As Catherine's words fell, the guest room was swallowed by a heavy silence. Leandro frowned, his gaze filled with disbelief and displeasure.
“Catherine, when did you become so selfish?”
Even Nash suddenly rushed over, grabbing her wrist with a force that made her wince.
“Bad Mommy! Bad Mommy! Aunt Nina is unconscious! If you don’t save her today, I won’t call you my mommy anymore!”
Catherine was yanked so hard her vision blurred, dizziness washing over her. Her chest felt like it had been hollowed out, even breathing was hard.
That time, to confirm whether Leandro had betrayed her, she had performed 9,999 divinations in a row—until she coughed up blood from the strain.
Her body had yet to recover, and just last night, she spent another entire evening divining the company’s future for him.
If she pushed her luck now with another reading, she would be gambling not only with her fortune—but with her lifespan.
Taking a slow breath, Catherine answered calmly, “Leandro, if I perform another divination now, it could cost me years of my life.”
She thought he would understand after hearing this.
But instead, he scoffed and looked at her with cold disappointment.
“You’ve performed dozens of readings for the company and you were fine. Why is it suddenly a life-threatening risk now? If you don’t want to do it, just say so—don’t make up excuses.”
Her body swayed, barely holding her weight.
What did that mean?
Did he... not believe her?
But she was telling the truth!
Before she could defend herself, Leandro cut in with a commanding tone, “She’s lying there unconscious. It’s just a reading—you’re not even lifting a finger. Don’t be so selfish, Catherine.”
She heard the ease in his voice, how he dismissed the price of her pain—and it made her want to laugh.
All those times she performed readings for his company, her health would deteriorate afterward. She had kept it from him so he wouldn’t feel guilty.
But it only led him to believe it cost her nothing.
A bitter ache rose in her chest as she looked at him in the eyes.
“Leandro... what if I’m telling the truth?”
Her words made him pause for a moment. A strange look flickered across his face.
But when his eyes shifted back to the unconscious Nina, whatever doubt he had vanished. A flicker of hesitation passed—but he still chose not to believe her.
“Saving a life is more important. Catherine, don’t joke around.”
After all those readings hadn’t harmed her before—why would this one be different?
That’s what he kept telling himself.
He had admittedly neglected her lately, so if she was throwing a little tantrum, that was understandable.
Once Nina woke up, he would send her away.
“Catherine. Please. Saving her matters more.”
His urging drained the last of her strength.
She knew his mind was made up. No matter what she said, he wouldn’t believe her.
Then so be it.
She forced herself to ignore the sharp pain in her body and began the divination.
The ritual lasted three excruciating hours. Her lips turned pale, sweat poured from her brow, and her entire body trembled.
Finally, on the verge of collapse, she spoke. “She’s been poisoned. The antidote is a snow lotus that only grows in extreme cold.”
Leandro’s face lit up. He grabbed her shoulders, oblivious to the weakness in her voice.
“I’ll go find it now. Catherine, wait for me.”
As Leandro and Nash rushed off, Catherine could no longer suppress the pain. Violent coughing shook her frame, and blood poured from her lips, splattering the floor.
She slowly uncurled her fingers, revealing a divination result crumpled in her palm.
“Great Misfortune.”
With trembling hands, she tore it apart and threw the pieces into the trash.
Along with it, she discarded the last piece of her illusions—and the final shred of affection she held for the two of them.
She would not wait for them to come back.
Today, everything was finally settled. The paperwork was done. She stood up, walked out of the villa, and made a call.
“Book me the earliest flight to California.”
After hanging up, she stopped by a printing shop and a law office.
Once everything was in order, she calmly headed for the airport—alone.
