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Synopsis
Everyone on Wall Street knew how much Julian Vance despised his ex, Vivian.
When the Vance family went bankrupt years ago, Vivian dumped him without a second thought.
Later, Julian clawed his way back onto the billionaire ranks and chose to marry me in a merger of convenience. People gradually forgot about their past.
Until the gala, when Vivian and I both tumbled down the grand staircase.
Julian caught me firmly in his arms, leaving Vivian to crash violently onto the marble floor.
That accident left Vivian in a coma, a vegetative state.
For the next seven hundred days and nights, Julian stayed glued to her bedside, consumed by suffocating regret.
He held Vivian's hand, whispering over and over that he had only caught me out of spite—to get back at her.
When the doctors finally said Vivian might never wake up, Julian snapped.
He grabbed me by the collar, demanding to know why it wasn't me lying in that hospital bed, forcing me onto my knees to atone for her.
He orchestrated the downfall of my family's company, driving us to bankruptcy, and locked me away in the basement.
Until Vivian finally woke up.
Julian stood before me, looking down with cold disdain.
"As long as Vivian forgives you, I'll drop this."
I lay collapsed on the freezing basement floor. Pain tore through my bones with every breath, leaving me without even the strength to lift a hand.
He had no idea I was dying.
The light pouring in through the open doorway was blinding. I instinctively raised an arm to shield my eyes.
Julian walked up to me, looking down from his towering height.
"What are you playing at, Claire?"
"It's not like I starved you. Do you really need to act this pathetic?"
I reached out, clutching the hem of his slacks, weakly murmuring,
"Julian... it hurts."
I curled into a tight ball, cold sweat soaking my hair.
Julian's gaze softened for a fraction of a second as he saw my furrowed brows. After a long pause, he let out a faint sigh.
"Where does it hurt? Your period?"
He lifted me from the floor, and I let myself collapse onto the bed.
One of his hands rested gently over my lower stomach, while the other brushed away the cold sweat from my temples with his sleeve.
During our first two years together, my cramps had always been unbearable.
Back then, he would wrap his arms around me from behind, holding me tight all night long.
Those days were long gone.
And that wasn't where the pain was coming from.
His phone rang sharply. He answered, his tone instantly softening.
"You just woke up. Didn't the doctor tell you to stay under observation for a few more days?"
"Alright. I'll come to the hospital and pick you up right now. Wait for me."
A brief pause, his eyes drifting back down to me.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure she answers to you."
When he looked at me again, his face was once again an icy mask.
"I'm going to the hospital to bring Vivian home."
"Clean up the house. Make sure Vivian is comfortable."
He turned to leave, took a few steps, and then stopped.
He pointed at the sheet beneath me.
"Change that sheet, too. You're filthy."
Silence settled back over the room as my consciousness slowly drifted back.
Hours passed before I gathered enough strength to drag myself out of bed.
Fresh flowers and scented candles lined the living room downstairs—clearly prepared for Vivian's homecoming.
I slipped out of the villa and hailed a cab to the hospital.
In the examination room, the doctor looked at my scans and let out a heavy sigh.
"Ms. Sterling, I strongly urge you to admit yourself immediately."
"Bone cancer is excruciating. You cannot afford to delay treatment any longer."
I bit my lower lip, keeping my head down in silence.
"Where is your family?"
I shook my head, tears falling silently onto my lap.
"I don't have any family."
After the Sterling Group went under, my father leapt from the seventeenth floor.
My mother suffered a fatal heart attack the moment she heard the news.
As for Julian, his entire world revolved around Vivian.
I clenched my fists, my voice trembling.
"Given my condition... how much time do I have left?"
The doctor's words hit me like a sledgehammer.
"Less than a month."I dragged my heavy steps back to the house. Julian's car was already parked in the driveway.
My belongings had been bundled up and thrown onto the porch, including the bedsheet I had just been lying on.
In the corner, the plush teddy bear my mother had given me had rolled into a puddle of dirty water, half its face soaked through.
I knelt down, picked it up, and clutched it to my chest.
Inside, Vivian sat in the center of the sofa, her legs resting across Julian's lap.
Julian glanced up, his brow furrowing deep the second he saw me.
"Didn't I tell you to clean the house?"
"Where the hell have you been?"
I looked at him and asked in a low voice,
"Why did you throw my things out?"
Julian turned to glance at Vivian's expression.
"Vivian doesn't want to live under the same roof as the person who almost killed her."
I stood frozen, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion sweeping over me.
Just because Julian had chosen to catch me a year ago during that freak accident, everyone branded me as the monster who put Vivian into a coma.
