Chapter 4

I frowned, confused.

It was not until I opened my phone that I saw the news alert. His company’s core project had been leaked, causing huge losses.

“Why?” Her voice was hoarse. “Do you hate me that much? Hate me enough to destroy everything I have? Just because of Eren?”

“It was not me,” I said, looking at her. “Believe it or not.”

She gave a cold laugh, turned around and walked away without hesitation.

For the next few days, Jolla completely disappeared.

Then a recording of a livestream suddenly went viral online.

During the live call, Eren choked up as he said he had loved Jolla for many years and that I was the real third party who came between them.

“Back then, I was forced to go abroad… and now he cannot even tolerate my existence. Again and again, he framed me and reported me, even using his own body to trap her in a marriage.”

With tears in his eyes, he said, “Is this kind of love really worth it?”

Public opinion exploded instantly.

People began digging up my personal information. When I went outside, others pointed at me and whispered. Some even threw eggs at me, shouting, “Sickly trash! Homewrecker! Get lost!”

Jolla soon responded on her account:

“Eren is simple and innocent. If his words or actions were inappropriate, they were unintentional. Please do not overinterpret. This is a private matter. Do not disturb.”

That statement pushed the situation to its peak.

I left one comment under it: “Let the truth come out in time.”

In an instant, thousands of insults flooded my messages.

“Die, homewrecker!”

“A disgusting man pretending to be sick for sympathy!”

“Did your parents never teach you how to behave?”

I turned off my phone, my chest feeling tight and heavy.

That evening, the housekeeper prepared dinner as usual. But not long after eating, sharp pain twisted through my stomach.

“Where did this food come from?” I asked, cold sweat pouring down.

“Mr. Zerrock and Miss Guvella brought it this afternoon… they said it was fresh organic vegetables…”

Before the sentence was finished, my vision went black and I collapsed heavily to the floor.

“Sir! Sir, what is wrong?” The servant’s scream faded as everything went dark.

When I woke up, my whole body felt like it had been crushed by a heavy weight.

The doctor stood by the bed, his voice very gentle.

“Sir, the food you consumed contained strong irritating substances. It caused serious complications after your surgery. One of your kidneys could not be saved. We have already removed it.”

I stared at the ceiling, my ears ringing nonstop.

“That is impossible…” My voice was hoarse. “It was just appendicitis…”

The doctor looked away and shook his head in silence.

I fell back onto the bed. My right hand moved to my side without thinking, but all I touched was thick bandages and a flat, unfamiliar emptiness. That place was gone.

Tears burst out without warning. I bit into the blanket, trying to stop the sobs stuck in my throat.

I did not know how long passed before I found my phone and kept dialing the number I knew by heart, again and again.

At last, the call went through.

But the voice that answered was Eren’s, soft and smiling. “Louis? Jolla is taking a shower.”

I clenched my phone, my nails digging into my palm. “Put her on the phone.”

There was some rustling on the other end. He shouted loudly, “Jolla! Your husband is calling to check up on you again!”

“Hello.” Jolla’s voice came through, damp and impatient.

I opened my mouth. All the words were stuck in my throat. In the end, I only managed to say one sentence:

“Where are you?”

“Keeping Eren company in Larkven to relax,” she said calmly. “What happened online affected him too much. He needs time to recover.”

As I listened, everything suddenly felt so absurd that it was almost laughable.

My dry lips moved slightly. “My stomach hurt badly today. I ate the food you sent…”

“If you are not feeling well, go see a doctor.” She cut me off, her voice suddenly cold. “Louis, you are not trying to frame Eren again, are you? Hurting your own body to accuse him? How did you become like this?”

I tightened my grip on the phone, my knuckles turning white.

She was still talking. “Eren is so pure. How could he possibly do something like this? Whatever unclean thing you ate, you know it best yourself.”

The call was cut off.

The busy tone rang in my ears for a long time.

Slowly, I put the phone down. Then I suddenly started laughing until my whole body shook and tears streamed down my face.

“Jolla,” I said softly to the empty air, “We are finished.”

The next day, I checked out of the hospital.

My face was pale as paper. My steps were unsteady, each one feeling like I was walking on cotton.

When the plane rose into the clouds, I looked out the window at the city below, growing smaller and smaller.

During my years in Dargam City, I loved and I suffered, and in the end, everything felt like a shattered dream.

And now, the dream was finally over.