Days passed, and except for her mother not yet being awake, everything was moving in a positive direction.

Until one day, while Sera and Caleb were processing her mother’s transfer papers, they encountered Julian in the hospital corridor, sitting in a wheelchair.

The moment their eyes met, Sera was visibly surprised.

Having not seen him for over half a month, Julian looked incredibly haggard. His skeletal frame was draped in a loose hospital gown, his eyes were bloodshot, and the aura around him was terrifyingly gloomy, radiating a sense of immense despair.

He stared fixedly at their interlaced fingers, an unprecedented anger mixed with extreme jealousy nearly tearing him apart.

His hands trembled as he wanted to say something, but Sera gave him no chance. Her gaze lingered on him for only a second. After a brief frown, as if she had encountered something monstrous, she pulled Caleb’s hand and left without looking back.

Sera’s indifference, the sight of them leaving together, and the intimacy that no outsider could intrude upon were like countless blades piercing Julian’s heart.

While recovering, he had looked forward to Sera’s arrival every day, even fantasizing that she might visit him out of pity for his injuries.

And she did see him.

She saw him mangled from his self-punishment, saw all his vulnerability and wretchedness. But she—she only gave him a single glance.

No greeting, no concern; only that ice-cold gaze like a knife, which utterly shattered the last bit of laughable hope in his heart.

At this moment, he finally understood that he had lost the person he loved most.

Julian collapsed back into his wheelchair and closed his eyes. Tears slid down his cheeks, but this time, Sera would never again kneel and use her warm fingertips to brush away his tears while saying, "No matter what happens, I will be by your side."

Chapter 24

Upon learning that Sera and Caleb had flown to another country, Julian became bedridden.

His long-neglected stomach ailment finally broke him, and just last week, he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer.

By the time he received the news, another winter was approaching.

The early winter sunlight filtered through the window, casting a hint of warmth on Julian’s face, but his heart was cold to the core.

He looked at the medical report in his hand, his eyes filled with a deathly grayness, yet his lips curled into a faint smile of resignation.

For the time he had left, he refused all conservative treatments and ignored the doctors' suggestions. No one could persuade him. He simply lay in his hospital bed like a vegetable, neither moving nor speaking.

In the large ward, he kept the curtains tightly closed. He shut himself away from the world, hearing nothing but the occasional thumping of his heart during bouts of intense pain.

Meanwhile, when the news of Julian’s critical condition broke again, Sera was in Singapore, picking out a wedding dress.

Seeing the medical report sent from an unknown number, she froze. In that brief instant, countless memories of him flashed by.

The eighteen-year-old Julian, holding her hand, his youthful vow sincere and firm as he said he would marry her and treat her well for a lifetime.

The twenty-two-year-old Julian, hurling vicious words at her for the sake of another woman, using every cruel method to leave her broken and scarred.

...

Regardless, Julian had occupied a vast portion of her life. Learning this news, a tiny, almost invisible ripple still stirred in her heart.

But that was all.

Whether it was the lover of the past or the Julian of the present, she had let it all go.

The only thing that remained unchanged was her still-burning, vibrant heart, but from now on, it would only beat for Caleb.

"Sera, how about this dress? I think it suits you."

Sera put down her phone, met his nervous gaze, and took the pure white wedding dress from his hands with a smile. After a moment, she nodded gently.

Under the guidance of the shop assistant, Sera changed into the dress. When she came out, she found the entire shop eerily silent.

She looked around for others, only to find that it was not only quiet but the lights had grown dim.

But in the next second.

Snap—

All the lights flared to life. The sudden brightness made her instinctively raise a hand to shield her eyes. When she regained her vision, she realized the empty shop had been transformed into a sea of flowers in just a few minutes.

Countless vibrant bouquets were interspersed among the white wedding dresses. The air was thick with the fragrance of flowers, creating a romantic and ethereal atmosphere.

She looked up and saw Caleb walking slowly toward her with a bouquet. The warm yellow light on his face made his features appear even softer.

Under her shocked gaze, Caleb placed the flowers in her hand and then dropped to one knee.

A breathtakingly brilliant diamond ring appeared in his palm. He looked up at her, the colorful lights reflected in his long lashes. His gaze was so burning that Sera hardly dared to look at him directly.

"Sera, although we've been together for a long time, I know I've always owed you a formal confession. I hope it’s not too late now."

As he spoke, there was an unnatural nervousness in his voice.

"Sera, will you be my girlfriend? I swear I will only treat you well for the rest of my life..."

Before he could finish, Sera stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently.

In that shared breath, the kiss was her answer.

His meticulous care in the hospital, his sincere companionship at midnight—she had seen every act of kindness Caleb had shown her.

They had long since become an inseparable pair, so when she learned he wanted to marry, Sera did not hesitate.

After sharing an affectionate moment, they walked toward the hospital together, only to receive an emergency call on the way.

Both were startled by the call, even preparing for the worst.

"Hello, is this the daughter of Li Jingwan? After repeated confirmation, the patient has regained consciousness. Please come to the hospital immediately."

They looked at each other, seeing both shock and joy in the other's eyes.

Caleb took her hand, and they ran toward the hospital.

The afterglow of the setting sun filled the sky, stretching their shadows long, yet they remained closely entwined.

Her family healthy and her lover by her side—at this moment, this was her greatest happiness.

(The End)