"I want to arrange a tree burial. No ashes, please.

"I'd like the spot to get sunlight if possible. The timing... about three months from now."

Hearing Adeline's young voice, the staff stopped writing. It was hard to believe someone so young and beautiful was choosing her own burial spot.

"Alright, miss, we'll try our best to meet your request. After you sign the contract, we'll automatically provide body collection, cremation, and other services."

When she walked out of the cemetery, Adeline got a call from Christopher.

"Same place, twenty minutes."

Adeline had gotten used to his distant, commanding tone since they met again. She hurried to The Regency Club.

Outside the private room.

"I heard you're about to get married. Congratulations."

"Francesca has been chasing you for so many years, Christopher. And now you're finally marrying her."

The moment Adeline heard that name, she gasped. Of course, she knew—Francesca had bullied her before.

How could Christopher even think of marrying her?

She stayed calm for a long time, then pushed the door open.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Inside, Christopher sat in the main seat, surrounded by women. When he saw Adeline come in late, he silently filled her glass with wine.

Adeline knew the rule—late meant punishment. One glass per minute.

But she had a band competition tomorrow. If she drank, how could she sing?

Adeline forced herself to speak. "I have a competition and performance tomorrow. Could the punishment..."

She looked up and saw Christopher's hands caressing the woman beside him, making her gasp for breath. He didn't even glance at Adeline.

Adeline stopped speaking and laughed at herself. Christopher hated her enough already—how could she expect him to help her? Gritting her teeth, she downed glass after glass.

The crowd kept cheering louder and louder until her head grew fuzzy. She couldn't tell how much time had passed. Eventually, only the two of them were left in the room.

"You're never short of women, so why her?"

Christopher clearly knew—the person she hated most in her life was Francesca. In college, they'd been in the same vocal major. She had wanted Christopher, and when she couldn't have him, she took it out on Adeline.

"Is this some kind of revenge?"

The closer someone is, the worse it hurts.

Christopher's voice was icy. "Adeline, you really think too highly of yourself. Do you think I'd throw away my happiness just to get back at you?"

Adeline froze, memories flooding back as her body shook all over.

She and Christopher had met in college. They were each other's first love, and everyone envied them. They'd promised to marry after graduation—but then Adeline left him for someone else.

While chasing her car, he got into an accident and ended up disabled. He hasn't been able to hold a scalpel since.

Even when he knelt and begged in despair, Adeline didn't even glance back at him.

Later, he went to Australia for treatment. When he came back, the first thing he did was find her—for revenge.

But only Adeline knew the truth. Back then, she had no choice.

Even love couldn't close the gap between them. Christopher's mom was against their relationship and even used Adeline's brother, who had leukemia, to force her away. She had no choice but to pretend she cheated and leave him cruelly.

Christopher noticed her eyes reddening. He spoke. "Or was there something you struggled with?"

The thumping beat from the speakers covered the slight tremor in his last words. The calm on his face was just a mask, hiding the hope he tried so hard to suppress.

Adeline parted her lips slightly but didn't say anything.

She was dying. What good would talking do?

Her leaving had caused his car accident, leaving him unable to hold a scalpel and ruining the medical career he'd dreamed of. She had to make it up to him. And with her recent stomach cancer diagnosis, she knew her time was running out.

"There's no other reason. I moved on. You just had poor judgment and loved the wrong person."

Seeing the indifferent look on Adeline's face, Christopher snapped and strangled her.

Adeline's face turned red from his grip. She felt suffocated but didn't resist. She closed her eyes and waited for whatever came next.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. "Christopher, are you in there? They said you got drunk, so I came to get you."

Francesca pushed the door open and froze when she saw Adeline, but quickly composed herself, looping her arm through Christopher's. "Christopher, your mom is pushing you to pick a wedding venue."

Christopher smiled softly. "Just pick one you like."

Watching them talk was painful for Adeline.

Francesca turned her gaze to Adeline. "Why is Ms. Mitchell here, too?"

Seeing Francesca so cheerful, Adeline remembered how she'd been bullied—dormmates isolating her, cold water on her bed in winter, and even burned with a curling iron. The scars were still there, and her body shook.

Not wanting any more contact with Francesca, she tried to leave, but Francesca blocked her way.

"Christopher, I heard Ms. Mitchell's band is killing it in competitions. Since we're getting married..."

Before Adeline could respond, Francesca turned on the KTV in the private room and grabbed a microphone.

"Why wait? Ms. Mitchell, why don't you sing a song for us to celebrate?"

