Chapter 1

"Ms. Schmidt, your health isn't looking good. It seems you've developed a chronic illness, and an exchange transfusion is the only effective treatment. However, your illness was discovered too late, and you're already in the final stage. If it isn't treated immediately…"

The doctor trailed off, staring at the pale Tamara Schmidt.

"Just tell me directly what will happen."

"If it's not treated in time, I'm afraid you only have three months left to live."

After hearing the doctor's reply, Tamara crumpled to the ground like a deflated balloon.

"This illness requires immediate attention. You should inform Mr. Rayleigh as soon as possible."

At the mention of Damien Rayleigh, her husband of three years, Tamara felt her chest tighten.

Forcing a smile, she said, "Thank you. I'll think it over at home. Please don't tell anyone about my visit today."

After she finished speaking, she left the hospital with the critical condition report.

An hour earlier, Damien had walked away from Tamara for the 99th time because of his young secretary, Carol Laverton. That was when Tamara suddenly began to hear the thoughts in his mind.

They had argued over a minor issue, and Damien had shattered Tamara's favorite porcelain tea set, causing her to break down in tears.

"Is this tea set so important? Am I not more important than it?" Damien demanded icily, staring indifferently at the broken pieces on the floor.

Tamara wanted to refute him, to remind him of his importance and explain that he could never be compared to a tea set. But then his phone rang.

"Mr. Rayleigh, a pipe in my home burst, and my house is flooded. The goatskin carpet you gave me a couple of days ago is ruined," Carol sobbed on the other end of the line.

"Don't worry, Carol. I'll be there in a minute."

Damien hung up anxiously, his tone filled with tenderness and worry for Carol—a complete contrast to the coldness he had shown when he broke the tea set. Then, he left without looking back at Tamara, slamming the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, Tamara suddenly heard his thoughts. She stopped in her tracks, no longer moving to go after him.

【Silly Tammy, I won't leave if you'll just say something to make me stay. As long as you say the word, I'll even buy a new tea set with you.】

Tamara was shocked at first, but once she realized she was hearing Damien's thoughts, she found it oddly amusing.

【Why aren't you coming after me yet? Tamara, I'll give you one more chance. I'm going to leave if you don't open the door and make me stay,】 Damien hollered in his head.

【I'll give you another ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight…】

Tamara was exhausted. Staring at the broken porcelain shards scattered across the floor, she no longer wanted to play the silly coaxing game she had played so many times before.

Before Damien could finish counting, his phone rang again outside the door. As if confirming that the voice she had heard belonged to Damien, Tamara knew it was Carol calling.

Damien ended the call as quickly as he could, as though he were hiding something. Then, he left in a hurry.

When everything outside finally fell silent, Tamara opened the door to check. Just as she expected, no one was there anymore.

Tamara was shocked that she could suddenly hear Damien's thoughts, and she had no idea why he kept testing her love for him. She simply couldn't understand it.

They had started as childhood friends before getting married. But in their three years of marriage, so much had changed between them. In the first two years, Damien had spoiled Tamara to bits.

Their marriage was a union of two influential families, and they were childhood best friends with matching family backgrounds, the golden couple in everyone’s eyes.

Back then, Damien would get Tamara anything she wanted. He'd call in a guaranteed bid for her at an auction just because she had taken a liking to a sapphire jewel and wanted to customize a collar for her beloved cat.

For her, he would search for various traditional craftsmen to custom-make a complicated and intricate hairpin, simply because she wasn't sure what would match her new dress. Even when Tamara casually mentioned that she wanted the stars in the sky, Damien spent an enormous amount of money to buy her a real star as her birthday present.

At that time, everyone envied her, and people in their circle often said Damien was the perfect husband.

Tamara once believed she would be the happiest woman in the world—until Damien hired a new secretary at his company a year ago. From that moment on, her life began to spiral downward.

At first, Damien would tentatively test her to see if she truly loved him. He would often stay out late so that Tamara would anxiously call him repeatedly. He would deliberately say he didn't love her, just to see if she would feel hurt.

Despite knowing she would be upset, he brought Carol home and acted intimately with her because he wanted to make Tamara jealous.

