The cold touch of Ethan's fingertips traveled down her cheek like a serpent. It didn't matter what they were fighting over, for he was in one of his episodes again. When they first dated, he wanted her to promise him three things: no cheating, no touching other men, and no leaving.She saw hints of his extreme possessiveness from the beginning. After all, he had killed off a family and turned them into ashes just because they slapped her. He'd also be cross when she shined at school. Once, she fell during sports day, and a member of the organizing committee had to carry her to the health center on his back. It was that night she witnessed Ethan's dark side as he ordered her to wash herself clean. Despite her explanations, he forced her to stand under the shower through the night. Despite his craziness, she was hopelessly in love with him. For him, she took an academic leave to keep herself out of the public eye. She didn't expect his madness to worsen after the divorce. Alth

"What if I died?" Olivia's almost inaudible mumble bounced off the walls of the bathroom, taking him by surprise. "You won't die because you have me."Sure, he might have endless power and wealth one could wish for, and he had access to the top medical resources in the world. But no doctor would guarantee success in treating late-stage cancer. Ethan might appear omnipotent, holding power over the life and death of other beings. But he was a mere mortal at the end of the day and powerless to save her from the hands of the Grim Reaper. She chuckled. "Ethan, since my family owed you a life, shall I atone for that with my death?""Liv, I would have taken your life two years ago if I wanted to. I hate you, but I love you at the same time. That's why I'm keeping you alive to punish you.""Did you just say you love me?" She snorted. "If that's true, you wouldn't have betrayed me. I told you I wanted to build a mega-hospital with express access for the needy. So, you built a hospital wo

Gently, Ethan loosened his grip on her body. "Liv, remember the punishment from today.""Ethan, I'm begging you. Just come at me if you're angry. Don't you do anything to the Rogers Family! Hey, untie me. Don't leave me alone here! I'm scared! Ethan, turn off the shower. I'm freezing, and I can't fall sick now …"She saw him leaving and heard the click of the door shutting behind him. "Don't leave me alone! I'm wrong. You can torture me in any way you want, just don't leave me alone here. I'm feeling cold. Please let me out! I'll listen … No, don't turn off the lights! I'm scared!"There was a moment when he almost caved in after hearing her desperate pleas, but it was a fleeting feeling. He lazily changed into a new outfit and gracefully made his way to the lobby. There, Marina was searching around for him. She felt relieved when he showed up without Olivia by his side. "Ethan, where were you? I was looking high and low for you.""I went to the restroom for a bit. Why?" Ethan

Everly's first reaction upon seeing Ethan was to cower. She might have been bold and outspoken at the event, but she was only bolstered by the effect of alcohol and Olivia's presence. She bore witness to Ethan's deep love for Olivia, and she knew that he could be deeply cruel toward outsiders. Two years ago, she brought Olivia to a bar. When Ethan picked up Olivia, he shot Everly an icy look when Olivia wasn't looking and warned, "This is the last time."She was drenched in cold sweat when Ethan left, and she was haunted by the look in his eyes for a few nights in her dreams.Back to the present, Ethan shut the lighter and casually glanced at her, but it was enough to make her tense up. She gulped and said in a hushed voice, "Um, Mr. Miller, I'm looking for Liv. I'll excuse myself now."He shook off the cigarette ashes and gave her a look from the corner of his eye. "Let's chat."She knew it wasn't going to be a casual chat, and as a result, she was reluctant to engage with h

Ethan finally took Everly's word for it. She wouldn't dare to lie to him. "Was she sick before this?""Yeah, I was going through a breakup with a bastard, so I didn't pay her much attention. Thank god Keith was there to cook for her." She had wanted to tell Ethan the truth about Olivia. But she wouldn't know the consequences of doing so, given that Olivia couldn't even put a name to her relationship with Ethan at the moment. She decided to respect Olivia's wish. Ethan thought of Olivia's pale face and asked, "Why was she sick?"Her heart skipped a beat as she fought to maintain a neutral expression under his keen gaze. "It was just the flu.""Just the flu?""What else could it have been? Liv has always been healthy.""That's true," Ethan concurred and concluded that Olivia might have sought pity through her show of weakness to avoid the divorce. After he received the answers from Everly, he dropped a remark before leaving. "If you're interested, you may report to the Mille

