Three years ago, Oliver insisted I join him on a glacier expedition.
During the trip, we faced an avalanche. Oliver was trapped under a pile of snow, his body growing colder and his consciousness slipping away.
Lacking any wilderness survival experience, I was too afraid to call for help and didn’t know how to save him. All I could do was clutch my lucky stone and plead to the heavens, offering all my luck to ensure his survival.
At that moment, the only thing I understood was my deep love for him. Life without Oliver was unimaginable.
Perhaps my prayers were answered. The avalanche ceased, and the snow covering Oliver gradually shifted away. I hurriedly dug him out, but by then, my limbs were numb with cold, my fingers a mix of purple and blue, and I was ut- terly exhausted.
Then, out of nowhere, Oliver lunged at me, striking my chest. The sharp stone pierced my skin, and I lost conscious-
ness.
Oliver managed to carry me to the rescue team. My wound was stitched, and I spent a month in the hospital before fi- nally returning home.
After returning home, my heart often felt a dull ache, but I didn’t want to alarm Oliver, so I visited Dr. Luis on my
own.
During the examination, it was discovered that pieces of stone remained lodged in my chest, piercing my heart. By that time, they had become embedded in the heart muscle, making surgery incredibly challenging with a very low chance of success.
Fortunately, Dr. Luis assured me that as long as I avoided intense physical activity and major emotional upheavals, the stone fragments could remain in my heart indefinitely. Besides occasional sharp pains, there would be no other
symptoms.
Back then, I thought, “I have caring parents, a competent sister, and a loving husband, and I don’t have to have chil- dren. What sorrow could possibly ensnare me?”
I asked Dr. Luis to keep this a secret from my family. I was sure this matter would stay hidden forever, allowing us to grow old together in love.
But then the Talbot family was ruined—and Oliver was responsible.
The gravel shards continued to shift painfully within me. Each deep breath brought with it a searing pain as if my heart were being torn to shreds.
Dr. Luis told me there was no hope left.
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The gravel had already pierced through, turning my heart into a chaotic ruin. The only reason I was still alive was that my brain hadn’t yet registered that my heart was just an empty shell.
I asked Dr. Luis how much time I had left. He said three days.
I figured that was sufficient.
One day to organize the Talbot family stuff, another to pack my belongings, and the final day to ensure Oliver would regret his actions forever.
Oliver’s tears landed on my eyelashes as he repeatedly flipped through the medical records, unable to believe what he was reading.
“She said it was just a small injury.”
Dr. Luis scoffed. “Of course, she didn’t want to worry you. Who would have guessed you were a fiend bent on her demise? You dragged her across mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans, trying every possible way to cause her harm. Well done on achieving your goal.”
“She believes that…?”
“No, no!” Oliver pleaded anxiously, like a child who didn’t know what to do. “I never intended to hurt her on purpose. Never.
“I took her to the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas because I wanted to avoid being ridiculed in New York. Out there, it was just us, exchanging loving glances, with no status differences. That’s why I enjoyed taking her out.
“I never meant to harm her. That time, I was delirious from hypothermia and mistook her for a wild animal attacking me. I genuinely didn’t mean to hurt her…
“But I’m a man as well! Men have pride and dignity! I was already ridiculed as her pet–how could I lower my head and apologize to her? I just couldn’t… Yet I still loved her!
“Everything was coming to a close. No one would mock me as her lapdog anymore! Why! Why didn’t she wait for me? We could have been happy again, just like we used to be…”
Dr. Luis, a distinguished doctor in New York from a noble lineage, was intimidated by no one as much as Oliver.
Rising to his feet, he began to wheel me out.
“The police and forensic team are already here. Surrender Miss Talbot peacefully, and you might receive a reduced
sentence.”
Oliver punched him.
He burst out angrily, “Who said you could lay a hand on my Melisa? Get your filthy hands off her! She’s my wife, and only I can touch her!”
He accused, “You’re just jealous and making up stories to take her from me! Dream on! I won’t be fooled by your schemes! Guards, secure every exit of the villa–no one comes in or out!”
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Chapter 8