Soon after, Tamara's family business went bankrupt due to huge losses. As a result, her father, Jerome Schmidt, suffered a stroke and became paralyzed. Together with her mother, Sarah Connelly, Tamara kept vigil at Jerome's bedside.

But Damien accused her of not caring about him, and they had a huge argument over it. To spite her, Damien left and slept with Carol. When Carol later sent her provocative photos, Tamara demanded an explanation from Damien, only to be told that it was her punishment.

Recently, Sarah had gone out to buy food for Jerome and was involved in a severe car accident. She passed away at the scene.

Jerome's health had been improving, but when he heard the news of Sarah's death, his condition took a turn for the worse. In the end, he passed away as well.

All of a sudden, Tamara's family was broken, and she was the only one left.

At the funeral, Tamara was devastated, crying her lungs out in front of her parents' pictures. Damien held her, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Don't cry, Tammy. From now on, I'll take care of you in your parents' place."

Tamara gazed at him tearfully, feeling as though their relationship had returned to how it used to be. She wanted to believe Damien was a man of his word, but a phone call shattered that short-lived tenderness.

"Mr. Rayleigh, I'm terrified. Hurry over to save me! T-They're trying to take my clothes off…" Carol whimpered over the phone.

The call ended, and Damien left Tamara's side without a second thought.

"Wait for me, Tammy. Carol is in great danger. I have to save her first."

Tamara reached out to stop him from leaving, but he shoved her aside emotionlessly. She collapsed helplessly onto the floor, watching in despair as Damien rushed off to save another woman during her parents' funeral.

That day, Damien mobilized everyone in his company and eventually found Carol in a dilapidated factory. Her kidnappers had already fled, leaving her tied to a chair. Her clothes and hair were in disarray, and she appeared to have been violated.

Heartbroken, Damien removed his expensive suit jacket and placed it over her before carrying her to the hospital.

While Damien and Carol were being intimate at the hospital, Tamara had passed out during the funeral from overwhelming grief. When she was sent to the hospital, Damien and Carol were in the ward next to hers, but Damien didn't visit her even once.

Later, Tamara had a huge argument with him.

"But Carol's life was in danger. What if something had happened to her?" Damien asked.

"Did you really have to be the one to go? Damien, what happened to you?" Tamara choked out.

However, Damien merely chuckled when he saw her getting mad. "Tammy, are you jealous? It's my fault, okay? I'm sorry. I'll stay by your side from now on."

There it was again.

Tamara's heart grew colder little by little. She wasn't going to forgive him again. The love she had for him since their teenage years seemed to disappear the moment Damien abandoned her for another woman during her parents' funeral.

Damien's heart no longer belonged to her alone.

Since that day, Tamara's health had deteriorated. She thought it was due to excessive grief over her parents' death.

Today, Tamara's nose began bleeding right after Carol asked Damien to go to her again. Only then did she call a cab to the hospital.

Since her family had gone bankrupt, she didn't even have the money for medical fees. Still, she didn't want to ask Damien for help, knowing he wouldn't offer it so easily.

Did she only have three months left? If so, she wasn't going to love Damien anymore.

As Tamara pondered this, a deep pain spread through her heart. She wondered whether it was caused by her illness or Damien.

She decided to give up treatment, as she no longer had any attachments to this world. Besides, she missed her parents.

Chapter 2

When Tamara returned home from the hospital, she found Damien sitting on the couch in the living room, wearing a long face. Next to him sat the meek and helpless Carol.

"Tamara Schmidt, I was only out of the house for a moment, and you just can't wait to leave, huh?" Damien asked.

【Why did Tammy leave the house without telling me? I was so worried about her for nothing. Tammy, coax me right now. If you do, I'll forgive everything you did,】 said the voice in his heart.

Two contradicting voices rang in Tamara's ears, but she ignored his genuine thoughts and hid the medical report in her handbag.

"Why is she here?" Tamara spat coldly, glowering at Carol so menacingly it was as though she could bore holes through her.

Carol trembled and hid her petite frame behind Damien, avoiding Tamara as if she were a ferocious animal.

"Carol's place is flooded. She can't live there and will stay here for the time being."

