In the hospital corridor, Keith Rogers said grimly while holding a biopsy report, "Olivia, the results are out. If the surgery is successful, your survival rate is 15 to 30 percent."

Olivia gripped the strap of her sling bag tightly with her slender fingers. Her petite face was pale and solemn. "Keith, how long do I have left to live if I don't do the surgery?"

"Six months to a year. It's different for everyone. In your case, it's better to do two rounds of pre-therapy first before the surgery. It will prevent the risk of spreading or undergoing metastasis."

Olivia bit her lip while forcing out, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'll arrange for you to be admitted to the hospital right away," said Keith.

"There's no need. I don't plan to receive treatment. I won't be able to get through it," Olivia said.

Keith wanted to say something more, but Olivia tipped her head at him. "Keith, please help me keep this a secret. I don't want my family to worry."

The Fordham family was bankrupt. Olivia already had to bend over backward just to cover the medical expenses of her father, Jeff Fordham. If her family knew about her illness, it would undoubtedly make the situation worse.

Keith sighed helplessly and said, "Don't worry. I'll keep my lips sealed. I heard that you're married. Your husband—"

"Keith, please take good care of my dad. I have to go now." Olivia seemed very reluctant to talk about this and left quickly before he could answer. Keith shook his head.

Rumor had it that she had dropped out of university and gotten married. The top genius in medical school had fallen from grace into devastation.

Throughout the two years of her father's treatment, she was the only one who took care of everything. Even when she had collapsed from illness and was sent to the hospital by passersby, her husband had never shown up.

Thinking back, Ethan had truly treated her well in the year they had gotten married. Alas, when his first love returned to the country, everything changed.

There was once when Olivia, who also had baby, fell into the water with Marina Carlton, his first love. Amidst her struggles, she saw him swimming toward Marina with all his might. Due to the ordeal, she and Marina both went into labor prematurely.

Olivia had been rescued too late and missed the optimal window for receiving treatment. By the time she arrived at the hospital, her baby had been gone. Seven days on, Ethan asked for a divorce, but she had not agreed to it.

Now that she knew about her illness, she could not deny it any longer. She dialed his number with shaking hands, and he picked up after the third ring.

He said coldly, "I won't see you unless it's to get divorced."

Tears filled Olivia's eyes as she forced herself to swallow her words about her illness. Marina's voice suddenly came over the phone in the background. "Ethan, it's time for the pediatric check-up."

The tears that Olivia had held back for a long time flowed down her face that instant. Her child was gone and her family was ruined, but he now had a family with someone else. It was time for all this to be over.

She no longer begged him like before. Instead, she said weakly, "Ethan, let's get a divorce."

Ethan was obviously stunned for a moment over the phone. He laughed coldly and said, "Olivia, what tricks are you playing this time?"

Olivia closed her eyes and said, "I'll wait for you at home."

It took all of her strength to hang up on him, and she slid to the ground against the wall. The rain blowing into the corridor drenched her as she gripped her phone and bit her sleeve while crying soundlessly.

Ethan stared at his phone blankly after she hung up on him abruptly.

After a year of the silent treatment where she refused to divorce no matter what, why had she suddenly changed her mind today? Her voice sounded tearful as well.

Gazing out at the heavy rain, Ethan walked out of the ward.

"Ethan, where are you going?" asked Marina while chasing after him with the babies in her arms. When she saw him walking away quickly, her gentle expression immediately grew frighteningly dark.

Olivia! She still wouldn't give up!

It had been a long time since Ethan had last stepped into the house they shared during their marriage. He had expected to see the dining table laden with his favorite dishes prepared by Olivia, but the villa was dark and empty.

The sky always darkened too early during autumn. Night had fallen although it was only 6 pm.

Ethan spotted a vase of wilted flowers on the dining table. Knowing Olivia, she wouldn't leave wilted flowers sitting on the table, so there was only one possible explanation.

She hadn't been home recently and had most likely been taking care of her father at the hospital.

When Olivia opened the door, she saw a tall man standing by the dining table in a suit. The expression on his handsome face was as cold as ice and his dark eyes were filled with deep hatred.

Olivia was soaked from the run from the car to the house in the rain. When his icy gaze fell on her, a chill went down her spine. "Where were you?" Ethan asked frigidly.

Olivia's eyes, which always gleamed in the past, were dull at that moment. She looked at him indifferently and said, "Since when did you care about me?"

Ethan sneered and said, "You won't be able to sign the papers if something happened to you."

His words stabbed her heart like sharp needles. She dragged her feet forward, dripping wet. She did not cry or make a fuss but calmly pulled out the documents from an envelope.

"Don't worry, I've already signed them," she said.

She put the document on the dining table, and Ethan realized that he had never found the word "divorce" so displeasing in his life. Olivia only had one request, which was an alimony of ten million dollars.

