I Fell Where His Love Favored Another

Half a month into our cold war, I, Claire Parker, found an abortion procedure slip tucked inside Daniel Carter's suit pocket.

The patient's name belonged to the fragile little childhood sweetheart he had always protected so fiercely-Sophie Bennett.

I folded the paper calmly and slipped it back where I had found it.

Daniel noticed the movement immediately. His eyes flicked toward me through the rearview mirror, resignation coloring his voice.

"What are you overthinking now? Sophie was just keeping a friend company at the hospital. She accidentally left it there."

I turned toward the window and said nothing.

This was Sophie declaring war on me, yet the man who could crush competitors without mercy in the business world believed her completely.

The silence inside the car grew suffocating until Daniel finally stopped outside an upscale jewelry boutique.

He reached over and ruffled my hair with easy familiarity, his tone indulgent and affectionate.

"Come on. Pick out a ring. Your birthday's next month anyway, so we might as well register our marriage too."

I bit down hard on my lip as tears fell soundlessly onto the back of my hand.

What he still didn't know was that I wouldn't live long enough to see next month.

......

"This pink diamond would look perfect against Sophie's skin tone. Please bring it out for me to see."

Daniel's voice rang through the VIP lounge without the slightest hesitation, as though this were the most natural thing in the world.

He lounged on the sofa, long fingers tapping lazily against the glass display case.

The sales associate froze for a second, her gaze darting awkwardly between him and me.

"Mr. Carter, this pink diamond is one of our signature pieces. It's usually purchased as an engagement ring. Are you certain you'd like to view this one?"

Daniel frowned slightly, impatience threading through his voice.

"Bring it out. Sophie has a charity gala next week. Her dress needs something strong enough to carry the look."

He said it so casually. So matter-of-factly.

I sat quietly beside him when a violent cramp suddenly twisted through my stomach.

Instinctively, I bent forward, clutching the fabric of my dress as cold sweat slid down my forehead.

Daniel noticed immediately and glanced over.

His eyes lingered on my face for two seconds before he sighed.

"Claire, are you upset again?"

He reached over and tucked the loose strands of hair behind my ear with practiced ease, helplessness lacing his tone.

"Didn't I already tell you? We're getting married next month. Sophie's like a little sister to me. She's always been fragile, and she's been through some rough things lately."

He paused, effortlessly burying the truth behind that abortion slip.

"Taking extra care of her is only natural. You're about to become Mrs. Carter anyway. Can't you be a little more understanding?"

I looked up at him, at the confidence written all over his face.

He was certain I would never leave him. Certain that the title of Mrs. Carter was enough to make me stay no matter what he did.

"Okay." I heard my own weak voice answer.

Daniel smiled in satisfaction and pinched my cheek lightly.

"That's more like it. Go pick out a plain band over there."

He pointed toward the most ordinary display counter tucked away in the corner.

"You're always doing housework anyway. Anything too fancy will get scratched up. A simple band suits you best."

Once he finished speaking, he turned away again, fully focused on watching the sales associate wrap up the pink diamond worth millions.

I pushed myself to my feet. The pain in my stomach made my legs feel weak, but I still forced myself toward the counter displaying the plain rings.

The sales associate carefully handed me the cheapest platinum band in the case.

"Ms. Parker, try this size."

I slipped the ring onto my finger. It hung loose, nearly a full size too big.

My fingers had grown thinner from chemotherapy and weeks of barely being able to eat.

"It's a little loose," I said softly.

Hearing that, Daniel walked over. He didn't even bother looking before speaking directly to the associate. "We'll take this one. Have someone resize it and send it over later."

After a brief pause, he added casually, "Once we're officially married, I'll buy you a better one."

He pulled out his black card and handed it over, too impatient to even enter a password before using facial recognition to pay.

By the time we stepped out of the jewelry store, the wind outside had grown fierce.

Daniel carefully tucked the pink diamond box into the inner pocket of his coat.

Then he shoved the small bag containing my plain band into my hands. "Hold onto it. I'll make it up to you properly on your birthday next month."

His fingertips brushed against the icy back of my hand. He paused for half a second, but said nothing.

He hadn't even bothered buying me a decent ring box.

I tightened my grip around the paper bag, the metal band inside pressing painfully against my palm.

"Thank you," I murmured.

Daniel wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me toward the car.

"What do you want for dinner tonight? I canceled my business dinner just to spend time with you."

There was a kind of gracious superiority in his tone, as though he were granting me a favor.

I stared at the passing city lights beyond the window while the metallic taste of blood rose sharply in my throat.

"Anything's fine." I swallowed the sweetness of blood back down and quietly closed my eyes.

The car rolled into the underground garage of the mansion complex.

Daniel unfastened his seatbelt and, for once, walked around to open the passenger door for me himself.

"I had my assistant pick up that seafood place you love. It should be here soon."

He held my hand as we walked toward the elevator. His palm was warm, yet it could not melt the chill buried deep in my fingertips.

The moment we stepped into the living room, his phone rang sharply through the silence.

The ringtone was custom-made. A sugary love song Sophie had once performed on a talent show.

Daniel paused mid-step, released my hand, and pulled out his phone.

"Hey, Sophie? What's wrong?"

His voice softened instantly, threaded with a nervousness even he himself probably didn't notice.

Faint sobbing drifted from the other end of the call.

"Daniel... the power suddenly went out at my place. I'm scared of the dark. And my stomach really hurts..."

Daniel's expression changed immediately.

He glanced at me, hesitation flickering briefly in his eyes.

"Don't cry. Stay where you are. I'm coming right now."

He turned and walked back to the entryway to grab his car keys again.

"Claire, something came up with Sophie. The old district lost power, and she's scared being there alone."