Adeline had just forced down several shots. Her throat burned hot and raw. Singing now—or even tomorrow—was out of the question.

Christopher's hand rested on Francesca's waist, but he caught the tears glinting in Adeline's eyes out of the corner of his eye. Still, his words carried no pity.

"Weren't you just performing at a bar the other night? Don't act like you've been wronged. I paid for you to come. What's wrong with singing a song?"

Francesca stood and threw herself into Christopher's arms. "Forget it, Christopher. I overstepped. It's natural if Ms. Mitchell doesn't want to."

Compared to Adeline's stubbornness, Francesca came off as soft and charming.

Christopher kissed Francesca. Right in front of Adeline, they clung to each other without holding back, not even caring that someone else was there.

Seeing the situation getting worse, Adeline waited by the door. If she left, Christopher would surely come up with even more twisted ways to torment her.

Even through the door, she could clearly hear what was happening.

"Baby, how can you be this soft..."

"I love you so much."

"Will you marry me?"

***

Christopher had also said exactly the same words to Adeline.

When they made that promise, they thought they'd be together forever. No one fit each other better than they did.

Now Christopher was saying the same words to the woman Adeline hated most—Francesca. He didn't even spare their memories; he was tearing them apart one by one.

Through the crack in the door, she could see their clothes were all over the place, and they were clinging to each other.

After a long while, Christopher came out in loose clothes and ordered Adeline.

"Go buy us some birth control pills!"

Hearing this, Francesca pouted and whined, "Christopher, don't you want a baby with me?"

"Of course I do. Dating, engagement, marriage, kids—I want to take it step by step with you."

After speaking, Christopher glanced at Adeline out of the corner of his eye.

But she just did as she was told.

After finding the pharmacy, Adeline quickly started looking for painkillers.

But everything in her eyes became blurry. Forget finding them—she collapsed to the floor in pain.

The pharmacy staff saw her pale face and rushed over to help.

"I need some painkillers, anything that works quickly..."

The staff quickly found the medicine. Adeline snatched it and swallowed, taking big, deep breaths.

A few minutes later, after paying, Adeline thanked the staff and rushed back.

She froze as she opened the door—the moans were back. They were at it again, seemingly tireless.

Every sound hit her like a knife to the heart. The pain spread through her whole body. Even her stomachache didn't compare.

Back then, Christopher never promised marriage when he was with other women. Now, his bride was the woman Adeline hated the most—Francesca.

Once it went quiet inside, she opened the door and handed the birth control pills to Francesca.

While doing so, she accidentally dropped the painkillers she'd just bought. She grabbed them quickly and clutched the bottle tightly, afraid Christopher would notice.

But he had already seen the birth control pills. Seeing the two obviously different bottles, he asked, "What medicine are you taking?"

"N... nothing, just vitamin C."

His gaze fell on her hand, tightly gripping the bottle.

Francesca broke the tension, whining, "It's so bitter."

Christopher pulled her into his arms, teasing, "Why are you acting like a little kid, complaining about medicine?"

Then he left, holding Francesca close.

Adeline finally let out a sigh of relief and took a taxi to the hospital.

In the ICU, she looked at her brother, Leonardo Torres, lying in the bed, hoping they'd find a bone marrow match. Then she grabbed a towel and wiped him down.

The two nurses outside didn't know their relationship. Watching Adeline take care of him, they couldn't help but admire her. "Ms. Mitchell is so loyal. That man's been out cold forever, and it takes so much time and effort, but she's not giving up..."

Every word reached Christopher's ears. He rushed forward and saw the man on the bed. That familiar face instantly brought him back five years.

Adeline had hugged that man sweetly, making it clear she was over Christopher and ready to break up.

He had begged her from behind the car. Even when he was hit by a car and lying in a pool of blood, she didn't look back once.

The pity he'd just started feeling vanished again.

After leaving the ward, Adeline went to the payment hall. She transferred all her savings to cover the medical bills.

"You really are stubborn. Making money like crazy, even at the cost of your dignity... do you love him that much?"

Seeing Christopher appear here, Adeline felt a little lost.

Back then, his mom forced her to bring her brother and act like she'd moved on. Thinking about that misunderstanding, she didn't get a chance to explain before Christopher grabbed her hands and dragged her into the car.

He tore off her skirt and pressed his lips to hers.

***

Afterwards, he covered her in kisses. She pulled her clothes back on and glanced at the payment record on her screen, laughing at herself. This was just Christopher's way of humiliating her. She finally accepted it.

"Thank you. Are you satisfied with the service?

"But Mr. Adams, this is the last time. Let's end this relationship."

