Chapter 1

"Sorry, we did our best. You should go in and see the patient one last time."

My mother-in-law lay on the operating table, unable to speak anymore. Her eyes, however, kept glancing toward the door, searching.

Unfortunately, the only one who entered was me. Her daughter, the one she longed to see, was not there.

Seeing the elder who treated me like her own son lying there, my heart ached as if it was being torn apart.

"Mom, Claudia is on her way. Please hold on a little longer, just one more moment."

Hearing my words, my mother-in-law used every ounce of her strength to smile at me.

Her tears fell onto the back of my hand.

Unable to bear seeing her final wish go unfulfilled, I repeatedly called Claudia Jackson.

Alas, no matter how many times I dialed, the other side only returned the mechanical echo of rejection.

The following day was Claudia's birthday. My mother-in-law had gone out early to buy groceries to prepare a celebration.

Who would have foreseen she would be hit by a car and thrown into the greenery?

When she failed to return after so long, I got ready to look for her, reaching for my phone, only to realize she had accidentally taken my phone instead.

A deep unease swept over me, wave after wave, until the police finally brought news late into the night.

When they found her, my mother-in-law was already on the verge of death.

"It was a remote area. After the elderly woman made a distress call, she had no strength left. As her family, you really should've…"

It felt as if my heart was clenched even before the officer finished his words.

That call was made to Claudi, but she had coldly hung up. Claudia must have thought the call was from me.

While waiting outside the operating room, the first call I made to Claudia was answered.

"Claudia, come to the hospital quickly, Mom—"

"Get as far away from me as possible!" Claudia interrupted roughly. "Can't you give me a little privacy? You'd resort to using my mother's phone when I don't answer your calls, just to bother me? My mom is perfectly fine!

"If you want to die, just die already!"

The call ended abruptly, but before it did, I heard the laughter of Nolan Sanders, her first love.

At that moment, my heart ached so much I could barely hold the phone steady.

Seeing that she still would not answer, I wiped away my tears and stepped back into the operating room.

Before I could kneel by my mother-in-law's side, my phone suddenly rang. However, the voice on the other end froze me in this sweltering summer like I had fallen into an ice cave.

"Stop calling already. Claudia just finished her shower, and we're about to go to bed.

"Oh, by the way, Claudia is divorcing you soon, so don't cling to her like some pathetic stray dog!"

Nolan's voice echoed through the operating room, loud and clear.

Every word was heard by my mother-in-law lying on the bed.

Tears, mixed with blood from her wounds, seeped into the pillow. Her eyes, however, were filled with pain—not for herself, but for me.

She trembled as she gripped my hand, her lips quivering.

"I... I'm sorry... on Claudia's behalf... I'm... sorry to you… It's... all my fault... so... sorry..."

Even as her voice faltered, my mother-in-law forced herself to speak for Claudia's sake.

I leaned close to the oxygen mask, straining to hear her words.

Only when the monitor emitted a long, continuous beep did I slowly lift my head.

I would never forget that look.

Even in death, my mother-in-law did not close her eyes, nor did she get to see Claudia one last time.

A nurse stepped forward to catch me as my legs gave way, then covered my mother-in-law with a white sheet.

"Time of death: thirteen minutes past ten at night."