Only then did Tamara notice the pink suitcase in the corridor and the unfamiliar cartoon rug drying on the patio.

Meanwhile, her favorite tea set remained shattered on the floor, just as she had left it when she went out. Nobody had cleaned it up.

【Say something, Tammy. Tell me to chase her away. I only brought her home to make you mad and jealous. As long as you say you don't want her to stay, I'll ask her to leave right away.】Damien's inner voice echoed.

Even though his expression remained aloof, his inner voice brimmed with anticipation and anxiety.

Tamara snickered. "Whatever. She can stay here if that's what you want, just as long as both of you are happy."

"Tamara, why are you so petty—What? What did you say, Tamara?"

Damien thought his ears were playing tricks on him. This woman didn't seem like the Tamara who loved him.

Unable to control the anger boiling within, Tamara hollered, "I said she can stay here if she wants. If she's unhappy with the guest room, I'll let you two have the master bedroom. Did you hear me?"

"Ms. Schmidt, I won't ask for so much. I'm grateful you're letting me stay here for a few days," Carol said, tears welling up in her eyes as though Tamara had bullied her.

【Tammy is mad. I knew she still loves me.】 Damien thought.

Even though Damien's inner voice sounded delighted, his outward voice was icy. "Why are you making a scene and yelling? You've startled Carol. Do you still think of yourself as a rich, young lady? Your parents are already—"

Realizing he had gone too far, Damien stopped abruptly, but it was too late.

Coldness filled Tamara's eyes, and she gave Damien a sharp slap. "Get lost! Both of you, get the hell out—"

Perhaps she was too worked up. She started coughing violently, and the taste of blood rose from her throat to her mouth. Covering her lips, she opened the door and tossed Carol's belongings outside.

Her reaction shocked Damien, and he was stunned for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Schmidt. I'll leave immediately. Please don't be mad. Mr. Rayleigh, I'll be leaving now."

Looking terrified, Carol said she would leave, but she stared at Damien tearfully instead.

Meanwhile, Damien was frustrated that Tamara hadn't reacted as he had anticipated.

"Tamara Schmidt, I think I've been too nice to you, and now you're spoiled rotten, getting jealous so easily."

Tamara wanted to laugh. Whether she got mad or not, her behavior was unacceptable. What should she do so that he'd approve of her?

But now, she felt terribly unwell. After tossing out Carol's belongings, she stormed back to her bedroom, slammed the door shut, and locked it. When all was done, she finally retched in the bathroom.

Suddenly, she vomited blood and collapsed onto the cold, tiled floor of the bathroom, feeling utterly exhausted.

Outside the room, Damien and Carol remained unaware of what was happening inside.

Carol kept apologizing to Damien in a pitiful tone. "Mr. Rayleigh, this is my fault. I shouldn't have suggested staying at your place. I'll leave right now."

"You don't have to leave! This is my house, and I call the shots here," Damien said emotionlessly, as though deliberately saying it for Tamara's ears.

"Really? But Ms. Schmidt is—"

"Ignore her," he interjected.

【Tammy is disobedient. I'll have to punish her this time,】 he thought.

Punishment? That was the last thing Tamara cared about.

In the evening, Damien lost patience when Tamara stayed locked in her bedroom.

He called the maid over and instructed, "Tell Tamara to come out for dinner."

The maid knocked on Tamara's door, but she didn't respond. Curled up in bed, Tamara cried her heart out, tears soaking her silk pillow.

"Mr. Rayleigh, Mrs. Rayleigh refuses to open the door," the maid stammered meekly, worried Damien might fire her on the spot in a fit of anger.

Damien pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to get Tamara downstairs himself. He knocked on the door, but Tamara still refused to open it. Frustrated, he began banging on it.

"Tamara Schmidt, what do you mean by this? Open the door now!"

The constant banging on the door terrified Tamara. It reminded her of the bullying she had suffered as a child for being so quiet.

The girls in her class had cornered her in an equipment room and hurled verbal abuse at her. In the end, they locked her in the dark equipment room for the entire day until Damien found her with a flashlight in his hand, out of breath.

At that time, she had thought Damien was the hero of her life. She'd marry him when they grew up and be with him forever.

