“What’s wrong?Did someone upset you?”Lucian immediately noticed her shift in expression and took her hand,his voice full of concern.
“Were you unhappy while shopping today?Don’t be sad,okay?”
He paused,then coaxed softly,“Olivia,I promise you,once the surgery is over and you’ve recovered,I’ll arrange a diet plan for you.I’ll help you lose the weight and get you back on the runway,shining like before.Okay?”
The reason Lucian first brought up weight loss after surgery was because she had struggled to fit into the clothes she was trying on.At the time,Olivia had laughed it off as a joke.
She had once thought he said it out of guilt,out of respect for her sacrifices.
But the truth was,he only cared about whether she was pleasing to the eye.
To him,she was nothing more than a tool for childbirth.Her body,her health,the strain of repeated weight fluctuations,none of it mattered.As long as she could conceive,that was enough.
A wave of nausea surged within her.Even sitting at the dinner table suddenly felt pointless.Tilting her head slightly,she withdrew her hand from his grasp.
“Oh?So I can return to work,right after the operation?Didn’t your parents say they were worried about your health?Didn’t they insist I should have a child as soon as possible to avoid any future regrets?”
Lucian’s expression froze for a split second,a rare moment of hesitation.
In the next breath,he smoothed it over as if it had never existed.“That won’t affect weight loss,Olivia.I know you don’t talk about it,but deep down,you still care.”
Olivia did not respond.She simply picked up her chopsticks.“Enough.Let’s eat.The food will get cold.”
That night,they shared the same bed,yet it felt as if a vast distance stretched between them.
By morning,the space beside her was empty.
Lucian was gone.No explanation,no arrangements left behind.
On the nightstand,a love note lay neatly pressed under a small trinket.In the kitchen,a pot of pork liver porridge that was carefully prepared was still warm.
Without hesitation,Olivia crumpled the note,tossing it straight into the trash along with the porridge.Then,she straightened her back,steadied her breath and set out to meet with her lawyer.
She had chosen Evander Vaughn,Hazelbourne’s top attorney,a man known not just for his legal prowess but also for his long-standing grudge against Lucian Rhodes.
Perhaps it was that very grudge that fueled his efficiency.Overnight,Evander had combed through every asset under Lucian’s name,meticulously identifying what rightfully belonged to her.By morning,a finalized divorce agreement lay before her,neatly detailing the division of property.
The amount was substantial.Enough for her to live comfortably,whether she chose to work or not,whether she ever remarried or not.
Somehow,with that,the bitterness in her heart felt a little lighter.
Smiling faintly,she signed the papers,already thinking of how best to coax Lucian into doing the same.
Suddenly,her phone rang.Lucian’s voice came through the receiver.
“Olivia,do you have time right now?Can you go to the hospital and stay with Cassie?Her mother has something urgent and I have a meeting,so I can’t step away.She gets scared when she’s alone.”
It was just liver cancer.It would not kill her overnight.And yet,he was asking his wife to keep his precious first love company.
A sharp,mocking smile curled on Olivia’s lips.“All right,”
Cassie had been back for quite some time now,lurking in the shadows under the guise of an old friend.
It was about time they met.Olivia wanted to see with her own eyes just how much effort had gone into weaving this grand lie.
With a cool detachment,she slipped the divorce agreement into a drawer,grabbed her car keys and headed to the hospital.
When she pushed open the door to the hospital room,the first thing she saw was Cassie lying on the bed with a pale face.
As expected of Cassie Winslet.The woman Lucian had longed for all these years,the one he refused to let go of even in the face of illness,was unsurprisingly breathtaking.
At first glance,her features bore a certain resemblance to Olivia’s,yet their temperaments were worlds apart.
Cassie was a woman born into wealth,cocooned in luxury,untouched by hardship.She had spent her life sheltered,unburdened by the struggles of ordinary people.
Olivia,on the other hand,was just a small-town girl who had fought her way up after making a name for herself in a modeling competition.Even after marrying into wealth,she never abandoned her career.
With no powerful connections or influential background,she carved out her place in the industry through sheer talent and relentless effort.
Strong and independent,Olivia had always stood tall until Lucian’s illness made her set aside her pride.She willingly put her career on hold,believing in a future where they could share both hardship and happiness.
But he trampled on her sincerity.
“Miss Winslet.”With a flawless smile,Olivia lifted her gaze,her long lashes fluttering as she spoke smoothly.“It’s been a month since your admission.Has the doctor mentioned how your recovery is going?Do you know when you’ll be discharged?”
Cassie was momentarily stunned before shaking her head.“In another half month,”she said.“The doctor said that by then,I should have recovered enough to be discharged.”
The liver transplant was scheduled for a week from now.
That meant she would rest for another week post-surgery,aligning her discharge date perfectly.No one would find anything suspicious.Her timing was impeccable.
Olivia’s smile deepened with sarcasm.“Since Miss Winslet will be discharged in half a month,that means you’ll have enough strength to cheer for Lucian and me during our liver transplant surgery.You’ll be outside the operating room,supporting us,right?”
