It took me an entire hour to scrub the bloodstains out of the carpet.
By the end, my body was so weak that even standing required me to lean against the wall and gasp for breath for a long while.
I sealed the last few cardboard boxes with tape and attached local delivery labels to them.
The recipient address was Daniel's company.
When everything was finished, I sat down on the bare sofa and pulled out my phone.
A bank notification popped up on the screen.
"Your credit card has been frozen by the primary cardholder."
I calmly swiped the message away.
What Daniel didn't know was that I hadn't used that card for a single dollar in over six months.
Every expense I had came from freelance translation work I picked up online.
He had always believed I depended on him completely, that I would never survive without him.
My phone suddenly vibrated. It was a call from Daniel's assistant, Oliver Reed.
I pressed answer.
"Ms. Parker." Oliver's voice carried the polished indifference of someone speaking on behalf of power, with a faint trace of contempt underneath.
"Mr. Carter asked me to inform you that the card has been suspended. If you're regretting your decision now, Mr. Carter said he's willing to give you a chance to step back gracefully." Oliver paused briefly. "Mr. Carter's exact words were for you to call him."
He cleared his throat before adding on his own accord, "Though personally, I'd also suggest apologizing to Ms. Bennett a little. After all, she was upset yesterday at the hospital too."
Listening to the condescension dripping from his tone, I couldn't help letting out a faint laugh.
"Oliver." My voice was hoarse, yet strangely calm. "Please tell Daniel that I already threw the card away. And remind him to check his delivery package."
With that, I hung up directly and added Oliver's number to the blacklist.
That afternoon, William arrived at the mansion.
His eyes swept across the empty living room before settling on my ashen face, and something painful flickered briefly through his expression.
"Ms. Parker, are you certain you want to donate all of your assets?"
I nodded and accepted the documents he handed me.
"The old house my mother left me... use the money from the sale to establish a foundation dedicated to supporting orphaned children with stomach cancer."
I picked up the pen and carefully signed my name at the bottom of the documents.
"And please handle this body donation agreement as well."
William's hand trembled slightly.
"Ms. Parker... are you really not planning to tell Mr. Carter?"
"There's no need." I handed the signed documents back to him calmly. "There's nothing left between him and me anymore."
After William left, I called for a car and finally walked away from the mansion I had lived in for the past three years.
When I left, I took only two things with me—the old necklace my mother had left behind, and the bottle of painkillers with the label torn off.
I placed the house key on the cabinet by the entrance, beside the plastic bag containing the plain ring.
The moment the door closed behind me, I never looked back.
The sunlight outside was beautiful, yet I couldn't feel a trace of warmth from it.
I gave the driver the address to a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
That was where my mother was buried.
Before I left this world completely, I wanted to see her one last time.
The car moved steadily along the highway while I leaned against the window, watching the scenery slip backward into the distance.
At last, through all these repeated tests and disappointments, I had finally seen Daniel's hypocrisy clearly for what it truly was.
What he called love had never been anything more than charity handed down from above, carefully measured after weighing the costs and benefits.
And now, I didn't want it anymore.