"I was wondering why you would suddenly agree to divorce. Turns out it's for money," he mocked. His scornful expression filled her vision.

The old Olivia would have defended herself, but she was just too exhausted now. So, she only stood where she was and said softly, "By right, I could have taken half of your net worth, Mr. Miller. But I only asked you for ten million dollars. When it comes down to it, I'm still being benevolent."

Ethan stepped forward, casting a long shadow over Olivia. He held her chin with his slender fingers and said in a deep, cold voice, "What did you call me?"

"Mr. Miller, if you don't like this form of address, then I don't mind referring to you as my ex-husband. You can leave after signing the papers."

Her arrogant expression displeased Ethan. "This is my house. Who gave you the right to ask me to leave?" he said.

Olivia smirked and said, "Indeed, I do not have the right. Don't worry, Mr. Miller. I will move out after receiving the divorce certificate."

With that, she slapped his hand away and looked him right in the eye. She said icily, "Mr. Miller, bring your documents to the City Hall at 9 am tomorrow. I'll see you there."

In the dark of night, Olivia stood alone in the bathroom. The hot water chased away her chills. She rubbed her swollen red eyes and walked to a room.

When she opened the door, a warmly furnished children's room lay before her. She pressed a button lightly, and mellow music from a music box filled the room.

The room was lit with yellow lights. The atmosphere was undoubtedly homely, but Olivia wept unstoppably.

God must have decided to take her life because she had failed to save her baby's.

She climbed onto the cot that was barely more than three feet long and curled up into a fetal position. Tears from her left eye flowed to her right eye, down to her cheek, then finally wet the children's blanket she was lying on.

She hugged a plushy tightly while murmuring, "Sorry, my baby. It's all my fault. I failed to protect you. Don't be afraid. I'll be with you soon."

After losing her baby, her mental health had deteriorated. Olivia was like a pretty flower slowly wilting away. She gazed out into the night, thinking as long as she could leave her father that sum of money, then she could go and be with her baby.

Before dawn the next morning, Olivia was already fully dressed as she looked down at her own smiling face in the photo they'd taken outside the City Hall after they registered their marriage.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed since then.

She prepared a breakfast that was good for the stomach. Although she didn't have much time left to live, she wanted to live longer to take care of her father.

As Olivia was about to leave the house, she received a call from the hospital. "Ms. Fordham, Mr. Fordham had a heart attack. We've already sent him into the emergency ward."

"I'll be there right away!"

Olivia rushed to the hospital, but the surgery was still ongoing. She waited outside the operating theater with her hands clasped.

She had already lost everything. Her only hope was for her father to live on in good health.

A nurse handed her a receipt. "Ms. Fordham, this is the total bill for your father's emergency treatment and surgery."

Olivia scanned through the details and found that the total bill amounted to more than 100 thousand. Jeff's daily treatment expenses already cost 50 thousand dollars per month, and she only barely managed to make ends meet by working three jobs.

After paying off his hospitalization fees earlier, she only had five thousand dollars left in her card. How was she going to afford his surgery?

She had no choice but to call Ethan. He answered in a cold voice, "Where are you? I've already been waiting for 30 minutes."

"Something urgent came up, and I can't make it."

"Olivia, is this funny to you?" Ethan sneered in response. "I was thinking why you would change your mind all of a sudden. Do you take me for a fool, making up lies like this?"

He actually thought she was lying.

Olivia explained, "I'm not lying. I was reluctant before this because I thought you must have had your reasons for treating me this way, but I see things clearly now.

"There's no point to a marriage like this, so I'm getting this divorce willingly. I couldn't make it because my father had a heart attack and had to undergo surgery—"

"Is he dead?" Ethan interrupted.

It sounded weird to Olivia. Who even spoke like that?

"No. The doctors are treating him. Ethan, the surgery costs more than 100 thousand dollars. Can you give me that ten million? I promise I'll get the divorce!"

He responded with a snort. "Olivia, I hope you know that I, of all people, wish your father dead. I can give you the money, but only after we make the divorce official."

The line went dead after that.

Olivia's face was filled with disbelief. She remembered that Ethan had treated Jeff with respect when they were still together. However, the hatred in his voice earlier did not sound like a joke at all.

Why did he want her father dead?

Everything made sense when she connected the dots with the Fordham family going bankrupt two years ago.

How could there have been such a coincidence?

Ethan must have caused their bankruptcy, but how had her family offended him?

Olivia had no time to dwell on it. The most urgent matter at hand was to gather 100 thousand dollars to pay her father's medical bills.

The doors to the operating theater opened, and Olivia quickly stepped forward. "Dr. Herbert, how is my father?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Fordham. Mr. Fordham made it, but he's still mentally fragile. Be careful not to trigger him in the meantime."

