From the beginning, I had planned to use this pain to torment myself, so I didn't keep any painkillers at home. Every time it struck, I just bit the bullet to tough it through. Only in those moments could I feel alive.It hurt, deeply. As I convulsed, my feet kicked against the bed frame, making sharp sounds.Suddenly, the doorbell rang.Usually after Lyra left, she wouldn't come back for a while. But whoever was ringing the bell, I didn't have the strength to stand up and open the door.The person outside was persistent, ringing again and again, clearly in a hurry, showing no sign of leaving. Unexpectedly, my headache faded quickly this time, so I managed to support myself against the headboard and stumbled to the door.Looking through the peephole, I saw Lyra standing there, her expression icy. I sighed and tried to act casual as I opened the door.The moment she walked in, she shoved me and said, "What's the holdup? Can't you hurry up and open the door?"I steadied myself against t

From college to marriage, I'm the one who knows her better than anyone. I know exactly what sets her off. Her pride forbade me from speaking this way. Sure enough, her fingers around my neck tightened, like she was trying to choke me to death.I stopped resisting, stayed perfectly still, like I didn't care about anything anymore. My reaction only added fuel to the fire.She let out a cold, mocking laugh. It was sharp as ice in the dead of winter, cutting to the bone. "Isaac, you know why I can do this to you, right?"She continued. "I'm now the largest shareholder of the nursing home where your dad used to live. I know how much that place means to you, so let me warn you, if I'm not happy, I'll pull out my shares. As for those old folks left with no one to turn to, who knows what'll happen to them? Life or death, it's anyone's guess."At that, my eyelashes couldn't help but tremble, and my eyes welled up.The staff at the nursing home helped me take care of my dad in his last days. Wi

I really had no other option, so I had to ask Roman for help. As soon as he picked up the phone, it seemed like he hadn't expected it. "Luka, is something wrong?"After all, yesterday's situation caused quite a stir, and me calling him today would most likely remind him of the argument. People know that Lyra and I share a mother, but no one really knew the story behind it."Roman, I urgently need money. Can you lend me some?"Roman was probably the one who understood our situation the best. The moment I opened my mouth, he instantly knew what was going on."Is something wrong at the nursing home?"See, even outsiders could easily guess what's happening, and Lyra knew it too, but she chooses to avoid doing something.My nose stung a little, and I nodded. "Kidney failure. She urgently needs a transplant, and it costs a lot of money. If you don't have extra cash, could you help me find a job instead?"After getting married, I became a full-time househusband. Lyra said she loved seeing me

Roman reacted quickly, blocking the door and pulling me into a hug."Luka, Luka, listen to me. Stay calm," he said, dragging me back to the bed. "You know what's going on inside; don't go there. Mia cared for you so much—she wouldn't want to see you like this."I was completely dazed.A fit of emotion kept crashing over me, making my nose sting.I suddenly broke down, crying uncontrollably.I never thought a tough man like me could cry like this.Roman gently wiped my tears away and told me that Mia had passed away last night.I hadn't been able to see her one last time because I had been asleep.But last night, I was just sulking at the nightclub because of that brooch.It was all my fault. If I had just taken a step back then, none of this would have happened, and I wouldn't have missed my chance to see Mia one last time. This was devastating for me.I slid down to the floor by the bed, crying loudly. Roman knew that any comforting words would be pointless, so he just stayed quiet a

Roman seems to really hate it when I talk about depressing stuff.He frowned and said sharply, "Smith, I'm not here for you to just give up on life! You need to live well!"I managed a faint smile and fell silent.The rain started again. It was drizzling on and off, just like the people we meet in life. No one knows who will get stuck at which stop. Just like now, Roman and I were stuck on the mountain.The fortune teller girl seemed to notice I was feeling down, so she smiled at me and said, "Maybe your loved ones just want to spend a little more time with you."It was Mia.Yeah, I guess I'll stay just one more night.***I wouldn't be going back down to Lyra's place. I moved straight into Roman's house instead.I didn't have much luggage anyway, so Roman helped me pack everything. "You might not have enough stuff right now, but we can add to it later on," he said.I nodded; that didn't really matter. As long as I had a place to sta