But now, Damien had become a terrifying man.

Tamara covered her ears, frozen in place.

When Tamara didn't answer him for a long time, Damien kicked the door open, breaking the frame.

On the bed, Tamara trembled, tears welling up in her eyes, and Damien softened his expression. "Tammy, don't be afraid. It's me. I'm here."

In big strides, he marched to her side and gently scooped her into his arms, but she pushed him away.

"Damien, let's get a divorce," she uttered lifelessly, as though she had lost all her energy.

"I don't allow that. Tamara, I forbid you from divorcing me. I'll tell her to get lost right now. Don't be mad. I'm sorry, Tammy. I shouldn't have made you angry. Don't divorce me."

Like someone unhinged, he kept apologizing to Tamara, holding her tightly in his arms, worried that she'd slip out if he wasn't careful.

"Let's break up—"

"It's not like that. Tammy, don't say these things."

An idea struck him, and he carried her to the living room.

"Carol, get lost! Disappear from my sight right now. Get out!" Damien roared, as if to make up for his earlier behavior.

The unexpected roar startled Carol. Blood drained from her face as panic, helplessness, and disbelief flashed across her features, mingled with a hint of menace.

Under Damien's terrifying gaze, Carol fled from the Rayleigh residence.

Chapter 3

That night, Damien was incredibly tender. He was so tentative that Tamara was a little dazed, wondering if they had returned to the days when they were deeply in love. Despite that, she knew they had passed the point of returning to how things had been.

The next day, Damien prepared Tamara's favorite breakfast before going to work. "Honey, wait for me. I'll be coming home right after work, and I'll buy you a cake from your favorite store. Okay?"

When Tamara didn't answer, Damien took it as an agreement. Judging from his inner voice, Tamara reckoned he was in pretty good spirits today.

At noon, Tamara saw that Carol had updated her social media account. Carol had posted a picture of a delicate hairpin—the exact one Damien had custom-made for Tamara years ago—with the caption, "An apology gift from someone. I love it."

As Tamara stared at the picture, her fingers tightened around her phone unwittingly. The light from the screen bounced off her pale face, adding an extra touch of melancholy.

Damien had specially searched for a traditional craftsman to make that hairpin just to put a smile on her face. Now, another woman was using it to show off.

Tamara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with determination.

Rising to her feet, she paced to the study. From the desk drawer, she found a divorce agreement that had been prepared a long time ago. Damien's signature from the past was even on it.

In the early days of their marriage, he had jokingly said, "If I make a mistake one day, this will be my punishment, Tammy."

At that time, both of them had thought it was a joke. Alas, the prophecy had come true.

Just as she was about to sign the agreement, her phone started ringing. She checked it and saw a text from an unknown number.

"Next to the lake on the west side of the city. The truth behind your mother's car accident."

Tamara read the words and felt her chest tighten.

"Wasn't that car crash an accident?" she muttered.

Setting everything else aside, she shoved the signed divorce agreement into the drawer, randomly grabbed a coat, and hurried to the location mentioned in the text.

When she arrived at the lake, there were only passersby, and she didn't notice anyone suspicious. Just as she was about to send a text to question the situation, someone suddenly shoved her hard.

Stumbling, she fell into the water, and the piercing cold water of the lake soaked her clothes. She struggled for help but heard Damien's inner voice instead.

【Why are Tammy and Carol in the water? What should I do?】

What was Damien doing here? Why had Carol fallen into the water as well?

While Tamara was confused, she heard a loud splash as someone jumped into the water. She realized it was Damien and wanted to call for help.

However, as she opened her mouth, the murky lake water gushed in. She didn't want her life to end now.

Would Damien save her? Maybe he would. After all, he loved her so much.

There was anticipation in her heart, but Damien's inner voice wiped out the last of her hopes.

【Carol can't swim, and her foot is injured. I'll save her first. Tammy is a swimmer, so it won't be a problem for her to remain in the water a little longer.】

Damien swam decisively to the other side of the lake toward Carol, and Tamara gave up all hope. She stopped struggling, sinking under the water.

At the critical moment, a fit and strong man jumped in and swam toward her, pulling her out from the depths.

