After the miscarriage, Sabrina Frye finally became the wife Nester Blackwell had always wanted.

She stopped sharing interesting details from her day with him, and no longer called him repeatedly when he stayed out all night.

Even when she was blackmailed, taken to the police station, and told she could only leave if a family member came to bail her out, she calmly said she had none and spent a week in detention.

Seven days later, the iron gates of the police station clanged open at dusk.

Sabrina had just stepped down the stairs when a black Maybach screeched to a halt in front of her. The door opened before Nester stepped out in a tailored luxury suit.

He was tall and lean with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Like always, he gave off a cold, elegant air.

He strode up to her and frowned slightly. "Sabrina, why didn't you call me when you were in trouble?"

She gave a faint smile. "I did, but was your phone turned on?"

Yesterday, an old man suddenly fell in front of her car as she made her way home from work. When she got out to help, he grabbed her arm and started shouting, "She hit me! She hit me and tried to flee!"

Footage from the security cameras proved her innocence, but regulations required a family member's signature for her release before she could leave.

When she said she had no family, the police didn't believe her. They pulled up her marriage records and found Nester's number.

They called, and the phone was apparently switched off. But even after they called again and again, it remained switched off.

Nester's expression shifted slightly. "Della had a stomachache last night. I took her to the hospital, and since she doesn't like noise, I turned my phone off."

He paused, then murmured, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Sabrina said. "I didn't expect you to come anyway. You should focus on your own things."

Her tone was too calm as she spoke, and her eyes were so placid they were like stagnant water without the slightest ripple.

Nester looked at her and suddenly grabbed her wrist. His hand was warm, and his grip was so tight that she frowned.

"Why aren't you upset?" he demanded, staring at her with confusion in his eyes. There was even a trace of unease he refused to acknowledge.

Sabrina found it almost amusing. "Why should I be? You have a reason, and I'm being understanding. There's nothing to get upset about."

"Sabrina—"

"I'm tired. I want to go home." She pulled her hand free and stepped around him toward the car.

Nester stayed where he was and watched her leave. She had lost a noticeable amount of weight after seven days apart. Even her shirt hung loosely on her frame.

Back then, if he neglected her, she would pout with red-rimmed eyes and plaintively ask him, "Nester, do you care about me at all?"

He used to think she was dramatic and immature. Now that she wasn't making a fuss or crying, he felt oddly unsettled to see her nod and say "okay" regardless of whatever he said.

The car ride home was silent.

In the front seat, the driver focused on the road while Sabrina sat by the window in the back, watching the city blur past.

She no longer looked at Nester the way she used to. There was a time her eyes would seek his the moment she stepped into the car, and be so full of him.

She no longer filled their private moments with chatter. In the past, even when his responses were cold, she would happily talk for hours on her own.

Right now, she sat in complete silence as if he didn't exist beside her at all.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you still upset about what happened back then?"

Sabrina turned to look at him with a calm gaze and replied, "No. It's all in the past."

"In the case, why—"

"Nester," she said, cutting him off. "What do you want from me? Do you want me to cling to you every day like before, or not make a fuss and give you all the freedom you want, like right now?"

Nester had no answer for her question. Of course, he wanted her not to make scenes or fight him over Della Green. But now that she had turned into the way he had always wanted, something felt… wrong.

Everything felt off.

"I just think you've changed," he said quietly.

Sabrina turned back to the window.

Had she changed?

Maybe, but that was the truth of it—a woman in love and a woman who had decided to walk away were never the same people.

The car plunged into silence once more. Nester was about to say something when his phone rang with a call from Della.

When he answered, her sticky, syrupy voice immediately came through. "Where are you, Nester? I'm at the mall, and I bought so much stuff I can't carry it all. Could you come get me?"

He glanced at Sabrina, who was still looking out the window as if she hadn't heard a thing.

A sudden wave of irritation washed over him. "You're an adult, Della. Stop counting on me for everything, and we have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"But you've spoiled me for so many years that I've gotten used to it," Della replied matter-of-factly. "You never said no whenever I asked you to pick me up."

