"My life is none of your business."

Chloe froze, completely stunned.

In all the years she had known him, Charles had never used such a freezing, hostile tone with her.

And it was all for a woman she had never even considered a threat.

Chloe had been thoroughly spoiled by Charles's devotion in the past, and hearing him roar at her like that caused her own temper to flare. She hissed, "Charles, wake up and look at reality! Sera doesn't care about you anymore, and she's going to be dead soon anyway! Why do you keep throwing yourself at her?"

"I know why you're doing this. You're just not used to living alone without someone catering to your every need. I can take care of you. You never truly got over me, and to be honest, I was still in love with you when we parted ways."

"Now the slate is clean, there are no obstacles left between us, and we can finally be together..."

Chloe continued her desperate pitch, trying everything to force a reconciliation.

But Charles merely leaned against his car door, his eyes cast down in utter silence.

His dark hair fell forward, obscuring his expression entirely.

After a long pause, Charles cut through her frantic chattering with a quiet, deadened voice.

"Chloe, we broke up years ago. I am never getting back together with you. Stop coming here."

With that, he climbed into his car and drove away, leaving Chloe standing there in absolute shock.

Chloe clenched her fists so hard her nails bit into her skin.

The truth was, she had barely received anything in her divorce settlement.

She was used to a life of luxury and had very little savings of her own left.

She needed to secure Charles if she wanted to maintain the upper-middle-class lifestyle she was accustomed to.

No matter how many times he rejected her, she had no intention of giving up.

Having spent six years with him, she knew Charles was soft-hearted at his core. She reasoned that once Sera finally passed away and time blurred the memory, she could play the victim, and Charles would inevitably return to her side.

Comforted by her own logic, Chloe's mood improved considerably.

……

After arranging her new apartment, Sera booked a flight for the following afternoon.

Before leaving, she stopped by a luxury shopping center to purchase a selection of gifts to send out to her dedicated online supporters.

Once her shopping was complete, she headed into a coffee shop to rest and catalog her purchases.

As she was sorting through her notes, a familiar figure slipped into the seat directly across from her.

Sera looked up to see Chloe setting down a coffee cup, looking at her with a smug smile.

Sera's brows knit together in instant irritation. "Are you looking to become a viral villain online again?"

Chloe's smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

But she quickly recovered, adopting her usual arrogant posture.

"Sera, there's no need to be so hostile. I actually came here to thank you."

"Thank you for divorcing Charles and stepping out of our way. We couldn't be together in the past due to circumstances, but we are older now, the barriers are gone, and we can finally pick up where we left off. I am genuinely grateful to you."

"By the way, how is your condition? You don't have much time left, do you? Don't worry, since you and Charles were married once, I'll help him coordinate your funeral arrangements when the time comes."

"Just focus on enjoying whatever days you have left."

Hearing this, a deeply amused smile spread across Sera's face.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to break your heart. I don't have cancer. The diagnosis was an absolute error."

The triumphant smirk vanished from Chloe's face, completely freezing over.

"What... what did you say? An error?"

Sera gave a casual nod.

"The initial lab samples were switched. I went in for a full panel of follow-up tests, and my body is perfectly healthy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me."

Sera's expression was entirely deadpan, and her radiant, glowing complexion certainly didn't match that of a dying terminal patient.

Chloe was forced to accept the reality that Sera was perfectly fine.

A dark thought crossed Chloe's mind, and she asked sharply, "If you knew you weren't sick, why on earth did you still go through with the divorce?"

Sera raised her eyes, looking at Chloe with a look of mild amusement.

"Because I knew I was healthy, that's exactly why I divorced him."

"When I thought my days were numbered, I didn't want to waste my remaining energy on legal battles. But now that I have a long, beautiful life ahead of me, I certainly have no intention of spending it trapped in a miserable marriage."

"Since you love him so much, he's all yours. You two are truly made for each other, so make sure you stay locked together forever. Just stay out of my way, and try not to ruin anyone else's life."

With that, Sera gathered her shopping bags, stood up, and walked out of the store with confident strides.

She left Chloe sitting alone at the table, her mind racing with panic.

Chloe knew she couldn't allow a single word of this to reach Charles.

If Charles found out Sera wasn't dying, he would stop at nothing to win her back.

If that happened, she would lose her chance permanently.

Over the next month, Chloe practically lived at the surgical department, inventing every possible excuse to get close to Charles.

But Charles remained entirely frozen toward her, repeating the exact same phrase every single time.

"I am not getting back together with you. Leave."

One evening, Charles returned to his dark, quiet apartment.

The moment he stepped through the door, he noticed that the living room lights were blazing.

An instant surge of hope convinced him it was Sera, and without even kicking off his shoes, he bolted into the room.

But the sight that met him crushed his spirits instantly.

The person sitting on his sofa wasn't Sera; it was his mother.

The light left his eyes as he looked at her. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Catherine's expression was severe, cutting straight to the point.

"It's been long enough since the divorce, it's time for you to start dating and looking for a new wife. You aren't getting any younger, and your father and I have been waiting for a grandchild for years."

"Your father's colleague has a daughter who just returned from her studies abroad. We’ve arranged a family dinner for tomorrow evening. Meet her, and let's get the engagement settled quickly."

Charles paused mid-motion as he hung up his coat, his voice entirely flat.

"I have no intention of marrying again."

Catherine's brows snapped together, her volume rising instantly.

"Are you still hung up on that Chloe girl? Have you completely forgotten how she tossed you aside the second she saw a bigger paycheck? Besides, she's a divorcée now; our family will never accept a secondhand woman."

"Let me make myself perfectly clear: you can marry anyone else, but it will never be Chloe. You will finalize an engagement this year and give us a grandchild."

Charles's expression hardened into a cold stare.

"Five years ago, I listened to you and married Sera, and I ended up wasting five years of her life. Now, for the sake of your twisted desire for a legacy, you want me to ruin another innocent woman's life? I won't do it."

"Don't waste your breath trying to convince me. After losing Sera, I decided I am staying single permanently. Don't bring this up again; it won't change my mind, and it will only upset you."

"If there's nothing else, I'll call a car to take you home. I need to rest."

Catherine trembled with pure fury.

"How did I raise a son as ungrateful as you! Don't bother calling a car, and don't expect me to step foot in this apartment ever again! If you refuse to marry, consider yourself dead to this family!"

With a violent sweep of her arm, she shattered a teacup against the floor, stormed out, and slammed the front door behind her.

The deafening echo rang through the empty apartment.

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion, then walked slowly into his study.

The items Sera had left behind to be thrown away had been carefully retrieved by him and arranged neatly across his desk.

Staring at the matching couple's mugs sitting side by side, a crushing, suffocating wave of sorrow tore through his chest.

"Sera... I am so incredibly sorry..."

Meanwhile, after confirming her clean bill of health, Sera adjusted her travel itinerary, deliberately slowing down her pace.

She was no longer running against a ticking clock.

She spent a lovely two weeks in a quiet mountain town before moving on to explore the lake districts.