She was saved. At the same time, Damien was ashore with Carol in his arms.

In his embrace, Carol was pale, and her lips were blue. She kept muttering about how scared she was, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Damien glanced at Tamara. Once he was sure she was fine, he carried Carol away.

"Damien Rayleigh, is this the love you claim to have for me?" Tamara chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Then, her vision blacked out, and a man's voice echoed in her ears. "Miss, hold on! Don't give up!"

When Tamara opened her eyes again, she was already hospitalized. The person seated at her bedside wasn't Damien but Carol, who had fallen into the water with her.

"Oh, you're finally awake, Ms. Schmidt," Carol said, sniggering. "Your body is unexpectedly weak. Only so little time has passed, yet you've already reached your limit."

Tamara sensed something amiss. "What do you mean?"

"You should already know about your illness. But you probably don't know that your beloved Damien has been poisoning you. That's how you got this chronic illness," Carol explained breezily.

Tamara was so shocked that she remained speechless for several moments before speaking again.

"I don't believe Damien would want me dead. What exactly did you tell him?"

She couldn't believe it. Damien loved her deeply. How could he kill her with his own hands?

"That's the truth. It doesn't matter if you don't believe it, Ms. Schmidt. Don't you have any idea about today's incident? Men are fickle, and your husband doesn't love you anymore," Carol stated and left her ward, leaving Tamara lying on the bed, motionless.

That wasn't true. Damien's inner voice had said otherwise. Tamara couldn't believe it, but she had to admit that his actions suggested a change of heart despite his inner voice claiming that he loved her.

After resting in bed for a while, Tamara got up to use the bathroom and unintentionally saw Damien passing by outside the door. In a daze, she followed him and saw him entering the ward next door, where she overheard his conversation with Carol.

"Mr. Rayleigh, the doctor said earlier that Ms. Schmidt is doing well. In another four months, you can have the exchange transfusion."

"That's great! Then my blood will flow in Tammy's body, and we'll be one from then on."

Tamara froze. It turned out Carol wasn't lying—her illness was the result of Damien's poisoning.

Damien had lost his mind!

Tamara stumbled, fleeing back to her own ward. Soon, Damien appeared beside her bed, wearing a solemn expression as though he was here to question her.

"Tamara, you've gone completely lawless. Out of jealousy, you purposely pushed Carol into the lake. Why didn't I realize you were such a vicious woman?"

As expected, he was there to accuse her. Tamara said nothing, waiting to hear his inner voice.

Sure enough, even though Damien looked mad, his inner voice said, 【Tammy, tell me you're jealous. Hurry, say it, and I'll apologize to you immediately. Be good, Tammy. Don't look at me so indifferently, okay?】

Tamara's disappointment in this two-faced man grew. What gave him the right to build his love on her misery? Why did he test her love for him repeatedly?

She was truly exhausted.

"I'm not jealous of her. What's between you two has nothing to do with me anymore."

Her icy tone stunned Damien. The next second, a frustrated expression crept over his face, and his inner voice screamed hysterically.

"That better be true! Don't let me catch you pulling some petty trick!" he hissed through gritted teeth before storming off in a huff.

Chapter 4

After that, Damien didn't visit Tamara anymore. The wards were separated by a wall. In one ward, Damien spent a romantic time with Carol, while Tamara was left alone in the other.

However, Tamara could hear Damien's inner voice from time to time. Again and again, he professed his love for her and repeatedly prayed that she would soften her attitude and reconcile with him.

Tamara was incredibly frustrated. She believed Damien loved her. They had been by each other's side for 27 years, yet he kept testing her love for no reason. She couldn't accept it.

In Tamara's opinion, it was a betrayal of their relationship, and she no longer wanted to love him. On the night before her discharge from the hospital, Tamara heard the most sickening inner voice she had ever heard.

【There shouldn't be a problem if I sleep with Carol in secret. After all, I'm a man with needs. Tammy doesn't know about it anyway. I'll buy her a present after she's discharged to please her.】

【Oh, Carol's body is so soft. She's so much better with her mouth than Tammy. It feels amazing.】

【What should I do? I'm feeling a little guilty… Forget it. It was Carol who initiated this. I'll just make sure she doesn't show up in front of Tammy too often in the future.】

Such statements continued to echo in her mind. While he was betraying Tamara, he kept saying that he loved her, and every word made her want to throw up.

