Yet the person she thought of most... had never given her a single thought.

At three o'clock in the morning, Sylvester drove to the school.

Inside the entirely empty classroom, her final handwriting still remained on the chalkboard—a line from an old classical text: "There is a loquat tree in the courtyard, planted by my wife the year she passed away. Today, its canopy has already grown lush and wide."

He remembered this text.

On their tenth anniversary, Vivian had specifically worn a new dress and recited this piece to him. He had been completely drunk from a business banquet at the time, falling asleep right at the table.

Later, he saw her diary entry: "He does not understand the agony of 'the scenery remains but the person is gone,' just as he does not understand how deeply I love him."

Now, he understood.

Sylvester picked up a piece of chalk, his hand trembling as he wrote a line right beside her script:

"Words have an end, but this devotion shall never cease."

Chalk dust drifted down softly, resembling her silent sighs.

He pulled open the drawer of the podium. Inside lay a stack of ungraded essay notebooks, the title of the top one reading: The Person I Am Most Grateful For.

The student had written: "I am most grateful to Mrs. Hurst. She said no matter how difficult the days become, as long as we don't give up, there will always be hope."

Vivian’s red pen corrections had stopped halfway through the page:

"Annotation: Hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things. Therefore, never give up hope."

Sylvester clutched the notebook to his chest, sitting down in the chair Vivian always occupied.

Outside the window, the sky gradually began to brighten.

The morning light poured through the window glass, illuminating the words on the chalkboard, illuminating the empty podium, and illuminating... this world that no longer held her.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was an international call from his son, Harvey.

Sylvester stared at the word "Son" flashing on the screen, suddenly completely lacking the courage to answer.

He knew what Harvey was going to ask.

He knew his son would cry, would break down, and would loathe him.

But he couldn't not answer.

With a trembling hand, he pressed the accept button.

"Dad," Harvey's voice was entirely calm, terrifyingly calm, "Where is my mom?"

Sylvester's throat went completely tight, unable to utter a single word.

"I am asking you, where is my mom?" Harvey's voice began to crack and shake, "I've been calling her for three days, and her phone is constantly switched off. The school said she took a leave of absence, and Uncle Victor said he doesn't know either. Dad, where on earth is Mom?"

"Harvey..." Sylvester's voice was raspy beyond recognition, "Listen to me..."

"I don't want to listen to you!" Harvey suddenly erupted into a desperate scream, "I want my mom! Give my mom back to me! Give her back to me—!!!"

Heartbreaking wails echoed from the other end of the line.

Sylvester held the phone, listening to his son's weeping as his own tears flowed silently.

"I am sorry... Harvey... Dad is so sorry... and I am even more sorry to your mother..."

"What use is an apology?!" Harvey screamed through his tears, "I want my mom back..."

The line went abruptly dead.

Sylvester sat in the empty classroom, watching the sky grow brighter and brighter outside, suddenly realizing...

This life was truly far too long.

So long that he would have to use every single moment of his remaining time to repay the debts of these twenty-five years.

So long that he would have to spend an entire lifetime of remorse mourning the woman... he had lost forever.

Chapter 10

Sylvester knelt by the ocean all night long.

At the break of dawn, one final giant wave crashed down, dragging him into the deep sea like the hand of the Grim Reaper.

Intense remorse scorched his soul like wildfire, and he struggled desperately.

"Vivian! I will cherish you! I swear!"

A blinding white light suddenly engulfed everything, and the sound of the crashing waves vanished from his ears.

"Mr. Hurst? Mr. Hurst, are you alright?"

His assistant's worried voice sounded beside his ear. Sylvester snapped his eyes open, squinting instinctively against the piercing sunlight.

He found himself sitting in the backseat of a Mercedes, dressed in a sharp, pristine suit, with familiar city streets rolling past the window.

This was Seaport City, fifteen years ago.

"I..." His throat felt completely dry as he looked down at his hands.