Hearing this, Christopher's eyes flashed with anger. "What right do you have to end things?"

A sarcastic smile tugged at Adeline's lips. "Mr. Adams, your wedding's coming up. Are you really gonna keep a mistress you can't even show off?"

Christopher caught the defiance in her eyes. "What, you think it's fine for other CEOs to have mistresses but not me? You just want money, right? I'll double it for you."

Under the dim light, Adeline's face went pale, her nails digging into her palms.

She murmured, "Guess it doesn't matter who I'm with, as long as the money is there. Thanks, Mr. Adams."

She didn't have long to live anyway. She knew Christopher was naturally proud. He just couldn't get over being dumped. Once he finished tormenting her and let go of his resentment, she'd be forgotten.

As for him marrying Francesca? As long as he was happy, it didn't concern her.

Just then, as Christopher was about to send her back, his phone rang.

Francesca's voice came through. "Christopher, where are you? I'm so scared. The thunder is so loud..."

Christopher quickly reassured her, "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

His gaze fell on Adeline sitting in the car.

Adeline knew what he meant, even with the heavy rain outside. "I can get home myself."

But Christopher locked the doors, started the car, and drove her to the villa.

"Get out. It's not easy to get a ride here."

Adeline knew his goal—he just wanted to torment her some more. At this point, she wasn't afraid.

Francesca came out to greet them. Her eyes flickered with a hint of resentment at seeing Adeline, but she quickly covered it with a sweet, understanding smile. "Ms. Mitchell, come in. It's pouring outside. Why not stay the night? Let the housekeeper show you to the shower."

Christopher felt even more that Francesca was gentle and thoughtful. Hugging her, he added, "Francesca, we're getting married soon. Don't take it the wrong way. There was a reason for what happened today."

"Christopher, what are you saying? I know whatever was between you and Ms. Mitchell is in the past."

Christopher thought of the man in the hospital bed and the time of his car accident. Adeline had vanished without a trace back then, and now she stayed faithfully by that man's side. A surge of anger rose in him.

"Francesca, my mom said you helped massage me every day after my accident. Please give me a massage today too."

Francesca hesitated, then nodded. "Ah, okay. Go upstairs and wait for me."

After Christopher left, Francesca found Adeline in the guest room, just out of the shower. The cheerful smile from earlier was gone. "You really are stubborn."

"I don't want trouble," Adeline replied. "Today wasn't my choice. If you want to pick a fight, don't blame me. Back then, you pretended to be me and claimed it was you who stayed with him—you think I didn't notice?"

Francesca wasn't threatened by Adeline's words. Instead, she laughed.

She turned on the curling iron by the bathroom and slowly approached Adeline, the hot metal hovering above the back of her neck.

Adeline's spine tensed. It didn't touch her, but the heat brought back memories of being bullied.

That ugly scar was still on her inner forearm.

"Adeline, your brother recently found a bone marrow match, right? But that person canceled the donation for no reason. Bet you don't know why."

Adeline spun around sharply. "How do you know about my brother?"

At that moment, Francesca showed Leonardo's test report on her phone. Adeline lost it and lunged forward.

But Francesca swung the hot curling iron back and pressed it hard against Adeline's back. The fabric shriveled instantly, sizzling.

"Ah!"

Adeline's body shook, cold sweat running down her temples.

There was a knock at the door. "Adeline? Are you—are you okay?"

Francesca whispered threats into Adeline's ear. "If you want your brother to live, you know what to do."

Adeline gritted her teeth. The burn on her back stung, but compared to her brother's life, it was nothing.

"I-I'm fine."

When the knocking stopped, Francesca let go and watched Adeline curl up, shivering. Her voice was frighteningly calm. "Feel that pain? That's what happens when you go against me.

"If you want your brother to survive, do exactly as I say. Go upstairs soon and pretend you're me giving him a massage. Don't mess it up.

"I'll do it. My brother's bone marrow match..."

Francesca cut her off. "You don't get to negotiate with me. Do exactly what I say, or he has no chance."

***

Francesca put a steam eye mask over Christopher's eyes, then called Adeline into the room to start the massage.

The familiar massage techniques calmed Christopher. After his car accident, it wasn't just his hands that were hurt—glass had scratched his retina, leaving him temporarily blind, and he almost ended up paralyzed from the waist down.

Even though he couldn't see at the time, his mother said it was Francesca who stayed by his side every day, helping him with rehab so he could recover.

Christopher reminded himself—compared to cold, distant Adeline, Francesca was the woman he should love.