Even though I hadn't pushed her. I hadn't done anything.
Julian stood up. Seeing my deathly pale face, a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.
"Just apologize to Vivian."
"If she forgives you, we'll let this go."
"Your family's estate is seized anyway. It's not like you have anywhere else to go."
Another apology.
I had lost count of how many times I had apologized over the past year.
When Vivian first fell into the coma, Julian had forced me to kneel by her bed every single day.
Her family cornered me outside her room, screaming that I should pay with my life.
I had said I'm sorry so many times the words had lost all meaning.
I walked forward, meeting Vivian's smug, condescending gaze.
"I'm sorry."
Vivian tilted her head up and offered a sickeningly sweet smile.
"It's fine."
"Since Julian says you have nowhere to go, you can stay."
I glanced at Julian. The doctor's words echoed in my ears.
Even if I told him, would he even care?
Julian stepped forward, reaching out to grab the soggy bear from my arms.
"Why did you bring this trash back inside?"
"You're tracking dirt everywhere."
I quickly pulled my hands behind my back, terrified he would see the dark bruises on my arms.
Catching nothing but air, Julian scowled.
"If you want to keep it, take it to your room. Don't leave it out here."
I walked upstairs in silence, Julian's tender, doting voice drifting from behind me.
I couldn't help but look back, punishing myself as I watched them cuddle close.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Seafood?"
Vivian nodded, looping her arm around his.
I pressed a hand against my chest, feeling the dull ache throbbing deep inside.
At dinner, Julian continuously loaded Vivian's plate with food.
I held my bowl, quietly eating plain rice.
Seeing this, Julian picked up a piece of spicy crab and placed it in my bowl.
A brief warmth sparked in my chest, but remembering the oncologist's strict warnings against spicy seafood, I quietly nudged it aside with my fork.
Julian slammed his fork onto the table with a loud clatter.
"What's with the attitude now, Claire?"
I looked up, dazed.
Then I realized he was glaring at the untouched crab.
My doctor had strictly forbidden shellfish and spicy food.
I shook my head, feeling helpless.
"Sorry. I don't have much of an appetite."
I set my fork down and headed upstairs.
That night, Julian banged on my door.
He stood in the hallway, his face stormier than I had ever seen.
Vivian was clinging to his chest, her eyes red, sniffling as if she had just wept her heart out.
My grip on the doorknob tightened.
"Did you steal Vivian's necklace?"I blinked, confused.
"What necklace?"
Vivian straightened up and spoke first.
"I was kind enough to let you stay, and you repay me by stealing from me?"
"That necklace was Julian's gift to me when we were dating."
"I cherished it so much I barely ever wore it."
Tears spilled down her cheeks, looking frail and helpless.
"Ms. Sterling, please give it back to me right now."
Panic surged through me. I waved my hands frantically.
"I swear, I haven't seen any necklace!"
Julian looked at me, pure disappointment in his eyes.
"Claire, if you wanted jewelry, I could have bought you whatever you wanted."
"Vivian just woke up. Stop upsetting her."
With a single sentence, he condemned me.
I bit my lip, on the verge of tears.
"I really didn't touch it."
Vivian blinked innocently and gestured toward my room.
"Only the three of us live here. You were the only one who came upstairs during dinner."
"Whether you took it or not, we'll know once we search your room."
Julian moved to step inside.
Instinctively, I spread my arms wide, blocking the doorway.
"No! You can't search my room!"
Vivian tugged at Julian's arm.
"See, Julian? She's hiding something."
Julian looked at me, the last shred of his patience snapping.
He shoved me aside.
I stumbled back, my lower back slamming violently against the metal door handle.
A blinding, piercing pain shot through my spine. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead, and I collapsed onto the floor, curling into myself.
Julian looked down, a flash of alarm crossing his face.
He reached out to help me up, but Vivian's gasp cut him off.
"Oh my god, Julian, look!"
Julian followed her gaze. The display cabinet in the corner was completely empty.
That cabinet used to be filled with the luxury bags and diamond jewelry Julian had bought me over the years.
Even though ours had started as a strategic marriage, he had treated me generously and showered me with extravagant gifts to keep me happy.
Now, every single shelf was bare.
Julian turned back to me, his voice dangerously low.
"Care to explain this, Claire?"
"Where are all the things I bought you?"
Leaning against the doorframe, I forced myself to stand, my vision blurring.
I answered in a hoarse, raspy whisper:
"I sold them."
Julian froze. Then, he let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
He took a threatening step forward, looming over me.
"Were you really that desperate for cash?"
