Chapter 5

The new month was approaching quickly, and Gemma's time was running out.

There was still so much she needed to do, and she refused to waste her precious remaining days confined to her room.

So, the once-proud young woman lowered her head. She approached Murphy, biting her lip as she apologized, "Uncle Murphy, I've thought it through. It was all my fault. I'm sorry."

However, Murphy's expression remained cold. The tender indulgence he once held for her was gone. "I'm not the one you should apologize to—it's Eva."

Her lip bled as she bit down harder, and the metallic taste filled her mouth. In that bitter moment, she realized the warmth and affection he used to reserve for her had long since been given to another woman.

"Fine, I'll apologize to her!" she said, her voice trembling as her entire body shook with emotion.

She turned to Evangeline and choked out, "I'm sorry, Aunt Eva."

The term "Aunt Eva" made Murphy freeze for a moment.

His dark eyes flickered briefly, as though he could not believe what he had just heard.

"Is that enough now, Uncle Murphy?" Gemma asked with a self-deprecating smile. But as she forced herself to smile, tears welled up in her eyes. "Are you satisfied?"

Murphy should have felt content, but for some reason, hearing his cherished rose apologize and call Evangeline "Aunt Eva" left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He responded with cold detachment while avoiding her gaze. "From now on, you'll move downstairs."

Gemma was momentarily stunned but quickly understood his reasoning—he believed Evangeline's accusations.

She thought to herself, 'Uncle Murphy, do you really think I'm the kind of person who would stand outside your bedroom door to eavesdrop on you and another woman? Is that how you see me?'

A wave of cold swept over Gemma again. Her vision spun, and she nearly collapsed, but she steadied herself against the wall. She bit her lip to keep from falling. "Fine," she said quietly.

If Murphy wanted her to move downstairs, she would. After all, she only had a few days left to live.

…

Later that evening, Gemma drove to the cryogenic experiment lab. She needed to discuss where her cryo-casket would be stored after the procedure.

"I read in the materials that you have cryo-casket storage facilities under the sea. Is that true?" Gemma asked.

"Of course," Andrea replied. "In fact, most of our cryo-casket storage facilities are underwater. Maintaining the sub-zero temperatures necessary for long-term storage requires enormous energy on land. But under the sea, the naturally low temperatures significantly reduce energy consumption."

"That's perfect," Gemma said with a smile. "I want my cryo-casket stored at the bottom of the sea."

"May I ask why?"

Still smiling, Gemma replied, "Because the stars can't find me there."

Murphy had gifted her a star. He once told her that no matter where she went, the star would follow her, always watching over her in his place. Yet now, Murphy did not care for her anymore.

Plus, she was about to die. It was too sad to let the star guard an unloved corpse. So, she decided to give the star its freedom—by sinking to a place where it could not see her. She would quietly disappear without burdening anyone or anything.

To avoid seeing Evangeline, Gemma deliberately stayed out late, only returning home when she thought everyone would be asleep.

However, when she arrived, the villa was brightly lit. Murphy sat in the living room, his face full of anger as he waited for her.

"Uncle Murphy, what's wrong?" Gemma asked, feigning confusion. She had no idea what she had done this time. She had spent the entire day away from the house.

Murphy threw a stack of documents onto the floor in front of her, barely containing his fury as he demanded, "Gemma, explain to me what this is!"

Gemma looked down, and among the scattered papers, she saw her cancer diagnosis.