Chapter 4
Preston was curled up in the corner of the room, his whole body trembling violently.
Selene rushed into the bathroom, soaked a towel, and pressed it over Preston’s nose and mouth. His body grew rigid in her arms—he’d lost
consciousness.
Smoke filled the air, burning her throat and stinging her eyes until the world blurred at the edges.
Just as the house began to collapse, Selene dragged Preston out.
By the time Mira arrived, Selene had already passed out.
When she woke again, she was in the hospital.
Opening her eyes, she saw Preston glaring at her with a look of pure resentment and hatred.
As soon as he noticed she was awake, Preston let out a cold laugh.
“Selene, you really are something. Was all that scheming just to kill me? We shared a bed once, and now because we’re getting divorced, you want me dead?”
Selene stared at him in disbelief, her mouth opening but no sound coming
out.
Confused and heartsick, she looked away.
Preston’s gaze was bitter and accusing. He struggled to keep his emotions in check. “If Mira hadn’t risked her life to save me, I’d be nothing but
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ashes right now.”
He sighed, defeated. “So, what are the last two conditions? Once they’re done, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Just then, the doctor burst in, looking anxious.
He glanced at Preston and said sternly, “Are you Ms. Sutton’s family? Here’s her medical report–Ms. Sutton has a very serious-”
Selene abruptly cut in, her voice strange and sharp in the quiet room.
No one noticed Preston’s eyes slowly widening.
“Very serious hypoglycemia. I know. You don’t need to tell him–he’s not my family.”
The doctor hesitated, then nodded solemnly.
Back in her room, Preston couldn’t calm down.
Watching Mira fuss over him, he was suddenly overcome with guilt. “How could it be Selene? The voice must have been a coincidence,” he thought.
Still, uncertainty gnawed at him. He texted his doctor friend.
“Julio, is it possible for someone’s voice to suddenly change completely?”
Julio replied quickly but with obvious hesitation.
“In theory, yes, but it’s risky. My company developed a drug about six months ago that changes the vibration of the vocal cords. We only sold one dose, and the buyer left a bad review.”
Six months ago. The timing was uncanny.
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He really thought he was losing his mind.
“That crazy woman, how could it be her?“, he thought.
But despite himself, he typed out another message.
“Can you find out who bought it?”
Julio agreed.
Just before dawn, Selene, looking utterly exhausted, pushed open his door. After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke, “My fourth condition- watch the sunrise with me.”
Preston looked up, his tone light and indifferent, “Fine, the fourth one. You’d better think of the fifth–Mira can’t wait to marry me.”
Selene lowered her gaze and said nothing.
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The wind on the mountaintop was biting cold, making Selene shiver uncontrollably. Yet she relished the chill, even as her body grew too weak to stand for long. She leaned against a tree for support.
As a child, Selene had been boxed in by rules, which only made her more rebellious. She used to defy her parents; now, she defied Preston.
She’d once read that watching the sunrise with someone you love brings peace to the soul.
She glanced at Preston out of the corner of her eye, cursing the author in her heart, “Liar.”
Preston stifled a yawn, mocking her, “Trying to pull off the cool, aloof beauty act again? Copying Mira with this sunrise thing? I knew you’ve been stalking my social media.”
Selene didn’t respond, just checked her phone. Five minutes left.
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Suddenly, a ringtone shattered the quiet. Selene quickly stopped Preston from answering, pleading, “Just five more minutes. The sun’s about to rise.”
For a moment, Preston saw something different in her.
Lately, there was a quiet sadness in everything Selene said and did.
That sadness made him put down his phone.
But less than a minute later, the phone rang again.
In that one minute, Mira called 15 times.
He couldn’t resist. He answered.
“Mr. Hawley, there’s a patient causing trouble. I’m just a psychologist— they’re saying it’s my fault their daughter jumped. I’m scared, Mr. Hawley. Can you come back?”
Preston glanced at Selene, then at the pale light in the east.
“Fourth condition–can I watch the sunrise with you tomorrow instead?”
Selene didn’t answer, just nodded quietly.
That was the answer enough.
She followed Preston down the mountain. When they arrived at the hospital, Mira was being held at knifepoint.
Seeing Preston, she struggled to break free, but the man only tightened his grip.
“You’re her boyfriend? Your girlfriend’s incompetence killed my daughter. My daughter’s dead–your girlfriend should pay with her life!”
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Veins bulged in Preston’s neck as he forced himself to stay calm. “I understand how you feel. But please, calm down.”
The father was beyond consolation, his emotions only growing more volatile. “You people act so high and mighty. You took our money and did nothing. Today, I’m going to make things right!”
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Preston clenched his fists, then, at the crucial moment, declared, “You’re right to want justice. But Mira wasn’t your daughter’s doctor–Selene was!”
Tears spilled silently down Selene’s cheeks, soaking into her collar like melting ice.