I wanted to scream yes.
The scans cost money. The pain meds cost money. The chemotherapy cost money.
I had asked him for money once.
Back then, his eyes were only on Vivian. He had tossed a crumpled hundred-dollar bill at my face like I was a beggar.
I had begged him to come to the clinic with me, but he had brushed it off, claiming I was faking an illness just to compete with Vivian for his attention.
Now, the words caught in my throat, choking me into silence.
Vivian crossed her arms, gloating.
"Guess we don't need to look for my necklace anymore."
"She probably already pawned it."
"Honestly, Julian, you should check who she's giving all that money to. Maybe she's keeping a secret lover outside."
Julian's face went pitch-black.
Whatever concern he had felt evaporated, replaced by icy disgust.
"Vivian took pity on you and let you stay, and you repaid her by robbing her blind."
"You truly aren't worth feeling sorry for, Claire."
"Get out of my house."
He turned to leave. In a panic, I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.
I gathered every ounce of strength left in me, my voice shaking uncontrollably.
"Julian... I'm sick."Julian paused, looking back at me with a cold sneer.
"Sick?"
"Don't tell me you have some terminal illness."
"You see Vivian just got discharged, so now you're trying to pull this stunt to get my attention?"
"Claire, don't you think your games are getting a little pathetic?"
I looked up at him. The disappointment in his eyes had turned into utter revulsion.
Vivian leaned against him, her chest pressed tight against his arm.
I bowed my head, tears splashing onto the hardwood floor.
Whatever faint courage I had scraped together shattered instantly.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I hastily wiped the wetness from my face.
"Never mind."
"I won't bother you two anymore."
Clutching the dirty plush bear, I turned and walked out of the Vance mansion.
Julian took half a step forward as if to follow, but Vivian stopped him.
"Julian, my head hurts... The doctor said I need to rest."
He froze in his tracks, then led her back toward the master bedroom.
The late autumn air was biting cold. I walked down the deserted streets until my ears were completely numb.
In the end, I returned to the old Sterling estate.
The front doors of the mansion were sealed with bank foreclosure notices, but luckily, the tool shed in the back garden remained unlocked.
In the courtyard, the wooden swing my dad had built for me swayed gently in the wind.
I wanted so badly to sit on it, but the searing pain in my spine wouldn't let me bend.
Dying here wouldn't be so bad.
I stayed in that shed for two days.
A window pane had shattered at some point, letting the freezing wind howl through the cracks.
By the second night, a raging fever took hold of me. Every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass.
On the third day, Julian and Vivian's engagement announcement flooded my entire social feed.
I stared at their glamorous photoshoot on my phone for a long time, until my gaze finally settled on the diamond ring on my left hand.
It was the three-stone engagement ring Julian had proposed with a year ago.
It should fetch enough to cover my final hospitalization costs.
Even during my darkest, most broke days, I had never considered pawning this ring.
Now, it meant nothing.
I braced myself against the wooden wall and stood up, stepping out into the biting wind.
At the pawnshop, the jeweler inspected the ring under a loupe, scowling and complaining that the facets were severely scratched.
I must have scraped it against the floor during my agonizing fits of pain.
He only offered me a thousand dollars.
I stayed silent for a long moment, then nodded.
Three years of love, boiled down to a thousand bucks.
I took a cab to the hospital.
The doctor took one look at my frail, hollow frame and let out a deep sigh.
My vision was growing blurry. Every cell in my body screamed in agony.
The doctor looked at me with unbearable pity.
"Ms. Sterling, you should have come sooner."
I didn't answer. I followed the nurse toward the billing counter to pay my deposit.
At a quiet hallway intersection, Julian and I brushed past each other.
The pain was so intense I couldn't even keep my eyes open, while he was entirely focused on Vivian beside him.
Only after my silhouette disappeared around the corner did Julian freeze in his tracks.
The words I said before I walked out suddenly flashed in his mind.
“Julian... I'm sick.”
He stood rooted to the spot. Vivian tugged at his sleeve, urging him on.
"Julian? What's wrong?"
He shook his head, but his feet couldn't stay still.
"Wait here for a second, Vivian."
He walked away, ignoring Vivian calling his name behind him.
Julian caught up to the nurse who had just escorted me.
"Excuse me... That girl just now, what is she admitted for?"
The nurse looked in the direction he pointed and sighed softly.
"You mean Ms. Sterling?"
"Such a shame. So young, yet it's terminal bone cancer."
"No family around to care for her either."
"She doesn't have much time left."
Julian stood frozen as if struck by lightning, his face draining of all color.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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