He couldn't tell if it was snow or tears.

Chapter 21

Julian Sterling really knelt in the snow for an entire night.

By the time Celine pushed open the door the next day, he had already fainted from exhaustion.

When he woke up, he had been taken to the hospital. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, and Adrian Silas was sitting by his bedside.

"Why is it you?" Julian scanned him with a furrowed brow.

"Speak. What will it take for you to stop harassing Celine?" Adrian didn't want to waste words and went straight to the point.

"I’m taking her home. As long as she doesn't leave, I’m not going anywhere."

"Home?" A mocking expression flashed across Adrian’s face.

"When you bullied and betrayed her, did you ever consider that her parents were gone and she had nowhere else to go?"

"Now you’re clinging on desperately. Have you ever respected her wishes?"

"If I were you, I would respect her choice. That is the difference between you and me."

"Furthermore, I came today specifically to inform you: Celine has accepted my proposal, and we are getting engaged. From now on, she is my wife. If you dare to pester her even a fraction more, I will not let you off."

Adrian stood up, looking down at him with a warning in his eyes.

"I don't believe you. Don't think you can lie to me."

Julian tried to crawl out of bed, but his strength failed him, and he collapsed back down.

Adrian shrugged, showing it didn't matter: "Believe it or not is up to you. You’ll find out soon enough."

Just as Julian struggled to get up again, he saw Celine push open the hospital room door.

She was carrying lunch boxes in both hands. She set one down on the table: "Adrian, I bought you breakfast. Come eat."

Adrian wasn't in a hurry to eat. Instead, he walked over first to rub her hands warm in his palms, his tone helpless yet doting: "I told you I would go buy it. You could have waited for me downstairs."

Adrian knew she didn't want to be in the same room alone with Julian.

"It’s okay," Celine smiled sweetly.

Their warm interaction was watched by Julian. For the first time, he felt like an outsider, completely unable to integrate into their world.

Celine’s eyes held only Adrian.

Seemingly just remembering there was a patient here, Celine picked up the other breakfast box and tossed it by his bedside.

He hadn't expected her to buy one for him, too, and Julian was instantly overjoyed.

He hadn't cared in the slightest when Celine cooked breakfast for him every day in the past, but now he cherished the random breakfast she’d picked up as if it were the most delicious thing in the world.

"Don't misunderstand," Celine said with an expressionless face, "if you died at my doorstep, I wouldn't be able to explain it to the police."

Despite her words, Julian was still very happy, feeling as if he saw a glimmer of hope. He began to eat the breakfast in front of Celine, but after two bites, he stopped, struck by a thought.

"Adrian said you two are getting engaged. I knew it was a lie."

"It’s true."

Celine’s expression was calm, yet it felt as if she had fired a bullet at Julian.

It took him a long time to find his voice, and when he spoke, it was hoarse and broken: "Celine..."

Celine interrupted him: "Don't call me that anymore. I’m afraid my husband will get jealous."

The breakfast in his mouth turned bitter, and Julian suddenly lost his appetite.

He had never felt the words "my husband" sound so piercing, nor had he ever imagined that one day she would address someone else this way.

She was clearly his wife.

Julian’s nerves, which had been stretched thin for days, finally collapsed. He felt a lump in his throat: "Celine, have you really thought this through?"

Before Celine could answer, the hospital door was pushed open again. A doctor in a white coat stood at the doorway: "Is Mr. Julian Sterling here? Your test results are out."

Chapter 22

Julian Sterling had stomach cancer.

Advanced-stage stomach cancer.

He walked the long, drawn-out path from the doctor’s office back to the hospital room, clutching his medical report.

He didn't know how to face Celine. Before entering, he adjusted his expression, not wanting her to know he had stomach cancer.

Yet, when the door opened, the room was empty.

Celine was already gone.

The monologue he had prepared before entering had become a joke.

So this was what it felt like to be abandoned. It truly was unbearable. Julian looked up and gave a bitter laugh before taking a car home.

He had always suffered from stomach issues; in truth, he had vaguely felt his body failing for some time. After arriving in the UK, he lost his appetite entirely, losing a whole layer of weight.

Touching his dull, aching stomach, he called his assistant: "Arrange for the best doctor in the UK. I need to undergo surgery."

The assistant asked with trepidation: "Mr. Sterling, are you alright?"

"I’m fine. Don't ask any more questions."

Before hanging up, the assistant hesitated for a few seconds before gathering the courage to speak: "Mr. Sterling, about that... Sienna is making a scene, demanding to see you. What should I do?"

"I won't see her." Julian’s tone was cold at the mere mention of that name.

"But she’s gone mad. She’s causing a scene at the door every single day."

"If she’s mad, send her to a mental asylum." Julian hung up without hesitation.

He didn't care what happened to Sienna now; it was all her own doing. He only cared about Celine.

Although the Sterling family was wealthy, they were abroad, and it took significant resources and effort to book the best doctor, but they eventually succeeded.

On the day he received the news, Julian met with Adrian alone.

They sat in a café, and Julian got straight to the point: "I have stomach cancer. I don't have long to live."

Adrian immediately looked at him with vigilance: "And? Don't tell me you’re trying to use this to gain Celine’s sympathy."

Julian shook his head: "You’re not going to tell her."

"I invited you out today to discuss something else."

He told Adrian his plan, detail by detail.

After hearing it, Adrian looked at him suspiciously: "You want to graft your own skin onto Celine?"

"Yes. This is what I owe her."

If not for his misplaced trust, Sienna never would have harmed Celine.

She loved playing the piano so much; those hands must be precious to her, yet because of him, they were left with twisted scars that could never be restored.

Therefore, he would graft his own skin to her, to give her back, as much as possible, hands as beautiful as they once were.

He told Adrian this plan only because he needed him to lure Celine out. Celine would never agree if he asked her himself.

Julian treated this as his final chance for atonement.

After arranging everything, Julian stood outside Celine’s home for the very last time and knocked on the door.

Celine was wearing a moon-white dress, standing at the doorway.

Under the moonlight, her entire body seemed to glow, her face just as it had been when Julian first laid eyes on her.

Julian pointed to the sky: "Celine, look."

Following an explosive sound, the pitch-black sky seemed to tear open. The next second, countless rays of liquid-gold light rose, rushing and splashing from the center in every direction.

Every blossom of fireworks illuminated Celine’s upturned face in an instant, the light dancing in her pupils.

Julian turned to look at her and saw the entire galaxy reflected in her eyes.

He said softly: "Celine, happy birthday."

That night, everyone was talking about the biggest fireworks display in history in London, though no one knew who it was for.

Chapter 23

Julian told Celine that business in the country was hectic and he was preparing to return home.

So, before he left, he had prepared a birthday gift for her: a massive fireworks display.

At the same time, that very evening, Adrian told Celine the good news: she could undergo the skin graft surgery, as someone had donated the skin.

Celine was surprised: "Then I must thank that person in person."

Adrian pressed her shoulders: "I have already thanked them on your behalf. We are one and the same."

And so, Celine began preparing for the surgery with a light heart.

For the past few days, Julian had kept his word and hadn't come to disturb her. She had almost forgotten about his existence.

On the day of the surgery, she walked into the operating theater with a mix of apprehension and hope.

And Julian was in the room right next to hers.