The Death of a Passionate Love

Joshua Thompson, Rain Zimmer’s husband, had a deceased ex he could never get over—Lily Smithson. Rain always hoped that there would come one day where she could replace Lily’s presence in Joshua’s heart. In the eighth year of their marriage, Rain accidentally destroyed a bowl Lily had bought on a whim for Joshua, and Joshua yelled at her, “Get out! I don’t want to see you!” At that moment, Rain finally came to realize that she could never win against Rain’s ex. This time, she quietly drafted the divorce agreement and left, but Joshua panicked. Chapter 1 “Ms. Zimmer, I’ve finished drafting the divorce agreement. Should I send it over now?” The study was so quiet that Rain felt she could hear a pin drop. After some time, she said, “Set it aside for now.” Once she hung up, she left the study and saw Joshua playing with his phone outside. “Joshua.” Even if she was going to divorce him, Rain still wanted to talk to Joshua in an effort to salvage her marriage one last time. After all, she had spent practically half of her life loving him. Joshua turned around. “Why haven’t you started cooking, Rain?” Rain could only head into the kitchen. Since her mind was not fully present, the oil scalded her hand. When she dodged it, she accidentally bumped into a bowl beside her. A loud crash reverberated in the kitchen. Rain’s heart tensed. Just as she expected, Joshua rushed in at the next second. When he saw the pattern on the bowl shards across the floor, he glared at her and roared, “I've never allowed you to use this bowl! Why are you so clumsy?!” His eyes became bloodshot, and Rain thought that she had murdered someone instead of breaking a bowl by accident. The sight gave rise to all sorts of complicated emotions within her. She knew that the bowl was not that valuable, but it was important to Joshua simply because Lily had bought it. “I’m sorry.” Rain pursed her lips and bent down to pick up the shards, but Joshua pushed her aside. “Get out. I don’t want to see you.” He pointed at the door and did not see the burn on her hand. She could no longer contain the disappointment in her heart. She stopped at the door and whispered, “It’s just a bowl, Joshua.” Plenty of things in the kitchen were marked as Lily’s. The bowl was not the only thing that came from her. However, Joshua could not accept it, much less believe that Rain would say something like that. “What do you mean, ‘it’s just a bowl?!’” He was surprised and enraged. “Don’t you know that Lily bought this for me on August 23, 2015, when we went to Porcelain Town on a trip?! Did you do this on purpose, Rain?!” Rain shut her eyes and suddenly felt powerless. Whenever Lily came up, Joshua would lose control of his emotions and act like a lunatic. Joshua and Lily had been close childhood friends. In fact, they had been engaged since they were children. If everything had gone smoothly between them, they would have gotten married once they grew up. Meanwhile, Rain was destined to suffer from an unrequited love for Joshua. Unfortunately, things were never set in stone, were they? Three days before Joshua was set to marry Lily, she got into a car accident and died. Joshua was heartbroken. If his parents had not begged him to pick himself back up, he might have ended his life to be with Lily. Later on, Joshua approached Rain and asked her to help him get back on his feet. Even after so long, Rain still remembered his despair and sorrow-filled eyes. “Could you help me forget about her?” To her, it felt like hitting the jackpot. While Rain found it a huge pity that Lily had passed away so young, she was still happy for the chance to win Joshua’s heart. So, they got married in a flash. After that, Rain did her best to make Joshua fall in love with her, but it had been eight years. Even after everything she had done, the door to Joshua’s heart did not open even an inch for her. Rain smiled self-deprecatingly and refused to say anything else in her own defense. Joshua mentioned the date Lily had bought him the bowl without even needing to think about it. Yet, he forgot that it was Rain’s birthday today. The burn on her hand seemed to hurt her heart instead, but it quickly became numb. Rain turned to Joshua, and her expression was one of unprecedented calmness. “We’ve been married for eight years. So, I’ll give our marriage another eight chances,” she said. If Joshua would prioritize her over Lily just once, she would find the determination to persevere. Joshua frowned. He did not understand what Rain meant. Just as he was about to ask, the doorbell rang. The ceramic restorer had arrived. Instantly, Joshua lost his interest in asking Rain for answers. He hurried over to the door. Rain just watched him. This was the first time. She thought, ‘Joshua, I’m about to give up on you, you know?’ Chapter 2 After she decided on the divorce, Rain did an inventory of her assets and came up with the preliminary draft of the divorce agreement. Then, she started sorting out the business dealings between their families. Rain was Zimmer Corp’s president, while Joshua was the Thompson family’s heir. Over the eight years they were married, Zimmer Corp became tightly linked to the Thompson family. If they went through with the divorce, the shares and collaborations between their families would surely be affected. She had to make arrangements beforehand to deal with any potential risks in the future. She also needed to tell Joshua’s parents about her decision so that their families would not be confused when the ball dropped. After their argument, Joshua headed to his friend’s house with the repaired bowl. His parents only learned about their argument when Rain visited them. Once she heard that Rain intended to get a divorce, Anna Thompson, Joshua’s mother, was surprised. “Have you made up your mind, Rain?” “I’d like to give our marriage one last chance. But if Joshua and I really can’t make it work…” Rain smiled. “That might be a sign that we’re just not destined to be together.” Anna knew what had plagued Joshua’s heart all this time, and regret showed on her face. She wanted to dissuade Rain but found that she could not. All she could do was sigh deeply. “Seriously, Joshua…” After Rain left, Patrick Thompson, Joshua’s father, and Anna called Joshua back home. Only then did Joshua realize what Rain had meant by eight chances. Despite that, he did not take it seriously. He even found it hilarious and asked, “She said she wanted a divorce?” He refused to believe it. “That’s impossible. She loves me.” Rain loved him as deeply as he loved Lily. She was willing to give up her life for him. She could not possibly give up on him. However, he had indeed gone overboard the last time. Joshua only remembered later that Rain’s birthday was on the same day she broke the bowl. He felt a little guilty about it. After some thinking, he ordered a cake online and entered the kitchen to make a lunchbox. Then, he bought a necklace from the mall and brought everything to Zimmer Corp. When Rain returned to her office after a meeting, she found her husband who had left their home because of a temper tantrum. He was sleeping on her table. The sound of her entering made Joshua look up, and his eyes lit up. “You’re back, honey!” He went over and held Rain’s hand before he started apologizing to her profusely, “I’m sorry. I was too harsh on you that day. But you know that I always lose my rationality when it comes to Lily.” He swung Rain’s arm and said pitifully, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” Whenever Joshua begged for forgiveness, he would act like a child who had done something wrong. And she could never be mad at him. As long as Lily was not involved, Joshua was actually a pretty good husband. He would cook for Rain, give her gifts, accompany her on business trips, and even create some romantic surprises for her. However, Rain’s greatest comfort was this: Joshua never denied her as his wife because of Lily. Hence, Rain could not let go of Joshua even after eight years. She still wanted to fight for their marriage. She sighed and grabbed Joshua’s arm. “I have a charity dinner next week and need a plus one. Will you go with me?” Since he wanted to get her into a better mood, he was going to agree with whatever she said. So, he replied, “Sure.” Soon, the day of the charity dinner arrived. Joshua wore a lavish haute couture suit and waited for the driver at home. Rain was still working, so she would meet him at the hotel entrance later. At 5 p.m., Joshua received a call from an unknown number. “Joshua, it’s me, Faye Smithson. I’ve arrived at Portpolis, and I’m at the airport. Could you pick me up?” Joshua was surprised but also excited to hear who it was. “Faye, it’s you? One moment. I’ll be there in a jiffy.” He ran out happily and completely forgot about his promise to Rain. [Ms. Zimmer, Mr. Thompson picked someone up from the airport and went to a hotel with her.] Rain stood alone in the crowd at the charity dinner. Her eyes were downcast, and her expression was schooled to one of impassivity. She just stared at the photo that her driver had sent her. The photo showed her husband happily hugging another woman at the airport after breaking his promise to her. Rain recognized the woman as Faye Smithson, Lily’s sister. Lily again. Rain really could not win when it came to that dead woman or anything related to her. Bitterness filled her heart. Suddenly, Rain felt like a joke for still having hope in Joshua. They had been married for eight years, and she never managed to win his heart. How could she still hope for him to suddenly fall for her? Nevertheless, since she said that she would give him eight chances, she would not go back on her word. With an expressionless face, Rain sent Joshua a message. [Second time.] Chapter 3 Joshua only came back when midnight rolled by. The lights were on, but Rain was nowhere to be found. He remembered the message he had received, and he mumbled, “Is she mad?” In the past, no matter how late he came home, Rain would always wait for him. He kicked off his shoes and gently opened the door to their bedroom. When he saw Rain sitting against the headboard while reading, he sighed in relief. He went over to hug her by the waist and began apologizing to her with practiced ease. “I’m sorry, honey. Faye got here today and asked me to pick her up. Then, we threw a welcoming party for her. That’s why I got delayed and missed the charity dinner. Did you get in trouble for it?” The smell of alcohol on Joshua made Rain push him away. “No,” she said. In reality, she was supposed to have the first dance with him. Since Joshua was