That night, Damien and Carol made love seven times. Damien couldn't resist Carol's seductions, and he was in ecstasy again and again.

Before dawn the next day, Tamara checked out alone and left the hospital. She had barely gone far when a cheap van blocked her path at a crossroad.

Sensing danger, she tried to run, but two men wearing masks and baseball caps jumped out, covered her mouth, and dragged her into the van.

There weren't many people around, so no one saw what had happened.

Tamara had been kidnapped.

The kidnappers knocked her out and took her to an abandoned factory, where they bound her limbs and threw her onto the cold concrete floor.

"Who are you? What are you going to do to me? I'm warning you—you'd better not act recklessly! My husband is Damien Rayleigh, and he won't let you off!"

Awakened by a bucket of cold water, Tamara stared fearfully at the four burly men with covered faces. Now that she had no one else to rely on, she could only mention Damien's name, praying that these men would let her go when they heard his name.

However, they weren't the least bit afraid. Instead, they snickered lustfully.

"Bitch, you've got some nerve mentioning Damien Rayleigh. You don't even know if you'll live to see him again. We heard the man you're relying on has already found a new love," one kidnapper said, chortling.

"Exactly. Damien Rayleigh is probably enjoying himself with another woman right now."

Tamara curled her body, trying to keep her distance from the men. "That's nonsense! He has to protect me before we're divorced. If you let me go, you can have any amount of money you want. He'll give it to you."

"Don't look down on us. Bitch, do we look like we need money? We kidnapped you to find out what's special about Damien Rayleigh's woman. You're so delicate," the leader, a stocky man, said, chuckling.

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Tamara, and she recoiled in fear. At that moment, she hoped against hope that Damien would come and save her.

In her heart, she yelled, "Damien Rayleigh, hurry and save me! I'll do anything you want! I'll get jealous and console you as you wish. Please save me…"

Meanwhile, Damien seemed to sense that something was wrong and was in a foul mood. A sudden thought struck him, and he kicked Tamara's ward door open.

When he saw that she wasn't there, a violent tug gripped his chest.

"Where's Tammy?"

He searched everywhere and checked the hospital surveillance cameras. Finally, he found footage of Tamara being kidnapped. 90 minutes had passed since the incident.

"Find out where these men have taken my Tammy. Right now! Or all of you will pay with your lives!"

Like a madman, he barked into the phone at the Rayleigh family's bodyguards. His eyes were bloodshot, and the way he looked even intimidated Carol, who tried to assure him, "Mr. Rayleigh, don't worry. Ms. Schmidt is lucky. Nothing untoward will happen to her—"

But Damien merely shoved her aside in frustration.

Fortunately, the police found Tamara's exact location as quickly as they could. Ignoring all traffic rules, Damien rushed to the scene in his sports car.

In an inconspicuous corner, Carol sent a text from her phone.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers weren't showing Tamara any mercy. They groped her, removed her clothes, and left a foul trail on her body.

At that moment, Tamara wanted to end her life right away. While writhing in disgust, a sudden wave of nausea hit her, and she threw up a mouthful of blood.

The kidnappers were shocked, but they still wanted to continue to the next step. However, a text message interrupted them.

The lead kidnapper read the text and spat on the floor. "Bitch, we'll let you off today. Let's go, boys."

They fled the scene without hesitation. Minutes later, the roar of a car engine was followed by blaring police sirens.

Tamara curled up, trembling. Two hours after her abduction, they finally found her.

【Tammy, I'm here. It's my fault. I shouldn't have argued with you,】 Damien's inner voice said tenderly.

Tamara looked toward the lights. Although she was worried Damien would see her in such a pitiful state, she couldn't look away.

A group of people burst in, and Damien was utterly heartbroken to see her in such a state. Just as he was about to speak, Carol beat him to it next to him.

"Ms. Schmidt, did those men…"

Carol's eyes widened in disgust as though she was looking at something filthy.