His voice turned cold as he snapped, "That was before. You were my girlfriend then, but now I'm married."

"Married? Do you even love her?" She scoffed. "Stop lying to yourself, Nester. If you won't come, I'll just get another man to carry my stuff. There were plenty of men willing to do it anyway."

Nester clenched his phone.

Della knew him all too well to understand that he couldn't stand the thought of her turning to another man.

"Wait there," he said through gritted teeth, then hung up.

After taking a deep breath, he turned to Sabrina. "Sabrina, I—"

"I'll just grab a cab," she said, already pushing the door open. "Go pick her up."

She moved so fast that he barely had time to react.

"Sabrina!" he yelled before getting out to chase after her and grab her arm. "I swear that nothing's going on between Della and me, but we grew up together. Our families know each other, so I can't just cut her off completely."

Sabrina nodded. "I get it. I understand."

The way she always said "I get it" and "I understand" made her seem like an emotionless machine.

Seeing her so lifeless fed the fire in Nester's chest, but he received another call from Della, who incessantly urged him to come over.

"Go home. I'll be back later…"

He was about to say "later tonight", but Sabrina had flagged down a cab.

She got in, closed the door, and didn't bother to look back at him at all.

After the cab drove off, Nester stood where he was, watching the taillights disappear into the traffic. For the first time, he felt like something truly wasn't the same anymore.

Meanwhile, in the cab, Sabrina's phone rang. It was a call from her company's HR department.

"Congratulations, Ms. Frye! Your overseas posting has been approved!" the voice on the other end chirped. "You'll be heading to the Elyndorian headquarters, which is a rare, incredible opportunity.

"But will your husband be okay with it? You'll be indefinitely stationed there, and that's a long way to go for a long-distance relationship."

Sabrine watched the neon lights blur past beyond the windows and softly replied, "I don't have a husband.

"I filed for a divorce the same day I applied for the overseas posting, so I can leave once the divorce certificate is issued."

Chapter 2

The line went quiet for several seconds.

"Are you serious? You used to love your husband so much and gave up so many opportunities for him, so how could you just suddenly…"

Sabrina smiled and shook her head. "I don't love him anymore."

After hanging up, she leaned against the car window and closed her eyes.

For years, everyone knew she loved Nester to the point where she lost herself, until she felt utterly small and invisible. But now she was tired.

Loving a man whose heart would always belong to another woman was too exhausting.

As an 18-year-old freshman, she first saw Nester at her college's freshman awards ceremony.

The sun was bright that day. He stood on stage in a simple white shirt and black pants, radiant, untouchable, and as the golden boy of the school. Nearly every female student in the audience blushed, and Sabrina was no exception.

Still, no one had ever had the chance to get close to him because everyone knew that he only had eyes for Della, the childhood sweetheart he had grown up with.

Della was spoiled, dramatic, and temperamental, but Nester doted on her and indulged her. Everyone said he loved her to death.

For every second he spent loving Della, Sabrina spent loving him in the shadows, until Della stood him up at their wedding again and again.

On the first wedding, she claimed she was too young and not ready to be tied down by marriage. On the second, she blamed it on pre-wedding jitters, and on the third, she said she wasn't sure he loved her enough.

…

On the eve of the ninth wedding, Della called Nester from abroad. "I've thought it over and still feel that freedom matters more, Nester. Shall we not get married for now? I'll stay abroad and travel for a few years."

That time, Nester didn't run after her.

He sank into a slump for some time, then began accepting the blind dates his family arranged, one after another, but never made any progress beyond the first meeting.

When Sabrina heard, her heart raced wildly. She pulled every string she could and managed to secure a chance to be set up with him.

That day, as if possessed, she wore a dress identical to Della's. Nester froze the moment he saw Sabrina, just as she had expected.

He stared at her for a long time, then finally said, "Let's get married."

Sabrina's frantically beating heart sank in that instant. She knew that he was seeing someone else through her, despite looking at her.

Still, she nodded because she loved him so much that she wanted to stay by his side, even if his feelings were never meant for her.

After marriage, they treated each other with distant respect.