not around, she had to get another man to dance with her. In the end, the guests criticized her behind her back. However, she guessed that could not be considered trouble. “Then, what about that message…?” Joshua was going to say more when his phone suddenly rang. When he saw the caller ID, he lost interest in continuing the conversation and answered the call, “Hello, Faye?” Faye said something that made Joshua’s expression change. “Hold on. I’ll come over right away.” He hurried to leave, but Rain frowned and grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going?” Joshua was really anxious. “There are hidden cameras in Faye’s hotel room. I’m going to take a look.” No matter how disappointed Rain was in Joshua, she would not let her husband go out to deal with such trouble. Her voice turned cold. “She should be asking the police to handle this, not you.” “But Faye is Lily’s sister. You’ve met her before. How could I just ignore her?” Joshua retorted. The excuse he gave sounded so logical that it made Rain seem like the unreasonable one. Rain was someone who could convince others to sign contracts worth a few hundred million. Yet, when she opened her mouth at this moment, she found herself completely speechless. In the end, she went with Joshua for the sake of his safety. On their way there, Rain said, “This is the third time, Joshua.” However, Joshua was so anxious that he did not register what she said. He just urged her to speed up. “Faster, Rain.” He was worrying over another woman in front of his own wife, as though it was the right thing to do. Rain had already accepted that she would always be number two when it came to anything Lily-related. So, she said nothing else and only focused on driving. When they arrived at the hotel, Rain saw Faye, who resembled Lily. A dark expression adorned her pretty face as she spoke to the police. Upon seeing them, Faye called out, “Joshua.” Then, she looked at Rain. “Who’s this?” “She’s my wife.” Joshua introduced her and looked at a group of people standing near the entrance. “What’s going on?” He gestured at them with his chin. Faye wore a wry smile. “I’ve called the police, but the hotel staff won’t admit to installing the hidden cameras. They claimed that I brought the cameras to falsely accuse them and blackmail them for money.” Joshua’s expression sank, and he walked over to argue with those people. Rain stood away from the crowd and watched coldly as her husband called a lawyer for another woman. Once he started arguing with those people, she silently exhaled. “I heard that Joshua never moved on from Lily,” Faye softly said out of nowhere. “I look similar to my sister. Will I succeed if I try to steal him from you?” Chapter 4 Faye’s bright eyes showed her determination. In the past, Rain would have felt offended, but that was no longer the case. If Joshua could be stolen from her, he never belonged to her in the first place. Hence, she appeared. Despite the challenge, she did not spare Faye a single glance. Faye immediately felt as if her provocation had landed on deaf ears. She felt frustrated and sneered as she whispered, “Don’t go crying once I steal Joshua from you.” “I wish you success,” Rain said coolly. Joshua did not love her or this woman, who could not even maintain her composure the moment they met. The only person he loved was Lily. However, Faye was Lily’s sister, so she could receive Joshua’s utmost attention. Rain stayed with Joshua to handle the case of the hidden cameras. They only went back after they found Faye a new hotel. While they were in the car, Joshua remembered something and turned to Rain. “Honey, Faye’s going to organize an art exhibition in two days. Could you go support her?” Rain nearly laughed in exasperation. She could not understand how Joshua could have the gall to make such a request. Not only was he working himself to the bone for another woman, but he was also dragging his wife along for the ride. As such, Rain laughed, despite the dull pain in her heart. “Joshua, I’m not that generous,” she whispered. Joshua blinked in confusion. “But Faye is Lily’s sister…” “It’s precisely because she’s Lily’s sister!” Rain slammed on the brakes and parked the car by the road. Under the dim lights, her eyes were teary as she turned to Joshua. She never could understand how Joshua could make her watch him love another woman and think it was his God-given right to do so. At the sight of Rain’s rage, Joshua opened his mouth but found himself unable to speak. The car sank into a suffocating silence. Rain had always wanted to have an honest talk with Joshua about this. But she found that it was not necessary anymore. She started driving again and headed home with a disappointed heart. Over the next few days, they gave each other the cold shoulder. Joshua knew that Rain was angry, but he felt sad as well. Rain knew that he could not get over Lily, no? Why did she have to fight with him because of a dead person? He always treated her well anyway. Joshua was both sad and angry. Whenever Rain came home, she would enter the study without a word. But he did not want to talk to her either. He just focused all of his attention and energy on Faye’s art exhibition. “Joshua, will Rain be mad that you’re helping me so much?” Faye asked with concern at the art gallery. Joshua pouted. “She