As she finished, she gripped my chin fiercely: "I can't do anything to Ethan, but he loves you so much—if you die, do you think he’ll go insane? That way, I can consider it a victory for myself!"

Looking at Melanie’s venomous gaze, I forced the corners of my mouth to pull: "If you weren't so selfish, none of this would have happened. The consequences today are all of your own making; it has nothing to do with us."

"Wrong. If you hadn't put that confession letter in his backpack and hadn't agreed to marry him, none of this would have happened."

Listening to her invert black and white, I had nothing to say.

In Melanie’s mind, she was the most aggrieved person in the world.

And I was the culprit who had ruined her.

At this point, I could only stall for time, hoping Ethan and the police would find me.

Thinking of this, I slowly steadied my voice: "Even if you don't kill me now, I won't live much longer anyway. Why burden yourself with a homicide?"

Melanie sneered and let go: "I certainly know you’re a short-lived ghost, but I can't wait that long. Once I inject this drug into your body, I will slowly enjoy watching your pain. In the end, you will follow your 'love' and fall from this 39th floor. With a bang, you might just break into pieces!"

Her graphic description made my entire body go cold.

Looking at the needle so close to me, cold sweat rolled down my temples: "Melanie, you’ve truly gone insane..."

Hearing this, Melanie’s eyes darkened: "That's right, I am insane. You all drove me crazy. But the person you should hate isn't me—it's Ethan. You should even thank me, because I’m reuniting you with your parents and your child!"

As she spoke, the sharp needle stabbed toward my neck.

Just as it was about to pierce my skin, it was interrupted by a cold, sharp voice.

"Stop!"

Melanie and I turned in shock, both stunned.

Ethan!?

I looked at Ethan, who was watching me with a tense expression, and my eyes suddenly grew red.

Ethan panted, comforting me softly.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Chapter 38

At this very moment, he was grateful that there was a tracker on my phone; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. It was Ethan who had fallen in love with me first; they were clearly in love, yet neither had spoken a word, letting themselves miss out and misunderstand each other for so many years.

But in the next second, Melanie grabbed the wheelchair, held the needle to my neck, and retreated toward the edge of the rooftop: "Don't come over, or I'll take her down with me!"

Ethan furrowed his brows, remembering Qi Ming's words.

"Try to stall for time, we’re arriving immediately."

He steadied his emotions and said in a deep voice: "Melanie, it’s me you hate, this has nothing to do with Clara. Let her go, and I'll let you do whatever you want to me."

Hearing this, my heart tightened: "Ethan, you..."

"Hate? Ethan, I’ve liked you for eleven years. When have I ever hated you?"

Melanie gave a bitter smile, disappointed and jealous: "No, I actually hate you quite a bit right now. I hate you for being so deeply devoted to a useless piece of trash."

"Because I love her."

Ethan answered almost without hesitation.

My expression froze.

For all these years, this was the first time I had heard the word "love" from his lips.

And that word belonged to me.

Ethan looked at me, as if revealing words he had kept hidden in his heart for years: "From the day I saw you standing on the podium as the representative for the middle school graduates, I fell in love with you."

With his words, my memory couldn't help but return to ten years ago.

On the first day of school, I gave a speech as the representative in front of all the teachers and students, and then I met Ethan at the corner of the teaching building...

Overwhelming, complex emotions made my eyes heat up.

However, Ethan’s answer seemed to irritate Melanie. She chuckled low, finally bursting into mad laughter: "So you love her, right? Then prove to me how much you love her."

As she spoke, she threw the syringe filled with medicine in front of him, saying word for word: "As long as you inject it into your own body, I’ll let Clara go."

Hearing this, I gasped, instinctively trying to stop him: "No! Ethan, don't listen to her!"

But Ethan picked up the syringe, his composed gaze showing firmness: "Put her down, and I’ll do as you say."

"Dream on! You think I don't know what you're planning!" Melanie pushed the wheelchair closer to the edge. "I’ll give you ten seconds, or you can just wait to collect Clara’s corpse!"

"Ten, nine, eight..."

As Melanie counted down, Ethan gripped the syringe tightly: "Fine."

At these words, my pupils shrank violently: "Stop... stop! Ethan, that's poison!"

Almost instantly, worry mixed with fear wrapped tightly around my heart.

Looking at the man before me whom I had loved deeply and hated as well, I burst into tears.

I had once thought Ethan would never love me in this life, yet I had never imagined he had loved me earlier than I had, and was even willing to give his life for it.

"Ethan, we are already divorced... we have nothing to do with each other anymore, and I don't love you either, don't... don't..."

Listening to my trembling voice, Ethan gave a gentle smile: "Clara, I haven't done anything for you in this life, and I’ve always made you sad and hurt. As long as you can live well, I’m willing to do anything."

After saying this, he stabbed the needle into his arm and injected all the medicine.

"No—!"

I felt my heart shattered into pieces in an instant, and I could only rely on instinct to scream: "Ethan, no... don't!"

With a thud, Ethan fell to his knees, his whole body curled up as if suffering from tremendous torture.

Along with the nerve-tearing pain, his breathing became rapid; veins bulged on his neck and temples, and blood seeped from his clenched teeth.

As if using his last ounce of strength, he braced his upper body: "Let... let Clara go..."

Chapter 39

Tears flooded my pale face. I shook my head helplessly, watching Ethan, whose face had already turned cyan.

Melanie stared in a daze, her eyes gradually dimming to the color of ash.

As if watching a farce that had already come to an end, she slowly retreated: "Why? I did so much, only to prove how much you love her, and how much of a failure I am..."

Reaching the edge, she tilted her head to look at the gray, overcast sky, tears falling from the corners of her eyes.

Not far away, the sirens of police cars sounded.

She closed her eyes, opened her arms, and fell backward.

After a few screams, the area downstairs fell into chaos.

But I had no time to attend to anything else. I struggled desperately against my tied hands: "Ethan, hold on..."

Ethan panted heavily, staggering to his feet, walking toward the high platform with each step a stumble.

Almost kneeling in front of me, his cold, trembling hands untied the ropes, his pale lips muttering: "It’s okay, I’m here, I’m right here..."

Looking at the man who seemed to have lost consciousness, walking toward me step by step fueled by sheer willpower, I finally couldn't help but break down: "Why are you so stupid..."

Ethan’s movements slowed: "I am your husband... protecting you... is what I should do..."

As he finished speaking, the last knot was undone, but a large amount of blood surged from his mouth and nose, staining his collar red.

Ethan’s eyes began to glaze over, yet he still followed his instinct to comfort the tear-streaked person before him: "Don't be afraid, I'm okay..."

But before he could finish, his entire body suddenly collapsed.

"Ethan!"

Watching him roll down the steps, my heart sank violently.

I gripped the wheelchair, using all my strength to push my body up.

"Bang!" I fell off the wheelchair.

As I crawled forward, the rough ground ground my ankles and palms into bloody scrapes.

"Ethan..."

I sobbed, pulling the unconscious Ethan into my arms.

So cold!

The once-warm body was now like a block of ice, even his breathing so weak it seemed to have vanished.

"Help... help! Ethan! Ethan!"

Hearing my help-seeking cries, Qi Ming immediately led his men to find us.

Seeing me clutching the unconscious Ethan and crying in such heartbreak, he urged: "Quick! Send them to the hospital!"

On the streets in the light rain, an ambulance wailed past.

Doctors and nurses pushed Ethan on a mobile bed into the emergency room.

Julian, receiving the news, rushed to the ward where Xu Li was comforting me as I insisted on going to the emergency room.