His fingers were long, clean, and free of the tremors caused by his later alcoholism, and there were no scars from smashing his fists into the wall.

"You suddenly fainted just now, you really gave me a scare." The assistant handed him a bottle of water, "We're about forty minutes away from the Crown Hotel. Ms. Sienna Vance is already waiting for you, saying she has prepared a surprise for your wedding anniversary."

Wedding anniversary.

Sylvester’s heart pounded frantically as he shot a look down at the watch on his wrist—

May 20, 2018.

It was his fifth wedding anniversary with Vivian!

According to the timeline of his past life, Vivian would go to her medical checkup alone at 4:00 PM today, discovering an anomaly in her CA199 marker for the first time.

Terrified of affecting his contract signing, she chose to hide it.

That single concealment lasted for five whole years.

Five years later, she was diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer; ten years later, it reached the late stage; fifteen years later...

On their silver wedding anniversary, she threw herself into the ocean.

And today, the contract he was about to sign would deeply bind the Hurst Group with the Vance family, giving Sienna the opportunity to back Vivian into a corner step by step in the future.

"No..." Sylvester felt a cold chill run through his entire body, "I cannot repeat the same mistake!"

Just then, his phone vibrated, and an unsent text draft popped up on the screen—

Sender: Vivian Hurst

Content: Sylvester, I have a medical checkup today, and I'm a little scared. Can you... come with me?

Sylvester stared at those words, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot.

In his past life, she hadn't even dared to send this text message.

In this life... she was still hesitating.

"Turn around!" He suddenly grabbed the back of the front seat, his voice raspy yet absolute, "To the City Medical Center! Now!"

"Mr. Hurst?" The assistant froze, "But the signing..."

"The contract is canceled!" Sylvester's gaze was ice-cold, "Tell Sienna I will pay every single cent of the termination fee, but the partnership is over!"

The car made a forced U-turn amidst the heavy traffic, the tires emitting a piercing screech.

Sylvester frantically dialed his phone while urging the driver to speed up:

"Director Wang, this is Sylvester Hurst! Cancel all examinations for reservation number 19870615 immediately! Yes, my wife Vivian Hurst. I am on my way!"

"Mr. Logan, this is Harvey's father. For the parent-child activity at 3:00 PM today, Mrs. Hurst and I will be slightly late. Please tell Harvey that his mom and dad will definitely be there!"

"Secretary, book the best restaurant in the city for a private event tonight. Buy a bouquet of white roses and deliver it to the medical center right now!"

Finally, he sent a text message to Sienna, containing only six words:

"The partnership is over. Goodbye."

On the navigation screen, Sylvester kept his eyes fixed on the "City Medical Center."

"Hurry!" He roared, "Faster!"

Inside the blood-drawing room of the City Medical Center.

Vivian sat by the window, her sleeves rolled up, exposing her slender, pale arm.

The nurse picked up a syringe, the needle gleaming coldly under the light.

"Just relax, it won't hurt." The nurse spoke, slowly bringing the needle close to her skin.

Vivian closed her eyes.

She remembered the scent of rose perfume on Sylvester last night, his cold silhouette as he left this morning, and the increasing silence during these five years of marriage.

Perhaps she shouldn't have come for this checkup.

Even if they found something, so what?

Would he even care?

The needle was only one centimeter away from her skin.

"Wait a minute—!!!"

Chapter 11

A roar erupted from outside the door!

The door to the blood-drawing room was violently kicked open, and Sylvester rushed in panting heavily, his hair messy, his suit disheveled, and his eyes so bloodshot they looked ready to bleed.

The nurse jumped in startlement, her hand slipping as the needle grazed past Vivian's skin.

Vivian turned her head in shock, staring at the almost unrecognizable Sylvester before her:

"You... what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to sign a contract?"

Sylvester rushed to her side and tightly grabbed her arm, his voice trembling:

"No more blood draws! Cancel all examinations! Vivian, we are moving to the best hospital in the country, and I will accompany you through a comprehensive checkup!"