"Thanks, Francesca. Don't worry, I'll give you the most perfect wedding."

Adeline felt a bitter knot in her chest as she listened to his promise to Francesca.

The next day, she realized why Francesca had asked her to stay the night.

It was Francesca's birthday party. From early morning, gifts kept pouring into the villa.

Christopher spared no expense. Knowing Francesca loved horseback riding, he gave her an entire riding ranch.

Most of Los Angeles's high-profile crowd showed up to celebrate. When everyone got to the ranch, they realized Christopher hadn't just gifted a ranch—all the horses there were Ferghana horses, insanely valuable.

The gesture moved Francesca to tears. She threw herself into Christopher's arms, crying.

No one noticed Adeline in the corner. Seeing her disappointed expression, Francesca smiled.

"Adeline, given up yet?"

"I gave up a long time ago. You don't need to go out of your way to show off."

Francesca didn't plan to stop. "You gave up, but next, let's see if Christopher has."

Adeline didn't get it until a horse smashed through the fence, running straight toward them.

Adeline froze as Francesca grabbed her. "Are you crazy?"

The horse knocked both of them to the ground. Francesca's arm got stepped on, and Adeline's stomach got crushed, forcing her to curl up in pain.

Christopher noticed and shouted, "Help! Someone help!"

At the hospital, Francesca's arm was fractured, but she was awake early.

Outside the operating room, Christopher anxiously watched until the doctor came out.

"The patient shows signs of internal bleeding in the abdomen, but it doesn't seem to be from external impact. We need to monitor further to know the exact cause."

Francesca looked at Christopher's anxious face, ignoring her own injury, and glared toward the operating room with a hint of resentment.

"Christopher, you've done enough today. Go home and rest. Come back when there's news."

But Christopher didn't move, stubbornly waiting at the door.

Only when his mother arrived did he finally leave.

In the hospital room, Adeline woke slowly. The first thing she did was pull out her IV. The doctor hurried over. "Don't move. Do you know how serious your stomach cancer is? It's already spreading. You must receive treatment."

Adeline grabbed the doctor's hand. "No, I can't. I won't treat it, and don't tell anyone about me..."

The doctor had no choice. He gave her a single shot and processed her discharge.

Francesca watched Adeline leave, then pulled out a bank card and handed it over. "If anyone asks, just say she's fine and discharged. Don't say anything else."

A few days later, at the competition venue.

After the fierce prelims, Adeline's band was just one step away from the championship. Winning meant a contract—and even in her last days, she could finally chase her dream.

She took out five painkillers and swallowed them. No matter what, she had to seize this chance.

The band's bassist, Jonathan Evans, noticed her discomfort and kindly handed her a small bottle of liquid. A few other teammates cheered her on.

The final band played smoothly, and the audience applauded loudly. Their votes were way ahead.

Just when everyone thought victory was certain, the host—who should have announced the results—suddenly changed tone. "We have a surprise challenger!"

Adeline's stomach sank when she saw Francesca step onto the stage.

Backstage, after all the performances ended, Francesca saw Adeline nervously waiting for the results and stepped forward. "Don't bother waiting. I'm winning this."

As Francesca spoke, the host announced the results on the screen, just as she had said.

"You don't need to feel wronged. Christopher set this competition up for me. Without me, your band wouldn't have even qualified."

Adeline couldn't believe it. The one competition she had pinned her hopes on? It had been rigged by Christopher to boost Francesca.

Seeing her teammates' disappointed faces, Adeline felt guilty. She stormed straight to Christopher's office—and surprisingly, nothing stopped her.

Christopher seemed to have expected her to come.

He was carefully writing out the guest names by hand for his engagement ceremony with Francesca.

Adeline remembered their college days, their first time living together, and all the dreams they'd shared for the future.

"When we get married, we can't use printed invites. They feel cold and lifeless."

"Okay, we'll write them ourselves."

***

"What do I have to do to get my band's achievements and resources back?"

Christopher laid the finished invitations out on the table. "Adeline, ask nicely if you want my help. Act like this, and I'll make it hard for you to get anything.

"You need to beg me like I begged you back then."

Adeline knew he wanted to humiliate her, but she didn't care. Pride, self-respect—none of that mattered anymore. She had one worthless life left.

She knelt on the cold floor. "I don't need the contract. Just please include my bandmates' names. I'm begging you."

Christopher looked at Adeline humbling herself. "Adeline, why did you leave me back then? I begged you to stay, and you didn't care at all!"

He kept his head down, writing invitations, but his attention stayed on Adeline in the corner, waiting for her reply.