Staring at the door that seemed shut forever, she lost hope. No matter how many times she got trapped, the ending was the same. Last time, she lost her baby. Would it be her turn this time to die?She remembered that Ethan had arrived half an hour late to her room from Marina's room. Hopeless, she demanded to know, "Why did you choose to save her?""Because you know how to swim."The tears that had welled up in her eyes finally rolled down her cheek when she heard his answer. She was a pregnant woman, not an immortal. When she fell into the water, her legs were tangled in a web of fishing nets as well.He always thought she was indestructible. That was why he must have believed she could withstand the cold shower. She'd at most fall sick from the flu. He had no idea that an insignificant flu might be deadly for a cancer patient post-chemo. Thinking he was in control of everything in this world, he shall pay for his hubris this time. She was no longer concerned about a thi

Ethan thought he was familiar with every nook and cranny of Olivia's body, but it was his first time seeing the scar on her lower abdomen. He was aware that she went under the knife without anesthesia due to her allergy. Waiting outside the operating theater, Ethan heard her screams of pain from within. He knew of the layers of her skin that were sutured and the amount of stitches she received on that day.Apart from the wound on the abdomen, Olivia suffered a new injury on her inner left arm. He suddenly recalled that she once visited the hospital on the day Marina made a scene. He thought Olivia merely suffered from some minor abrasions from that day, but he was shocked to discover the long scar. For someone who had a fear of pain, how did she manage to suffer in silence and brush it off later?Pursing his lips, he remembered Olivia's words before she blacked out. Her words felt like a stab to his heart. He changed her into pajamas and ramped up the heating in the room as h

To Ethan, Olivia was the symbol of vitality. Hence, he was flustered when Brent mentioned the potentially fatal condition that she was in. Brent went up to him and showed him the photos of the blood test results on the phone. Apart from the blood cell count, Olivia had a lower-than-average count for the other lymphatic cells.Ethan tried to grasp the consequences of his actions in full. He remembered her desperate screaming when he left her alone in the bathroom. Feeling disoriented, he replied, "Well, she's running a fever now.""That's bad. We need to get her to the hospital.""Get the car." Ethan recalled how Olivia had always shown up wrapped in a thick down jacket. That was rather unusual because she had only worn thin wool coats during the past winters to look good. It finally dawned on him. She wasn't faking her illness all this time.He clumsily wrapped her up in layers of clothing, seemingly worried that the cold air might seep in. She looked both pitiful and lovab

Ethan let go of Chris' collar and stumbled backward as Olivia's words echoed in his mind."Ethan, I was wrong … Meeting you in this life was a mistake."She must have hated herself to the extent of giving up on her life. For the first time, Chris picked up a hint of fear on Ethan's face. After a long silence, Ethan finally questioned, "I went through her blood test results. Why are the indices lower than average?""In situations like these, she's likely having …" Chris stopped himself from telling the truth. After a round of chemo, the patient's blood cell indices would fall under the average. Although he had not performed health checks for Olivia in the past two years, he highly doubted that she had cancer because she was healthy and young. Statistically, cancer patients were mostly middle-aged or older. Since the situation was tense, he didn't want to scare Ethan before there was a conclusive result."Likely having what?""Nothing. Did you notice anything off with Mrs. Mil

The scenery in Olivia's dream changed from the ocean to a lovely sunflower field. A kid was running and giggling in the field. "Mama! Come get me!""Oh, sweetie! My sweet child." When she caught up with the kid, she pulled him into a hug. "I finally found you, my baby! I'm sorry. I will protect you well now."She turned the kid around and was astonished to see Connor's meaty face. It suddenly started pouring, and she had to run to a shelter with the kid. She was drenched by the rain.At that moment, she woke up from the dream, and the first thing she saw was the kid with a meaty face drooling from his lips. The drool almost fell onto her face, but Ethan was fast enough to wipe it away. When they exchanged glances, the air became a little awkward. After all, Ethan had sported an image of a haughty company president. Nobody had ever caught him in such an unbefitting act.Olivia chuckled after she noticed the unfamiliar environment. "Is this a dream? Am I dead? Why would I dream of