"I understand," Olivia replied. "Thank you, Dr. Herbert."

As Jeff was still unconscious, Olivia asked the nurse, "My father was quite healthy. Why did he suddenly have a heart attack?"

The nurse answered hastily, "Mr. Fordham has been in good spirits recently. He even said that he craved lamb shank.

"I thought that Al Palphino was just 15 minutes away, so I went to buy him mushroom soup. When I came back, he had already been sent to the emergency ward. It's all my fault, Ms. Fordham."

"Did you see anyone before you left my dad?"

"No. Mr. Fordham looked normal before I left. He even said that you like the carrot cake from Al Palphino and asked me to buy a slice. I never thought that this would happen ..."

Olivia felt that things weren't that simple. After asking the nurse to take good care of her father, she rushed to the admission desk to check the visitor records.

"Ms. Fordham, nobody came to visit Mr. Fordham this morning," the nurse working at the desk replied.

"Thank you."

"By the way, have you cleared the bill for Mr. Fordham?"

Olivia did her best to hide her embarrassment as she replied, "I'll pay immediately. I'm so sorry."

She left the admission desk and took a taxi to the City Hall, but Ethan was nowhere to be seen when she got there.

Olivia called him in a panic and said, "I've reached the City Hall. Where are you?"

"My office."

"Ethan, can you come and settle the divorce procedures now?"

Ethan sniggered and said, "Which do you think is more important? The business deal worth hundreds of millions that I'm about to make, or you?"

"I can wait till you're done. Ethan, I'm begging you. I need that money urgently for my father."

"If he dies, I'll pay for his funeral." With that, he hung up.

When Olivia called him again, she realized that he had switched his phone off. The heavy rain beat down on her, and she couldn't breathe as she crouched under the bus stop sign.

Olivia felt nothing but regret as she gazed at the busy street.

If she hadn't had baby and dropped out of university, then she would have graduated with a degree by then. With her capabilities and academic talent, she would have had a very bright future.

Who could have guessed that the Fordham family's sudden bankruptcy would cause Ethan, who had always loved her dearly, to change?

She had lost everything in the blink of an eye.

One year ago, Ethan had asked someone to take away all her jewelry and luxury handbags. The only valuable item she had left was her wedding ring. She took it off and walked into a high-class jewelry shop resolutely.

The salesperson eyed Olivia, who was drenched and dressed in cheap clothes, up and down for a moment. She then asked, "Hi, did you bring the invoice and proof of purchase?"

"Yes." Olivia pretended she hadn't noticed the salesperson's judgmental stare and hurriedly handed the invoice with her head lowered.

"Thank you, miss. We have to send the ring to be verified. Can I contact you tomorrow?" Olivia licked her dry lips and said in an urgent tone, "I'm in urgent need of money. Can you speed it up?"

"Okay, I'll try. Please give me a moment." Before the salesperson could take the ring away, a fair hand clamped down on the box.

"This ring is very pretty. I'll buy it."

When Olivia looked up, she found herself face to face with the person she hated the most—Marina.

Marina wore a white cashmere coat. Her white pearl earrings made her look gentle and charismatic. Just the shawl around her neck was already worth more than a thousand dollars.

The salesperson went up to her and greeted her at once.

"Mrs. Miller, is Mr. Miller not here today to pick out jewelry with you? There are some new arrivals. Each one of them would suit you great, Mrs. Miller. The emerald piece you asked me to reserve for you is here. Try it on later. I'm sure it would suit your complexion very well."

The salesperson punctuated almost every sentence with "Mrs. Miller" just to butter Marina up even though she and Ethan weren't legally married yet. Marina looked at Olivia with a smile and a proud look in her eyes that showed off her victory.

Everyone knew that Ethan treated her like the most precious treasure, but they did not know that Olivia was his legally married wife.

Olivia clenched her hands into fists. Why did she have to bump into the person she least wanted to see in her most embarrassing moment?

Marina said mildly, "You'll lose a lot of money trading in a good quality ring like that."

Olivia reached out and snatched the box away with a steely expression. "I'm not selling it anymore," she said.

"No? What a real shame. I like that ring pretty much. I was even planning to offer you a higher price for it since we know each other. Weren't you in a rush for money, Ms. Fordham?"

Olivia's hand stiffened. Yes, she was in need of money, very desperately too. That was why Marina was insulting her so relentlessly.

The salesperson advised her. "Miss, this is the fiancée of the Miller Group's president. You're very lucky that your ring struck her fancy. She'll surely pay you a good price for it, and you won't have to wait for us to complete the procedures before you get your money."

It sounded like mockery to Olivia when the salesperson kept mentioning "Mrs. Miller." A year ago, she had told Marina confidently that she would never divorce Ethan and asked her to give up. In just a year, everybody, high and low, knew who she was.