won’t.” After a few more days, Rain’s anger would disappear. In the past, Rain would start talking to him in less than three days after an argument. But Joshua did not realize that they had been giving each other the cold shoulder for five days this time. “Ms. Zimmer, we’ve prepared a few proposals for public relations once you get your divorce. Please take a look.” Rain opened the folder in front of her, but before she could take a look, her assistant suddenly rushed in. “Ms. Zimmer, the art gallery that Mr. Thompson went to is on fire!” Rain’s expression changed. “What did you just say?!” When she arrived at the art gallery, thick smoke was billowing out of the building. The entire left side was burning, and it was absolute chaos. In her anxiety, Rain searched for Joshua among the fleeing people, but she never found him. Suddenly, her eyes focused on a person. She grabbed a disheveled Faye from the crowd and sternly asked, “Where’s Joshua?!” Faye averted her gaze. “He’s still on the fourth floor.” Rain’s heart sank, but she did not have time to think about much else. She rushed upstairs against the crowd and got to the fourth floor. Eventually, she found Joshua trying to retrieve the paintings. The sight of her caught him by surprise. “Why are you here, Rain?” “Let’s go.” Rain stepped forward to grab him. “The fire is about to spread. We have to leave.” However, Joshua broke away and ran deeper into the art gallery. “I can’t! The last painting Lily made before she died is in there! If it’s burned, it’ll be gone forever!” Rain watched as her husband ran into the thick smoke regardless of the dangers. She eventually shut her eyes and went forward to stop him. At the end of the day, he suffered from asthma. “I’ll go.” When she walked past him, she said, “Fourth time, Joshua.” Unfortunately, the noise drowned out her whispers, and no one heard her. Chapter 5 Lily’s painting was at the center of the art gallery, and that spot was in flames. Rain doused her clothes in water and ran in to retrieve the painting. Unfortunately, before she could escape, a huge curio cabinet fell and crashed into her. The sharp pain made her lose her grip on the painting. With a grunt, Rain fell to her knees. The next moment, someone charged past her and picked up the painting on the floor. Once Joshua was sure that the painting was fine, he sighed in relief. Only then did he turn to check on his wife. “Are you okay, Rain?” Rain said nothing. Her eyes stung, and she wondered whether it was due to the smoke or the pain in her heart. She avoided Joshua’s touch and struggled to her feet. “I’m fine. Hold the painting tight.” At that, Joshua shielded the painting in his arms. Disdain flashed in Rain’s eyes. She grabbed Joshua as he coughed nonstop and left the burning art gallery. Fresh blood kept dripping down her arm, and it left behind a terrifying trail. Rain did not know when she passed out, but she did. When she woke up, she was lying in a hospital bed. Meanwhile, Joshua was sitting by her bed with reddened eyes. Seeing that she was conscious, he quickly leaned over and anxiously asked, “How do you feel, honey? You bled so much that I thought you were going to die.” As he spoke, he teared up. “I’m sorry. I got you into this mess.” Rain no longer knew how she was supposed to respond. She just felt tired. Joshua was concerned about her and regretful of his actions, but he also never chose her over Lily. His love for Lily was like lava. It burned so intensely that it hurt Rain as well. If she could turn back time, she would not marry Joshua at all. Rain kept quiet, and Joshua just assumed that she was feeling weak. So, he tucked her in before he whispered, “Rest well, honey. I’m going to check on Faye. She’s hurt too.” “Fifth time.” Rain opened her eyes. Joshua froze for a moment and met Rain’s calm gaze. After a while, he took a step back. “I won’t go, then. I’ll stay with you.” Once he believed that Rain was fast asleep, he left the ward quietly. However, she slowly opened her eyes. Rain was hurt pretty badly. She had a fracture in her scapula and went through surgery for it. So, she needed to be hospitalized for at least a month. As such, Joshua traveled back and forth between the hospital and their house. Most of the time, though, he spent his time with Faye on the grounds that she had no one else to care for her. Once a person was hurt to the very core, numbness would be the only thing left. Rain said nothing and spent her time quietly recuperating. After twenty days or so, she visited the graveyard, with her assistant pushing her wheelchair. It was her parents’ death anniversary. In the past, Joshua would tag along to visit her parents’ graves. But the sun was setting, and he still had not visited her today. “Dad, Mom, I might end up being alone again.” Rain wiped off the dust on her parents’ memorial photos with a cloth and smiled. “But I think I should be fine.” At the very least, she would no longer feel so depressed and hurt. She was about to leave after the visit, but Joshua finally arrived with a bouquet of fresh lilies. “Sorry, Rain. Faye suddenly had a high fever, and I was busy taking care of her. I just remembered it’s your parents’ death anniversary today. Why didn’t you say an—” “Are you a doctor?” Rain calmly interrupted him. “What’s your relationship with