Nester treated her well. He was financially generous and gave her all the respect she deserved, but Sabrina knew that wasn't love.

He never initiated physical contact, but when she dressed like Della, he would lose himself, hold her close, and murmur, "Della."

Every time, she pretended not to hear.

…

Five years elapsed. Just when Sabrina thought life could go on this way, Della returned.

Sabrina was three months pregnant then.

One day, her stomach hurt terribly. When she clutched her belly and reached for her phone to call an ambulance, Della showed up at her door.

"So you're Sabrina Fyre? I heard you took my place while I was gone," Della said, studying her from head to toe with open disdain.

Sabrina's face was pale from the pain. She had no strength to argue, and all she wanted was to get to the hospital.

She tried to move past Della, who blocked her way.

In the scuffle, Sabrina couldn't bear it any longer and shoved Della away. The latter stumbled back and hit her head on the doorframe before blood immediately started streaming.

That night, Nester locked Sabrina in a dark room.

Her stomach hurt unbearably, almost like a blade was twisting inside her. She pounded on the door and cried out over and over again, "Nester… Save me… The baby… Our baby…"

Still, no one showed up for her.

As she curled up on the floor in agony, warm liquid flowed from between her legs. She reached down, and her hands came back covered in blood.

Eventually, she passed out from the pain.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital, and the baby was gone. Nester stood by the bed and looked at her with guilt in his eyes.

"This is all my fault. After you're discharged, we can try for another baby.

"If you hadn't pushed Della, I wouldn't have locked you up. She has a blood-clotting disorder, so that push nearly killed her, and I panicked.

"I can make up for it…"

Sabrina had laughed then, until tears streamed down her face. "Nester, do you think there's any compensation that can make up for a lost life?"

That was the first and last time she cried in front of him, and from then on, she changed. She quietly filed for divorce and applied for an overseas posting at her company.

To Sabrina, what happened between him and Della didn't matter anymore—because she no longer loved him.

Chapter 3

Sabrina went home alone.

The villa was huge, hollow, and cold. After changing her shoes, she went upstairs and started packing.

To be honest, she had recently sorted through most of her belongings. This was just the final sweep.

From the closet, she took out all the clothes that resembled Della's style. One by one, she folded them neatly and placed them into the suitcase. She would never wear them again.

The sound of the door opening came from downstairs.

Della stood at the foot of the stairs. Seeing Sabrina, she smiled sweetly. "Long time no see, Sabrina."

When Sabrina didn't respond, Nester awkwardly explained, "Della wanted to check on Snowball. She said she hasn't seen him in a long time."

Snowball was a dog Nester and Della had raised when they were together. After Della went abroad, Snowball stayed with Nester.

Sabrina had been the one taking care of Snowball ever since she married Nester.

"Whatever," Sabrina said, turning back toward her room.

"Snowball! Snowball!" Della was already crouched down, clapping her hands to call Snowball over.

A white Bichon Frise came running from the corner. Seeing Della, he excitedly pounced and wagged his tail like a propeller.

"Oh my, he still remembers me. It looks like he still recognizes me as his only mom after being raised by another woman all these years." She hugged Snowball, laughing hard.

Listening to the clear provocation in her words, Sabrina halted in her steps.

Nester frowned. "Della, you left abroad without a word and didn't even take him with you. You lost the right to call yourself his mom a long time ago.

"Now that you've seen him, you can leave."

Della pouted. "It's dark and raining outside, so it isn't safe for me to go home alone. Can I… stay the night?"

Nester was about to refuse, but it was true that rain began to pour outside, accompanied by rolling thunder. He instinctively looked at Sabrina, ready to convince her to agree.

In the past, every time Della came by, Sabrina would make a scene, and he would have to spend ages calming her down. But before he could speak, she did.

"The guest room's at the very end of the first floor. The sheets and bedding are clean," she said evenly. "Stay if you want."

With that, she turned and returned to her room.

Nester was stunned, and Della was equally taken aback, before she burst out laughing and looped her arm through his. "Look, Nester! Even your wife agreed."

Staring at Sabrina's closed door, Nester couldn't help that strange unease from rising again. He yanked Della off and snapped, "Behave yourself!"

