Chapter 1

The day I went to pick up my diagnosis, I learned I had cancer.

The doctor said I had less than six months to live.

I returned home, eerily calm, and prepared the divorce papers.

In two weeks, I would finally leave this house that never truly felt like mine.

I quietly counted the days, waiting for the moment of my departure.

This time, I wouldn't forgive them.

Daniel and the Campbell family – I was done with all of them.

"You have leukemia. Here's your diagnosis."

Looking at the stark, glaring words on the paper, I felt a strange sense of peace. A sigh of relief, even.

I calmly took the diagnosis.

"How much time do I have?" I asked.

The doctor sighed.

"Six months at most."

I froze for a moment, then stood up, ready to leave.

The doctor quickly called out to me.

"Ms. Campbell, if you find a matching bone marrow donor, there's still a chance."

Leukemia. Everyone knows it's cancer.

I wasn't ignorant; I knew a bone marrow transplant could save me.

But my family might not even bother to get tested for me.

A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped me at the thought.

"No need, thank you."

"Oh, but you're so young, only 29," the doctor pleaded, a touch of sympathy in her voice.

Seeing my silent resolve, she didn't push it further.

I tucked the diagnosis away and called a taxi.

Outside the window, snow fell, blurring the world, and my vision, just a little.

Back home, the house was as cold and empty as ever.

Daniel was probably "working late" again.

He used to at least send a text, letting me know.

But ever since Victoria, his idealized first love, the one who got away, came back to town.

He couldn't even be bothered to send a single message.

I didn't turn on the lights. I just sat quietly on the sofa, gazing out at the countless lights twinkling in other homes.

For two thousand days, I'd waited for Daniel to come home.

Today was supposed to be our wedding anniversary.

And today was also the day I received my terminal cancer diagnosis.

I didn't know whether to laugh at myself or at this hollow mockery of a marriage.

I'd waited for Daniel for five years. I couldn't wait anymore.

I pulled out the divorce papers I'd drafted two months ago and sent a SnapChat message to my lawyer.

"Attorney Miller, I've decided to go through with the divorce. Could you draft another agreement for me?"

A reply came quickly.

"Of course. Same terms as before?"

"Yes, but I want to finalize it as soon as possible."

"The fastest we can do it now is a month. I'll draw up the agreement and we can schedule a meeting."

"Okay."

"Just to be sure, Ms. Campbell, are you absolutely certain?"

My finger hovered over the screen for a long moment before I typed a single word.

"Yes."

In that instant, all my strength seemed to drain away.

I put down my phone and stared blankly out the window.

If Daniel agreed, I could be free from this marriage in a month.

One month...

That would be enough time to take care of everything before I left.

My marriage to Daniel was an accident.

He was the one who proposed to me.

Back then, Victoria, the woman he loved, had left him to pursue her career abroad.

I knew his heart belonged to someone else, but I still said yes.

After all, he was the only person who'd ever shown me kindness since my grandmother passed away.

Even if, after we married, he was as distant and unapproachable as ice.

But I kept telling myself, over and over again.

Daniel was different.

If I was good enough to him, even the hardest ice would eventually melt.

For so long, our life together wasn't passionate, but it was… normal.

Yet, less than a year after Victoria returned, his ice had melted into sharp blades.

Cutting me, over and over, until I was bruised and broken.

I was truly exhausted.

I didn't want to fight anymore.

As I sat there lost in thought, the sound of the front door opening broke the silence.

The lights flickered on.

I shielded my eyes from the sudden glare and heard the familiar sound of his shoes being removed.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?"

His voice held no hint of concern.

I simply gave him two words in return.

"Didn't want to."

Daniel paused in the act of taking off his jacket.

Did he sense I was acting a little strange today?

He thought about it for a split second, then continued changing.

I watched him, then spoke his name seriously.

"Daniel."

He responded without looking up, "Hmm?"

It wasn't the exchange of a married couple, but rather of unfamiliar strangers.

"Let's get a divorce."