Olivia felt more and more convinced that her marriage with Ethan was nothing but a scheme.

Noticing her hesitation, Marina smiled brightly and said, "Ms. Fordham, why don't you name a price?"

That woman's cocky expression disgusted Olivia. She said coldly, "I'm not selling it anymore."

However, Marina wouldn't let it go. "Ms. Fordham, you're already at the end of your rope. Don't tell me that you still care about dignity. If I were you, I would sell it immediately. Has no one ever told you that stubbornness isn't a good look on you?"

"What a joke, Ms. Carlton. Robbing other people of their things has made you think you really own them. Why don't you go and rob a bank?"

While they were fighting, the ring flew out of the box in a graceful arc and fell to the floor with a soft clink. Olivia immediately rushed toward it, but the ring rolled to a stop by a pair of elegant leather shoes by the door.

When Olivia bent down to pick it up, a drop of water dripped onto the back of her neck and sent chills through her. She looked up slowly into a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Ethan was still holding an open umbrella, and droplets of water dripped from it onto her head. The black wool coat he was wearing complimented his figure and made him look stylish.

Olivia stared at him blankly and recalled the first time she had seen him. 20-year-old Ethan had been wearing a white shirt as he stood on the sunbathed field, but it was as if he had been standing right inside her heart. That image was branded in her mind ever since she was fourteen.

Now, she was wearing a sweater that made her look even skinnier with its fuzzy material. Her chin was sharp, and she looked thinner than she was three months ago. He looked grand and unparalleled, while she looked miserable and pathetic.

Olivia's hand, which was about to pick up the ring, stopped in mid-air. While she was in a daze, Ethan expressionlessly raised his foot and stepped on the ring on his way past her.

Olivia remained crouched. That ring had been designed according to his taste. Its design wasn't exaggerated, but it had a unique style. There was only one ring like that in the whole world.

After he had put it on her, Olivia had never taken it off except when she was showering. If it wasn't because she was really in desperate need of money this time, she wouldn't have gone to such measures.

However, what was a treasure in her eyes was just worthless rubbish to him. He hadn't just stepped on the ring, but also the past that she treated so preciously.

Marina smiled and went to him while explaining, "Ethan, you're here. I just happened to be picking out jewelry when I saw Ms. Fordham selling her ring."

Ethan's cold expression betrayed no emotions. His icy gaze rested on Olivia while she tried her best to suppress her fury. He then asked, "You want to sell that ring?"

Olivia held back her tears and bit her lip to stop herself from crying. "Yes. Would you like to buy it, Mr. Miller?"

Ethan smirked mockingly and said, "I remember you telling me how important that ring is to you. I can see how sincere you were now. Anything that is disregarded by someone else is worthless to me."

As Olivia was about to answer, she felt a burning pain in her stomach. As the tumor grew, the pain went from a slight ache to a piercing pain.

She looked at the couple, who looked like a match made in heaven in their matching black and white coats under the bright lights. She suddenly lost the strength to explain herself.

A man whose feelings had changed wouldn't be bothered even if she gave him her heart.

Olivia fought against the pain and picked up the ring. Then, she slowly walked back to the counter to retrieve the box and certificate. She didn't want to show weakness in front of Ethan. Although the pain was enough to make her pass out, she still maintained a steady gait.

When she walked past him, she said mildly, "Just like you, I treated it like a treasure last time, but now, it's just a piece of metal I can exchange for money."

Ethan felt that something was off with her. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her face was as white as a sheet. She looked like she was trying her best to fight against some sort of pain.

Suddenly, he gripped her arm and said in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Olivia shook off his hand and said, "It has nothing to do with you."

She did not spare him another glance and did her best to keep her back straight as she disappeared from his sight.

Ethan watched her leave. He had been the one to let her go, but why did his heart still ache?

Olivia went to a deserted corner and dug her painkillers out of her bag in a fluster. She knew that all the treatments and cancer medicine had side effects, so she only bought some painkillers and regular stomach medicine, which was better than nothing.

Gazing out at the heavy rain, she thought, "Is that the only choice I have left?" That was the last person she wanted to meet, but she had no choice but to take a gamble for her father's sake.

Olivia went home to clean herself up before taking a taxi to Hawthorn Villa. When she had returned to the country more than a year ago, that person had called Olivia once.

They hadn't met in more than ten years, and Olivia had no idea how she was doing. Judging by the grand villa, Olivia guessed that she had been doing pretty well.

After stating the purpose of her visit, a maid led Olivia into the living room, where a graceful woman was sitting. She was as beautiful as Olivia remembered her to be.

"Liv," said the woman as she looked at Olivia with her pretty eyes.

However, Olivia couldn't bring herself to call her "Mom."