Chapter 1

On the day I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, my Oscar-winning actor husband's first love returned to the country.

At their college reunion, they embraced and kissed without a shred of restraint.

Just like they used to.

After all these years, he still couldn't let her go.

Fortunately, I didn't have much time left to live.

This time, I decided to step aside and set them free.

01

When I pushed the door open, I saw my husband, Declan, locked in a passionate embrace with Melanie.

Melanie was Declan's first love who broke up with him during their sophomore year to move abroad.

The classmates around them egged them on, eager for drama. "Look, your wife is here! Don't be mad, it was just Melanie's dare in Truth or Dare!"

"Yeah, don't get the wrong idea. It's just a party game."

Hearing that I had arrived, the two finally broke apart.

"Hey, that wasn't even five minutes yet!" someone teased.

Melanie shot the speaker a coy, blushing glare.

Seeing Melanie again, she looked just as delicate, radiant, and untouched by the world as she had years ago.

Her lips were flushed red, and her eyes shimmered with innocence. "Corinne, please don't be mad. We were honestly just playing a game."

She bit her lower lip and looked at Declan with a helpless, pitiful expression.

"I didn't want to pick Declan. I know you two are married, but Declan promised me you wouldn't mind..."

I looked at Declan. He gave a casual, dismissive nod.

He took my hand as if trying to placate me. "It was just a silly game."

He sounded so nonchalant that getting upset would only make me look petty and hysterical.

I forced a bitter smile. "With so many people in the room..."

Melanie interrupted me immediately. "Corinne, you're not actually angry, are you? There's really nothing going on between Declan and me."

I met her gaze.

I caught the undisguised smugness and triumph flashing in her eyes.

A sharp cramp twisted through my stomach, but I managed a tight smile.

"I'm not angry. Don't worry, Melanie, I know you're not the kind of cheap woman who'd knowingly play the mistress."

"You're definitely not the type who lacks boundaries and seduces married men, right?"

Melanie's face flushed crimson. Tears welled in her eyes as she vigorously shook her head.

The private lounge fell dead silent. Declan furrowed his brow in disapproval.

"Corinne," he warned, his voice low and cold. "You're crossing the line."

Suppressing the unbearable pain in my abdomen, I looked back at him. "What did I say wrong? I was just reassuring Melanie so she wouldn't feel guilty."

I scanned the quiet room. "Don't let me ruin your fun. Keep going. I have something to take care of, so I'll head out first."

Fighting the churning agony in my gut, I stumbled out of the lounge and collapsed into a crouch by the front doors.

The first snow of deep winter was falling silently, the icy flakes stinging my cheeks.

It took a long time for the sharp pain to subside. I pulled the neatly folded diagnosis report of terminal stomach cancer from my coat pocket.

I tore the paper into tiny shreds and threw them into the air, letting them vanish with the snow into the freezing wind.