That was when his phone rang with a work call.

He glanced at her and said, "Stay put and don't cause trouble."

After he disappeared into the study, Della was left alone in the living room. The smile vanished from her face as she walked to Sabrina's door and knocked.

When Sabrina opened the door, Della was leaning against the doorframe, sizing her up. "Stop pretending to be generous. Do you think letting me stay will make Nester think you're understanding?

"It won't work, Sabrina. I'll show you just how badly you've lost. Not only have you failed to win Nester's heart, but you couldn't even win Snowball's."

She whistled, and Snowball ran over.

"Snowball," Della said, pointing at Sabrina. "Go and bite her."

Snowball briefly hesitated, but under Della's urging, he pounced and bit Sabrina's calf.

Caught off guard, Sabrina cried out in pain, and her face immediately paled.

Della laughed in satisfaction. "See? You can't even tame a dog, so how could you delusionally think you could steal Nester from me? You'd better give up now."

Pain and humiliation sent a chill through Sabrina's body, but she bit her lip hard and refused to let another sound escape.

When she looked up at Della, her eyes were icy. "You forgot something, Della. Every shared area in this villa, including the stairs and hallways, has 24-hour surveillance. It includes a comprehensive audio and video recording service.

"If you want to stay here tonight and rekindle things with Nester, I suggest you stop provoking me, or I'll show him the footage. Do you think he'll still let you stay?"

Della's expression fell, but Sabrina didn't bother looking at her again and turned around to shut the door. She walked up to the bed, took a medical kit from the drawer, and treated the wound.

The antiseptic stung the wound with a sharp, fiery pain, but her expression didn't change in the slightest. After tending to the wound, she lay in bed and closed her eyes.

Without warming milk for Nester, waiting for him to finish his work, or saying goodnight like she usually did, she went straight to sleep.

In the middle of the night, she woke up choking violently on smoke. When she opened her eyes, the room was thick with smoke.

Frantically, she stumbled out of bed and opened the door to see the hallway ablaze with flames. There was a fire in the house!

Bracing herself against the wall, she moved outward step by step. But only after a few paces, she felt too weak from inhaling too much smoke and collapsed onto the floor with her legs giving out.

The floor was scorching. Sabrina struggled to get up, but couldn't muster the slightest strength at all.

Just as she thought she might die there, a figure burst through the flames. It was Nester!

He was in his pajamas, his face smeared with snot as he anxiously looked around.

Sabrina wanted to call out to him, but her throat was burned raw by the smoke, so she couldn't make a sound.

She stretched out her hand and hoped he would see her, but he didn't even glance her way. Instead, he rushed into a corner of the room, where Snowball was all curled up and trembling.

Nester scooped him up and turned away, not once looking back at her.

As Sabrina watched him disappear into the flames, she suddenly started laughing until tears streamed down her face.

He was here to save Snowball. Perhaps to him, she wasn't even worth as much as a dog.

Chapter 4

The smoke grew thicker. With every breath Sabrina took, her consciousness began to blur.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up against the wall and staggered toward the door. But a fallen beam blocked the exit, and there was no way out.

Sabrina stared at the burning beam in despair, then turned and ran for the window. When she shoved it open, cold air rushed in and cleared her head just a little.

She looked down just in time to see Nester sprint out of the villa with Snowball in his arms. Della threw herself at him.

"Nester! You gave me such a fright!" Della pitifully cried out. "I thought Snowball was going to die in there… We raised him together for so many years, so he's a witness to our love…"

Nester stiffened, as if he was about to push her away. But seeing how hard she was crying, he eventually raised his hand and gently patted her on the back, murmuring words of comfort, "Don't cry. Everything's okay now. Both you and Snowball are fine."

Watching the scene, Sabrina felt as though an icy hand had seized her heart, then abruptly let go. It left behind only a vast, numb emptiness.

She stopped counting on anyone.

After climbing onto the windowsill, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and jumped.

The moment was over almost instantly. She didn’t even have time to feel fear before she hit the ground with a deafening crash.