She looked at Preston in disbelief, but he avoided her gaze.
He’d made this decision because he knew Selene wouldn’t be in real
danger.
Straightening his back, he calmly explained, “Do you really think the hospital would assign a student without a diploma as your daughter’s doctor? They just used Mira as a scapegoat to cover for Selene.”
The father was persuaded and gradually let go of Mira.
Terrified, Mira threw herself into Preston’s arms. At that moment, Preston pushed Selene toward the grieving father.
The knife nearly slashed her throat. As she closed her eyes, ready for death, the police burst in and subdued the man.
Selene collapsed, unable to stand, but her eyes sought Preston.
He explained calmly, “I called the police before we got here. You were never in real danger.”
Selene dug her nails into her palm, but nothing could stop her from
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breaking down in tears.
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She felt as if she’d fallen into a frozen abyss, with nothing to hold onto.
During her days recovering in the hospital, she and Preston didn’t speak again.
One day, Mira suddenly appeared in Selene’s room. Seeing how frail Selene was, she laughed cruelly.
“Ms. Sutton, don’t you get it? Preston loves me. He only believes me. When it mattered, he cared about my life, not yours. Why keep trying to insert yourself where you’re not wanted?”
Selene kept her head down, quietly eating her oatmeal, not even looking
- up.
Mira wasn’t bothered. After all, to her, Selene was just a pitiful stray.
She was certain Preston would always be hers.
“Ms. Sutton, your fake strength is pathetic. Without Preston, you’re just an unwanted orphan–your parents died young, and now even your
husband loves someone else.”
Each word was a dagger.
Selene couldn’t hold back anymore. She slapped Mira hard across the
face.
Her hand trembled afterward, her face ghostly pale, and her body frighteningly frail.
“You really think you’ve got Preston wrapped around your finger?
“Then why is he asking about the buyer of that drug? If he trusted you so much, wouldn’t he be searching for excuses to prove it wasn’t you?”
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She hunched over, needing to pause for breath, her face turning bluish with the effort.
Mira bit her lip, about to retort, when Selene continued, “Once these five conditions are done, I’ll leave. After that, Preston and I will have nothing to do with each other.”
The door swung open. Preston entered, tense and stern.
“What do you mean, you’ll have nothing to do with me? Selene, you don’t have to keep saying such harsh things. No one’s going to pity you.”
Selene lay back, exhausted, closing her eyes.
Seeing Preston, Mira covered her face, feigning tears. “I only wanted to apologize to Ms. Sutton for scaring her that day, but she said I ruined your marriage.”
She sobbed, looking utterly pitiful.
Selene didn’t have the strength to explain, so she let it go.
Hearing Mira say that, Preston immediately yanked Selene up from the bed, fury etched on his face. “Apologize to Mira!”
Selene forced her eyes open, her body spent, and managed a faint, bitter
smile.
“Don’t forget, Preston–you still owe me two conditions. So what if I hit her? Without me, she’d be dead already.”
Preston was livid, repeating her name over and over.
He shoved Selene back onto the bed, grabbed Mira’s hand, and stormed
out.
That night, Preston took Selene to watch the sunrise, but she fell asleep
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before it appeared.
Looking at her, Preston’s feelings were a tangle of frustration and
confusion.
“You wanted to see the sunrise, but you’re the one who fell asleep.”
When Selene woke again, there was only one day left of the fifteen.
But she was now completely bedridden.
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Preston pressed her for her final condition. She struggled to speak, unable to get the words out.
He lost all patience, snapping, “Selene, are you messing with me? Even if you are, I’m still divorcing you.”
Selene couldn’t speak at all. Her heartbeat grew fainter, the monitor blaring as doctors and nurses rushed in.
She managed a broken, tragic smile. “My fifth condition–bury my ashes with my parents.”
Preston’s breath caught, but he forced out a stubborn retort.
“Ashes? Selene, what nonsense are you talking about? You’re not going to trick me with some cat or dog’s ashes again, are you?”
Someone jumped onto the bed and began CPR. As they inserted the breathing tube, Selene whispered, “Yeah, just fooling you.”
Then, the doctor hung up the phone.
Preston was left bewildered by the abrupt end. His hands shook as he tried to call back, but no one answered.
His worry grew, gnawing at him. He was desperate to know how Selene
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was doing.
She had been so strange lately, even understanding
had before.
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im in ways she never
And all those damn coincidences–they left him uneasy and afraid.
Ten minutes later, Selene was pronounced dead. She’d been holding on by sheer willpower; the resuscitation was just for show.
When the doctor found her will on the nightstand, he began preparing for
her cremation.
As Preston was leaving, his phone rang.
His throat tightened, heart pounding so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
He answered, and on the other end, Julio spoke hesitantly, “Preston, I found out who bought that drug six months ago.”
Preston’s voice shook with urgency. “Who was it?”
“It was Selene.”