He spoke with calm rationality while changing his shoes.

"Just eat the seafood when it gets here. Don't wait up for me. I'll come back after I get her settled."

The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly turned around again, his shadow falling over me.

Instinctively, he reached out, probably intending to pull me into his arms or ruffle my hair, anything to ease the guilt of leaving me behind.

But just before his fingertips touched my hair, I tilted my head away naturally and stepped back half a pace.

No complaints. No anger. Just a quiet retreat stripped of emotion.

That half-step became a distance between us.

The hallway light fell across his face, and I clearly saw his hand freeze awkwardly in midair before his fingers curled slightly inward.

In the past, the moment I saw him frown even a little, I would obediently lean closer for his touch, even if my stomach was twisting in agony.

But today, I stepped back.

A flicker of unfamiliar panic crossed Daniel's eyes.

He parted his lips as if he wanted to ask whether my stomach was hurting again, but Sophie's sobbing conveniently echoed through the phone at that exact moment.

Suppressing whatever irritation was rising inside him, he forced himself to relax, withdrew his hand, and straightened his tie.

"Remember to eat the seafood while it's hot." He paused again at the door. Without turning back, he lowered his voice slightly. "Don't wait up. Just go to sleep."

I watched him hurriedly put on his shoes and smiled faintly as I stepped back into the shadows.

"Okay. Drive safely."

Daniel was left hanging there awkwardly. He stood at the doorway for ten full seconds without even touching the handle, as though he were waiting for me to ask him not to leave.

But I only stood there quietly.

In the end, he slammed the door shut and left in frustration.

Earlier today, the doctor had told me that if I stopped chemotherapy, I probably had no more than a month left to live.

I had originally planned to tell him tonight.

Ten minutes later, Daniel's assistant delivered the seafood.

But ever since six months ago, when I worked myself into a severe stomach hemorrhage pulling all-nighters to finish one of Daniel's projects, I hadn't been able to eat seafood anymore.

He had forgotten completely.

I picked up the container of food, walked into the kitchen, and calmly dumped it into the trash.

The crab and shrimp slid into the garbage together, just like the wholehearted love I had spent the last three years giving him.

I shook three strong painkillers into my palm and swallowed them down with icy water.

The pills scraped painfully down my throat, but by then, I was already used to it.

Too many hopes had ended in disappointment. At some point, even disappointment itself had become unnecessary.

Early the next morning, I took a cab to Central City Hospital.

It was the day I was supposed to pick up my follow-up test results.

The hospital corridors smelled heavily of disinfectant. Wearing a mask, I sat quietly on a bench waiting for my number to be called.

"Daniel, slow down a little. My legs feel weak."

A soft, delicate voice drifted from the far end of the hallway.

I looked up and spotted Daniel immediately through the crowd.

He was carefully supporting Sophie by the arm.

She wore a loose knit sweater, her complexion rosy and healthy, without the slightest trace of weakness.

Daniel held a stack of paperwork in one hand while quietly comforting her.

I remained seated, watching them walk closer step by step.

Then Sophie's gaze swept over me by accident, and she abruptly stopped walking.

"Claire?" Sophie covered her mouth in feigned surprise.

Following her line of sight, Daniel looked over as well, and his expression darkened instantly.

"Claire?"

Instinctively, he let go of Sophie and took two steps toward me, his eyes quickly flicking over the registration slip in my hand.

But Sophie immediately tugged at his sleeve and called softly, "Daniel..."

His footsteps stopped.

"What are you doing here?" He looked at me warily, defensiveness already creeping into his tone. "Didn't I explain everything to you yesterday? Sophie wasn't feeling well."

I watched him press his lips together in irritation.

He didn't even have the patience to ask why I was at the hospital in the first place.

"I'm just here to pick up some medicine," I answered calmly. My gaze fell onto the gift box Sophie was carrying.

The pink diamond from the jewelry store yesterday.

Noticing where I was looking, Sophie immediately hid the box behind her back, though the triumphant smile on her face remained impossible to miss.

"Claire, don't blame Daniel. I was just really scared last night, so I begged him to stay with me."

She stepped closer and affectionately wrapped herself around Daniel's arm.

"Oh, and Daniel even bought me chestnut cakes from the south side of town this morning. He said they'd help nourish my health."

Sophie pulled a familiar paper bag from her purse and held it out toward me.

"Claire, do you want some? There are tons of crushed peanuts inside. They smell amazing."

I stared at the paper bag and suddenly found the whole thing absurd.

I was severely allergic to peanuts. Even the smallest amount would leave me covered in rashes, and in serious cases, could send me into anaphylactic shock.

Daniel frowned faintly, as though he had remembered something. His lips parted slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

Instead, he only said flatly, "Sophie means well."

His brows knitted tighter before his tone softened a little. "Claire, don't take things so seriously with a younger girl."

I made no move to accept the bag.

Looking up into Daniel's eyes, I suddenly smiled.

"No thanks. You two can enjoy it yourselves."

I stood up, walked past them, and headed straight toward the chief physician's office.

Behind me, Daniel called out sharply, "Claire, stop right there."

But I neither turned around nor slowed my steps.

When I entered the consultation room, the doctor handed me the report.

"Ms. Parker, the cancer cells have fully spread. Given your current condition, it's possible that at any moment..."

The doctor trailed off, looking at me with quiet pity.

"I understand." I slipped the report into my bag. "Doctor, please prepare a treatment refusal consent form for me."

By the time I walked out of the hospital, the sunlight burned painfully against my eyes.

I pulled out my phone and called my lawyer, William Harris.

"Mr. Harris, I need you to draft a will for me. And I want to put the old house under my name up for sale."

Shock flashed through his voice on the other end of the line.

I gave no further explanation and calmly ended the call.