Intense pain swept through her entire body. She lay on the ground as warm blood spread beneath her.

"Mrs. Blackwell! Mrs. Blackwell jumped!" a housekeeper screamed.

"Sabrina!"

When Nester spun around and saw Sabrina lying in a pool of blood, the expression on his face was a look she had never seen before. He was filled with shock, disbelief, and a flicker of… panic.

She looked at him and parted her lips as if to speak, only to cough up a mouthful of blood. Then, everything went black.

…

Sabrina woke up to the sharp smell of disinfectant and a white ceiling above her. When she moved slightly, her whole body ached. There was an especially piercing, bone-deep pain in her legs.

"Sabrina!" Nester's voice sounded beside her.

She turned her head and saw him at her bedside. His eyes were bloodshot, and stubble shadowed his jaw, so he looked utterly haggard.

He grabbed her hand, and his voice shook as he bombarded her with questions. "You're awake! How do you feel? Are you in pain anywhere?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled her hand out of his grasp with slow but unwavering determination.

Nester's hand hung frozen in midair, and his expression shifted slightly. He assumed she was mad about the fire and the jump, and blamed him for not saving her first.

So, he lowered his voice and tried to explain. "Sabrina, I didn't see you anywhere when I went into the room and thought you'd escaped. That's why I only took Snowball.

"He's not just a dog. He's—"

What was Snowball? Was he a token of Nester and Della's love, or a witness to their beautiful, cherished moments?

"Since you were in the room, why didn't you call out to me?" Nester demanded.

Why hadn't Sabrina called out to him?

That question finally prompted her to look up at him. Her dark, deep eyes held no resentment or expectation, and only a deep, unfathomable calmness.

"Because I no longer expect anything from you."

Nester violently jolted as if he had been struck hard. His pupils constricted as he stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean… you have no expectations?"

His voice sounded dry to his ears. It felt as though her words had suddenly hollowed out his heart from his chest and let in a cold, unfamiliar air.

Sabrina calmly looked at him as if he were a stranger. "Exactly what it sounds like. I don't expect you to save me, choose me, or love me."

Nester's heart shook violently. He was about to speak when his phone rang with a call from Della.

After walking up to the window, he answered the phone with his back to Sabrina.

She couldn't hear the specifics and only saw the tension in his back. His tone shifted from initial impatience to suppressed resignation, finally ending with a subdued "I get it".

He hung up and returned to the bed, looking troubled. When he looked up at Sabrina, it seemed almost like he wanted to speak, but stopped on second thought.

"Go ahead," she said in that usual, suffocatingly calm voice before he could speak. "I don't need anyone here."

When Nester looked at her, his chest felt clogged like it was stuffed with damp cotton, making it hard to breathe.

Even after opening his mouth, all he managed to do was say, "Della ran into some trouble. I… need to deal with it, and I'll be back soon."

After a pause, he added, "I know you're mad about what happened before and said everything you did out of spite. But don't worry; nothing like that will happen again.

"Emma's death anniversary is coming up in a few days. Let's visit her together."

Sabrina's lowered lashes faintly trembled.

"Mom's death anniversary is on the same day as Della's birthday," she said with a soft laugh. "Aren't you going to spend Della's birthday with her instead?"

Nester clearly hadn't expected Sabrina to bring up Della's birthday suddenly, and his expression stiffened subtly.

After several seconds of silence, he avoided her gaze and stiffly replied, "What does her birthday have to do with me?"

Sabrina laughed.

How could Della's birthday have nothing to do with him? For five years of their marriage, Nester was busy on this exact date every year.

In the first year, he had excused himself for a business trip, and in the second, he had a meeting. In the third year, he had plans for a business dinner with a client.

Later, Sabrina learned the truth that the death anniversary of her mom, Emma Middleton, fell on the same date as Della's birthday.

Every year, Nester would fly for hours across the globe just to stand outside Della's door all night and leave a gift before turning away. Now that Della was back this year, he could see her in person and express his love more freely than ever.

"Oh, is that so?" Sabrina murmured, then said nothing more. She closed her eyes again, clearly exhausted and completely shutting him out.