Tamara was too weak to speak. As Damien stared at her, the worry in his eyes was replaced by indifference. The look of disgust in his eyes cut Tamara deeply.

"You're tainted, Tamara," Damien said solemnly.

Tamara's blood ran cold. She couldn't believe Damien could be so indifferent at a time like this. Soon, his inner voice gave her the answer.

【In the car, Carol said Tammy must realize she has nothing left, and I'm the only one who accepts her. That way, she won't leave me for the rest of her life. I'm sorry, Tammy. I didn't say that on purpose. I just want you to be solely mine.】

This was ridiculous. Anger surged through Tamara, and she passed out.

Before losing consciousness, she saw Damien rushing toward her anxiously and pulling her into his arms tightly.

When she woke, she was on the huge, luxurious bed in the Rayleigh family's villa. Beside the bed, Damien had fallen asleep while holding her hand.

Tamara stared at him, sweeping her gaze over his sharp eyebrows and deep-set features. This man was strikingly handsome.

When she was madly in love with him, Tamara loved staring at him, and a smile would spread across her face unconsciously. Before Carol's appearance, Tamara had thought Damien was a god-sent angel who would stay by her side forever.

But now, they could never return to the way things were. Feeling aggrieved, Tamara felt a sting at her nose, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Chapter 5

As though sensing Tamara's gaze, Damien woke up.

"How are you feeling, Tammy?" he asked. His voice was gentle, just like it used to be long ago.

Tamara offered no reply, turning her head to hide the tears in her eyes.

"Let's file for divorce, Damien."

Tamara's tone was calm, void of any emotion.

Suddenly, Damien lost his temper. "Tamara, what exactly happened? Don't you love me anymore?"

"No."

"You… You're now tainted, and nobody will accept you once you divorce me. I'm the only one who won't despise you. Don't you know that?"

"Damien, it disgusts me to be with you. You're the filthiest one!" Tamara glared at him with equal ferocity but was struck by a coughing fit from being too worked up. She turned her face away, as though she had seen something unworthy of her eyes.

Enraged, Damien pinned down her shoulders and turned her head to face him. "What did you say? Am I filthy?"

"Yes, you are—"

Before Tamara could finish speaking, Damien sealed her mouth with his. Violently, he tore off her clothes and undid his trousers.

"What are you doing? Damien, get your hands off me!"

"What if I refuse? Tamara, didn't you say that I'm filthy? Then I'll make you as filthy as I am!"

That night, Damien forced himself on her. A storm raged outside, interspersed with thunder and lightning, as though echoing Tamara's injustice. She cried the entire time, but Damien ignored her, venting his desire on her body violently.

When dawn broke, their naked bodies were covered in patches of blue and purple marks that they had left on each other.

"Tamara Schmidt, you can't survive without me," Damien muttered.

He believed he was the only one who could save her. In just three more months, they could undergo the exchange blood transfusion, and she would be his for the rest of her life.

Exhausted after a night of agony, Tamara fell asleep, a single tear hanging from the corner of her eye.

Damien, as though admiring a work of art, gently kissed her teary eyes before getting dressed and leaving the house.

At noon, he brought Carol back home again, but Tamara didn't ask what they were doing, which irritated Damien.

"You've been feeling down lately, so I've organized a cruise to help you relax. Carol is coming along to take care of you."

Tamara didn't object, thinking it wasn't a bad idea. Her life was on a countdown, so she wanted to enjoy herself one last time.

The cruise was relaxing and pleasant. Tamara ignored all of Damien's thoughts and actions and even disregarded Carol's provocation.

But on the third day, Tamara saw Sarah's last keepsake for her—an emerald bracelet—on Carol's wrist. Hysterically, she demanded to know how Carol had gotten it.

"Mr. Rayleigh gave this to me as a reward for taking care of you."

"Take it off right now! That's not something a person like you should touch. Give it back to me—" Tamara demanded, but a coughing fit interrupted her.

She tried to snatch the bracelet from Carol, but Carol slipped it off her wrist and toyed with it in her palm. Then, feigning carelessness, she let it fall into the sea.

"You're a bitch!"

