too, agreed with what Ollie said.

Serena laughed and patted Theodric's shoulder, her voice bright. "Theodric, your son knows quite a lot! But next time I'll come for rehab by myself. I'm not like your wife—I'm not so delicate. Don't want her throwing a tantrum at you."

The moment she finished speaking, Ollie rushed to explain to Serena. "My mom doesn't have a job. All she does is spend Dad's money. She wouldn't dare make Dad angry. Next time, Dad and I will come to the hospital with Serena again!"

Theodric added, "Don't worry about Camilla. She's not important."

She's not important...

Those words circled through Camilla's mind like a curse.

People came and went in the hospital corridor.

Theodric's party of three walked right past Camilla. The father and son's attention remained fixed on Serena—they didn't notice Camilla sitting in the corner at all.

Camilla lowered her gaze. The diagnosis in her hand crumpled and deformed.

Tears she'd held back for so long finally burst forth.

She should have guessed. Ever since Serena returned to the country this past year, the changes in Theodric and their son had been warning her all along.

When Camilla was ten, her parents died. Heath Clifford—her father's close friend and Theodric's father—took her in to live with the Clifford family.

Publicly, she was the Clifford family's adopted daughter.

Privately, Theodric's mother, Amara Coleman, groomed her as a future daughter-in-law.

The year Theodric fell for his childhood rival Serena, Heath nearly beat him to a pulp. Theodric knelt outside the villa for a full day and night.

In the end, it was Camilla who couldn't bear it. She voluntarily proposed breaking off the engagement.

Only then did Heath's anger subside.

The year they graduated, Theodric confessed to Serena. But Serena rejected him and went abroad with another man for advanced studies.

Back then, Theodric drowned himself in alcohol night after night. One time, while Camilla was taking care of him, they slept together.

Marriage followed naturally.

Camilla loved Theodric. Even though the beginning of this marriage wasn't honorable, she still tried her best to be a good wife after the wedding.

His stomach was sensitive, so she researched medicinal cuisine—dishes that took four or five hours to prepare, which she made for five years straight.

He was absorbed in work, so she managed every household matter meticulously. Even when she had a difficult labor with Ollie, she gritted her teeth and endured it alone.

Gradually, Theodric's attitude toward her softened considerably.

But from the moment Serena came back, everything changed.

Theodric was rarely home. Even Ollie grew close to Serena.

And now she'd been diagnosed with a terminal illness—as if destined to make room for them.

Camilla smiled bitterly.

This lifetime, she seemed fated to lose everything.

Late night.

Serenity Villa.

When Theodric returned with Ollie, the villa was completely dark.

Theodric frowned slightly, a hint of confusion crossing his mind.

Even when he didn't come home, Camilla usually left a light on for him.

Ollie pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. "Mom went to sleep without waiting for us. So lazy."

Theodric didn't scold Ollie—as if agreeing with him.

The father and son entered through the front door.

The crystal chandelier in the living room turned on, warm light flooding the space.

Theodric immediately spotted Camilla sitting on the sofa.

So she had waited for them to come home after all, just like always.

Theodric walked over with Ollie. "Why didn't you turn on the lights?"

Ollie had played himself to exhaustion with Serena today. Now, seeing his mom who always nagged him, he felt uncomfortable.

He greeted Camilla reluctantly. "Mom."

He expected his mother to scold him like usual—for coming home so late, saying children needed to sleep early, and so on.

But Camilla just glanced at him coolly. "Ollie, go to your room first."

Mom wasn't angry!

Ollie was somewhat surprised, but not being nagged was good for him. He turned and ran upstairs.

Theodric also noticed something was off about Camilla.

He suddenly remembered—today he'd brought Ollie home near midnight. In the past, she would have called early on, urging them home, saying Ollie was too young to stay up late.

But today, he hadn't received a single call.

Thinking of this, impatience flashed through his eyes.

He tugged at his tie and sat on the sofa.

"This afternoon when I hung up on you—I was busy."

He assumed Camilla was sulking. His explanation was simple and blunt.

He couldn't even be bothered to fabricate a decent excuse.

Camilla laughed bitterly. All these years of devotion suddenly seemed ridiculous.

She pushed the document on the coffee table toward Theodric.

Her voice was hoarse, yet carried a determination not easily detected.

"Divorce agreement. Sign it."

Theodric was taken aback. Looking at those words—Divorce Agreement—on the paper before him, he found it laughable.

He scoffed, not believing for a second that Camilla would actually divorce him. "Divorce? Just because I hung up on you?"

Camilla didn't want to explain further. "Yes. Sign it. You get custody of Ollie. I'll leave with nothing."

She only had six months left to live. She didn't want to waste any more time on people who weren't worth it.

Theodric saw the seriousness in Camilla's eyes but still didn't believe her.

A housewife who knew nothing, daring to propose leaving with nothing—perhaps it was time to let her learn a hard lesson.

He sneered. "Fine. Let's divorce then. Just don't regret it later."