"Nothing. I didn't want to spend my life with someone disabled. Your accident was so serious—who knew if you'd even recover? Leaving you was obviously the better choice," she said.

Christopher still wouldn't let it go and pressed on.

"Then why did you risk everything, giving up your pride, just to save that man? You're selfish, yet you'd do anything to save him? It doesn't make sense!"

Adeline knew he didn't realize Leonardo was her real brother. Because her parents divorced, they had different last names, and she had never mentioned him to anyone.

But misunderstandings were misunderstandings. Nothing needed explaining.

She was already in hell. She couldn't selfishly drag Christopher down with her.

"What else could it be? Compared to you, I love him more. You only risked being disabled—but even if he were paralyzed for life, I'd care for him forever. I'm not that selfish. I just didn't love you that much," she said.

Christopher froze, his pen resting too long and leaving a blot of ink on the page.

Then his tears fell on it too.

Hearing her answer, Christopher laughed bitterly at himself. He actually still had hope for this woman.

He snapped back to reality. "Fine. For my wedding with Francesca, you and your band will handle all the music—design it and perform it."

He wanted Adeline to see with her own eyes—how he and the person she hated the most received everyone's blessings, right in front of so many people.

Just like he had watched her betray him in his hardest times.

Adeline nodded.

"Christopher, you've tortured me for so long. From now on, it's my turn to pay back what I owe. Since you chose marriage, then live your life properly."

Facing Christopher, Adeline hated everything he had done to hurt her. But now, she truly hoped he could be happy.

After she left, Christopher watched her walk away and felt that no one was more ruthless than Adeline.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly swung his arm, sweeping everything off the table.

The teacup hit the floor with a crash, shards scattering everywhere.

Even more than that, there was this crushing sense of defeat.

The wedding day came—it was lavish beyond words, with roses covering the ground.

But the ceremony was held on the grass, under a huge sycamore tree.

Francesca frowned and complained a little. Christopher kissed her to calm her down, right there in her white gown, in front of Adeline.

Jonathan, however, looked at Adeline's pale face with concern and asked about her condition.

Adeline watched the wedding calmly, with no regrets, revealing everything.

"Jonathan, you know I have no friends. If I die, I'll need you to take care of my body. I've arranged a tree burial..."

Jonathan couldn't believe it. He wanted to ask more, but the music started, and the wedding march played.

The cheers and blessings from the surrounding crowd came one after another. Adeline just watched it all calmly.

Her phone rang urgently, and she answered during a pause in the wedding.

On the other end came sobbing. "It's bad. Your brother's organs suddenly failed. He's gone..."

Adeline froze, all her energy gone. It felt like the world fell apart.

She tried to leave, but then realized Christopher had made sure she couldn't step away from the wedding at all. Two men were assigned to watch and control her.

On stage, the couple exchanged rings and recited their vows to be together for life.

Two worlds in one space.

The guests' laughter and chatter faded into distant hums. She wanted to push through the crowd and scream, but nothing came out. The immense grief almost stole her voice.

Her desperate struggle was held down by two burly men.

Christopher glanced over, feeling oddly relieved.

He was certain Adeline still had feelings for him. How could she remain indifferent while he married another woman? From the wedding's setup to her reaction, it was exactly as he expected.

After the ceremony, Adeline finally broke free from surveillance and hurried away.

But when she reached the hospital, there was only a cold body. She couldn't believe it and grabbed the doctor's hand. "How? Didn't you tell me you found a matching bone marrow?"

At that moment, her phone rang with a message.

It was Francesca's voice. "Just kidding. There was no match at all. Thanks for carefully designing the wedding BGM. You gave me a perfect wedding."

Hearing that, Adeline coughed up blood. Jonathan, following closely behind, was shocked and quickly held her in his arms.

After the wedding, Christopher changed out of his suit but couldn't find Adeline anywhere.

He called her, but no one answered. He rushed to Adeline's apartment, knowing the address by heart from all the nights he'd parked there.

Even the key in the shoe rack at the door? He grabbed it like he always did. Over the years, Adeline's habits hadn't changed.

He opened the door. Silence. Cold enough to make him shiver. When he turned on the light, the sight left him stunned.

Every photo Adeline said she'd get rid of was still on the walls. Every trace of their relationship was there.

Christopher laughed. "I knew it. You lied to me. You didn't throw anything away..."

But as he laughed, he began to cry.

On the table, he saw the tree burial agreement—signed by Adeline.

Next to it was a cancer diagnosis.

"Impossible... impossible..."