Her indifference ignited frustrated anger in Nester's chest, but there was nowhere he could vent it.

When he stared at her pale face and the tightly shut eyes, he wanted to say, "Nothing is going on between Della and me anymore, so don't make this something it isn't."

But that eventually went unsaid.

All he could do was say, "Get some rest. I'll come back later."

With that, he turned and rushed out of the ward.

Chapter 5

In the days that followed, Sabrina stayed at the hospital and recovered in peace.

Nester came by a few times, bringing expensive supplements and fresh flowers. He never stayed long, and his phone was always ringing.

Sabrina never complained or made a fuss. Regardless of what he said, she would answer with a soft hum, leaving him feeling strangely frustrated and powerless.

On the day of her discharge, Nester brought flowers and took her to the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

As the increasingly familiar scenery outside the window flashed past, a sense of irony rose in Sabrina's chest. Despite them being married for five years, this was the first time Nester came to pay respects to Emma formally as a son-in-law.

The cemetery was quiet as the wind rustled through the pines and cypresses.

Standing before the gravestone, Nester stared for a long time at the woman in the photo, whose features closely resembled Sabrina's.

After a long silence, he finally murmured in a dry voice, "Emma, I'm sorry it took me so many years to come see you.

"I'll take good care of Sabrina from now on, so don't worry. I won't let her suffer again."

Sabrina looked at Emma's gentle smile on the gravestone and wore a numb expression.

"Mom, did you hear that? The man I loved for ten years says he'll take good care of me from now on, but it's too late. The words came so late that I don't need them anymore," she muttered inwardly.

After paying their respects, Nester took Sabrina to a restaurant she had always wanted to visit.

It was an exclusive Faehavenese restaurant notoriously hard to book. She had said countless times she wanted to try it out, but he always said he was too busy.

Today, he reserved the entire restaurant and arranged a candlelit dinner.

"I remember you saying you wanted to come here," he said, pulling out her chair. "See if the food suits your taste."

Sabrina took her seat and looked at the beautifully plated dishes spread before her, feeling nothing at all.

Halfway through dinner, Nester's phone rang again with a usual call from Della. Her angry voice was so loud that Sabrina could hear it clearly.

"Nester! You spent days hosting this grand birthday party for me, so why aren't you here yourself?"

Nester frowned and glanced at Sabrina, who was elegantly and calmly cutting her steak, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

"I have something to deal with," he said quietly.

"What could be more important than my birthday?" Della snapped. "You have to come right now, or I'm not celebrating at all!"

Pestered beyond patience, Nester hung up the phone. He turned to Sabrina and was about to explain when she set down her knife and fork.

"Go ahead. I'm done eating anyway," she said.

"Sabrina, Della just got back from abroad. She wanted to gather all her friends, but didn't know how to plan events, so I helped her out. I didn't mean anything else by it," Nester explained.

"I get it. I understand." Sabrina nodded. It was the same old phrase again.

Irritation flared in Nester's chest once more before he suddenly said, "I'll take you there. The party's nearby anyway. We'll just make an appearance and leave; just think of it as a little break."

Sabrina wanted to refuse, but he was already on his feet. "Let's go."

Della's birthday party was hosted in the ballroom of a luxury hotel. When Nester and Sabrina arrived, it was already packed.

Dressed in a red gown, Della stood like a proud peacock at the center of the crowd. When she saw Nester, her eyes lit up before she gathered her dress and ran over.

"Nester! You're finally here!"

Without hesitation, she hooked her arm through his and completely ignored Sabrina beside him.

"Della."

Nester frowned and tried to pull away, but Della wheedled. "Dance the opening dance with me, Nester. It's been a while since you've danced with me."

When Nester glanced at Sabrina, she was looking elsewhere, seemingly absorbed in admiring the paintings on the wall.

"Sabrina…" he began.

"Go ahead," she said. "I'll grab some food over there."

With that, she turned and walked toward the buffet table.

Nester was utterly stunned. In the past, just talking to Della would have made Sabrina blink at him with reddened eyes. But now, she was actively pushing him toward Della.