As Tamara watched Sarah's keepsake vanish into the deep blue water, she abandoned all restraint and rushed toward the edge, ready to leap overboard to retrieve it. Just as her hands touched the railing, a pair of strong arms pulled her back.

"Tamara, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"That was my mother's last gift. How could you give it away without my permission?"

Tamara slumped to the floor, tears streaming down her face. In an instant, the light in her eyes went out.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rayleigh. I didn't do it on purpose. I wanted to remove the bracelet to return it to Ms. Schmidt, but the wind was too strong, and my hand slipped… I'm sorry. I can compensate—"

"How are you going to compensate me?" Tamara hollered.

Damien didn't blame Carol, since he was the one who had given her the bracelet.

"That's enough, Tammy. It's just a bracelet. I'll buy any one you like once we get back."

"They're not the same, Damien! Why are you doing this to me? Why…"

…

After returning from the cruise, Tamara changed. She no longer fought back and did everything Damien said.

Worried that there would be trouble before the surgery, Damien decided to keep her at home.

Every day, he brought her all sorts of rare jewelry—each piece so expensive it could have cost her kidneys. Every time, she accepted the gifts with a smile and carefully put them away as though she treasured them. Yet her smile lacked life, and she seemed like a soulless doll.

Damien disliked her emotionless demeanor and kept testing her by acting intimately with Carol. Because of this, Carol grew bolder, openly mocking Tamara and walking all over her.

One day, Carol accused Tamara of shoving her and even got Damien to back her up. While apologizing inwardly, Damien demanded that Tamara grovel and apologize to Carol.

Tamara grew weaker by the day. Silently, she did as she was told, but eventually, she could no longer endure it and collapsed.

Filled with anxiety, Damien rushed her to the hospital and secured the best doctor in the city. The doctor conducted a checkup, and just as he was about to report her condition, Damien received a call.

"Carol, take care of Tammy for me. There's information on the kidnappers from last time. I'm going to handle it."

"Don't worry, Mr. Rayleigh. I'll take good care of Ms. Schmidt," Carol said submissively.

After he left, the doctor informed Carol that Tamara was in critical condition. Even with surgery, she didn't have long to live.

Carol's eyes gleamed with delight. This was exactly what she wanted.

"Ms. Schmidt is now pregnant, but her body is simply too weak to carry the baby."

"Thank you. I'll tell Mr. Rayleigh everything."

Upon hearing that Tamara was pregnant, a vicious look flashed in Carol's eyes.

When Tamara awoke, Damien still hadn't returned, and Carol was seated by her bedside.

"Aren't you curious?"

Tamara stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes dull and expressionless. "About what?"

"Aren't you curious why Mr. Rayleigh isn't here to take care of you?"

"No."

Her nonchalance infuriated Carol. "You're no longer wealthy, your parents are dead, and your husband is cheating on you. How can you still act so high and mighty?"

Tamara suddenly laughed. All Carol ever did was pull petty tricks, none of which meant anything to her. In the end, everything Carol did was for the sake of a man, and that made her seem especially pathetic in Tamara's eyes.

"You're saying all this because you want me to admit Damien loves you and not me, right? But here's a reminder—don't fall for your own lies. Even if Damien is treating me this way, I'm the only one he loves."

"You…" Carol snorted. "Tamara Schmidt, be stubborn all you want. Whatever the case, you only have one month to live. Do you really think Mr. Rayleigh won't fall for the person who stays by his side and comforts him after you're gone?"

The words stung, but Tamara said nothing. Despite everything, she still loved Damien. But he had made mistakes, and she was about to die. All she felt now was regret.

Thinking Tamara was finally angry, Carol's mood brightened instantly.

While Carol was in the bathroom, Tamara quietly slipped out, disguised herself, and left the hospital. She walked out in a daze. Her escape was unexpectedly smooth, as though it were fate.

At the same time, Damien had captured the kidnappers and was in high spirits. He wanted to undergo the blood transfusion with Tamara ahead of schedule and be with her forever.

He believed she would be delighted and love him even more once she learned everything he had done for her. He told his driver to rush to the hospital so that he could share the good news with her personally.

Unbeknownst to him, he would never see Tamara again.