Hunter received the divorce papers from the villa a day later while at the hospital. The sender's name was unmistakably Nadine's.

He was still tending to Serena when the express delivery arrived. A scornful smirk twisted his lips.

"Nadine's really going too far now. Yesterday, it was a suicide attempt, and today, divorce papers. What's next? Is she going to cry at my grandmother's grave tomorrow?"

Curious, Serena peeked at the documents and noticed Nadine had relinquished all claims to their shared assets, leaving everything to Hunter. Her eyes lit up with hope as she looked at him.

"Hunter, you don't love her anyway. Why not just sign it? Then we can be together openly. I want to be Mrs. Goldman properly, not live like this where I'm constantly humiliated."

Hunter gave her a detached glance, then tore the papers to shreds and tossed them into the trash.

"I may not love her, but I 

One hour later, Hunter finally arrived at the villa. He caught a faint whiff of something foul as he approached the entrance.

"Of course," he thought. "Nadine wouldn't give up so easily. She must've prepared something, just waiting for me to come back."

He kicked the door open and saw that the interior was dark and silent. Hunter spoke to the emptiness.

"Nadine, are you happy now? I left Serena to come back. Isn't this what you wanted after staying quiet for so long?"

No response came. Feeling unfazed, he turned on the lights and ascended the stairs.

"Let's see what trick you're pulling this time. Come on now, did you really die?

"Nadine, we're adults. When will you grow up and stop these childish games? If you behaved, I might actually visit more often."

The stench grew stronger. Flies buzzed past his face, making him scowl in disgust. He couldn't fathom why she'd let the house d

The final day of the countdown arrived, and Nadine still hadn't heard Hunter say the words "I love you". Calmly holding a knife, she climbed to the rooftop of the tallest building downtown and texted Hunter her location. Then she tossed her phone aside and waited quietly.

News of her suicide attempt spread rapidly through the city. Reporters swarmed the scene, surrounding the building in a suffocating crowd. Everyone stared up at the solitary figure standing on the edge, murmuring among themselves.

"I heard she's the CEO of Goldman Group's wife. Why would she do this?"

"Who knows? Rich families have endless drama. Maybe she was pushed to the brink."

"Why hasn't Mr. Goldman come yet? If he doesn't show up soon, this will surely end badly!"

…

A while later, Hunter finally appeared. He pushed his way through the crowd and stormed up to the rooftop, his expression terrifyingly dark.

When he saw Nadine, his voice was thick with suppressed fury. "What the hell are you doing? Did you see me at the hospital with Serena and decide to cause more trouble?

"Or have you forgotten that you're the one who smashed her head open last night?"

Nadine turned slowly to face him with a steady gaze. "Say you love me, or watch me die."

Hunter froze, then let out a cold laugh. "Nadine, have you lost your mind? Do you really think this will force me to surrender?"

Nadine didn't respond. She simply watched him, the knife still pressed against her heart.

A flicker of impatience crossed Hunter's eyes. He coldly said, "Fine. I'll say it. Nadine Devine, in this life, the next, and every life after, I… will never love you.

"Happy now? Go ahead and jump."

Pain flashed through Nadine's eyes, but she suppressed it instantly. She then let the knife clatter to the ground with a soft laugh.

Then she stepped calmly away from the ledge and stood before Hunter. Hunter stared at her, and there was an inexplicable relief washing over him.

"I knew you didn't have the guts to jump," he sneered.

Nadine shook her head. "Hunter, you don't understand. Whether I jump or not doesn't matter anymore—because my heart is already dead."

Hunter frowned. He was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.

He then answered the call, and Serena's weak voice came through. "Hunter, I'm in so much pain... Can you come stay with me?"

Hunter's expression instantly softened. "I'll be right there."

He hung up and shot Nadine one last icy glance before turning away without hesitation. Nadine remained on the rooftop, watching Hunter's retreating figure until it disappeared from view.

An eerie calm settled over her, as if all her pain and obsession had evaporated in that moment. She left the rooftop and went straight to a law firm.

Seated at the desk with a pen in hand, she stared at the divorce agreement laid out before her. She signed her name, then handed it to the lawyer. "Please send the other copy to Hunter Goldman."

After leaving, Nadine returned to the villa. She walked into the living room, opened the wardrobe, and carefully carried out her own corpse, placing it gently on the couch.

Then she took out a note and wrote, "Hunter, the truth is I died long ago. These five days were just extra time the guardian of the River of Forgetfulness gave me.

"She said if you told me you loved me, I could live. But you didn't. So now I'm dead, and I don't love you anymore. Love Serena well. From now on, you'll never see me again."

She placed the note beside the corpse, then sat quietly on the couch and closed her eyes. Her body gradually grew transparent, dissolving into shimmering starlight that faded into the air.

…

Back at the banks of a black river, Nadine stood once more before Lethenia. 

Lethenia handed her a cup of water once more. "Drink this. This time, you must let go."

Nadine took the cup and drank it all in one gulp. As the liquid slid down her throat, a single tear escaped, falling into the glass cup.

Lethenia asked her softly, "Do you remember who Hunter Goldman is?"

A flicker of confusion passed through Nadine's eyes. "Who?"

Satisfied, Lethenia waved her hand. "Go. Your time here is done."

Nadine nodded and stepped forward into the blinding light. Her figure gradually vanished, transforming into a beam of light that disappeared at the river's end.

From that moment on, Nadine Devine ceased to exist in this world.

Hunter received the divorce papers from the villa a day later while at the hospital. The sender's name was unmistakably Nadine's.

He was still tending to Serena when the express delivery arrived. A scornful smirk twisted his lips.

"Nadine's really going too far now. Yesterday, it was a suicide attempt, and today, divorce papers. What's next? Is she going to cry at my grandmother's grave tomorrow?"

Curious, Serena peeked at the documents and noticed Nadine had relinquished all claims to their shared assets, leaving everything to Hunter. Her eyes lit up with hope as she looked at him.

"Hunter, you don't love her anyway. Why not just sign it? Then we can be together openly. I want to be Mrs. Goldman properly, not live like this where I'm constantly humiliated."

Hunter gave her a detached glance, then tore the papers to shreds and tossed them into the trash.

"I may not love her, but I have to take care of her. It was my grandmother's dying wish. No matter what tricks Nadine pulled ba

Chapter 9