her? Who are you to her?” Joshua pursed his lips. “But she—” Rain cut him off again. “Are you going to say that she’s Lily’s sister?” Following a moment’s hesitation, Joshua nodded. “But I don’t like Lily.” Rain stared at Joshua. “I don’t like her or anything related to her. “So, why do you think I should understand your stance just because Lily is involved? “This is the sixth time, Joshua.” This was the sixth time Joshua had neglected her since she decided to divorce him. He had two more chances. Based on how quickly he was using up his chances, Rain had a feeling that the day of their divorce was soon approaching. She smiled. Chapter 6 Joshua was shocked. With wide eyes, he stared at the moody-looking Rain. He felt like it was the first time he ever truly got to know his wife. Gradually, disappointment filled his eyes. “You’re crossing the line, Rain!” She just looked down in silence. Rain had kept those words in her heart for a long time. Today, she finally gave them a voice, and she felt a strange sort of relief. She even smiled, though her eyes were filled with anguish. Joshua just left with a cold expression. When he returned to his parents’ house, he was furious. “I did forget about my in-laws’ death anniversary, but I rushed over the moment I remembered it! I did make a mistake, but it’s not like she didn’t do anything wrong! She’s the one who didn’t remind me or wait for me!” Joshua never thought Rain would interrogate him that way in the graveyard and put him on the spot. She never did that in the past. Of course, he knew that Rain did not like Lily. But his wife had never made a fuss because of Lily, much less become angry at him. Yet, lately, Rain had seemingly changed. She just kept arguing with him because of Lily. This was Rain’s second time getting angry at him. “It’s not like there’s anything between me and Faye. Why is she constantly competing with a dead person? I’ve been good to her too!” Joshua’s expression was as dark as a thundercloud. Anna and Patrick had gotten the whole story from him. They wanted to say something but found themselves at a loss for words. They wanted to remind their son that he was supposed to remember his in-laws’ death anniversary. After all, it was an important date. However, Joshua refused to listen to reason at this moment. He just felt like he had been wronged. They knew that Joshua was the one in the wrong. Even so, Patrick and Anna still called Rain when they saw how sad their only son was. “Rain, would you like to come over for dinner later? I made your favorite vegetable soup. Joshua’s here too. You can go back together once you’re done eating,” Anna offered tentatively. After a brief pause, Rain said, “I have to get the papers for my discharge later, and I have a lot of stuff waiting for me to take care of in the company. I’m sorry, but I won’t be going over.” Joshua’s face turned red with rage, and he threw the remote in his hand. “Then, don’t ever come here again!” He was throwing a tantrum, but Anna knew that eight years of marriage had whittled away all of Rain’s love and patience. She was truly going to give up on Joshua. Yet, Joshua had not come to realize this. After Rain hung up, she placed the lilies in front of her parents’ graves. Joshua had thrown them into her lap before he left in a huff. She had heard Joshua’s angry shouts during her phone call with Anna, and a dazed expression appeared on her face. She had never made Joshua so upset before. However, he was not the only one hurt by their relationship. Rain was not some being made of metal and stone. Mockery flashed in her eyes, and she wheeled herself out of the graveyard. In the afternoon, her assistant handed her a form. “I’ve filled out your discharge paperwork, Ms. Zimmer.” Rain hummed in reply. “Let’s go.” Suddenly, she heard a teasing voice ahead of her. “Oh, you’re leaving? Why aren’t you staying a while longer?” Rain looked up and saw Faye’s provocative expression. “I heard that it’s your parents’ death anniversary today.” Faye stood a few steps away and smiled. “Sorry, Joshua forgot about it because he was taking care of me. Did it cause you to be late visiting their graves?” At that, Rain’s expression turned cold. Her assistant, who also served as her bodyguard, stepped forward and grabbed Faye’s shoulder. However, Rain’s good upbringing allowed her to control her anger. She stared at Faye and said coldly, “Instead of provoking me, why don’t you elevate yourself instead? You have nothing else aside from a face that’s similar to your sister’s.” Compared to Lily, Faye was indeed a good-for-nothing. She was not as good a businesswoman as Lily, and she could not paint as well as her either. Even when she organized the art exhibition, she did it in Lily’s name. However, useless individuals never liked being called out. Faye’s expression turned exceptionally sour. But immediately after, she smiled and retorted maliciously, “What about you? “You come from a good family, with wealth and a high status, but did you manage to win Joshua’s heart? As for me, all I need is to look like Lily.” She pointed at her own face. Rain’s expression turned cold. But before she could react, Faye noticed something out of the corner of her eye and lunged forward. Rain’s assistant kicked her, and she was instantly thrown back. At the same time, Joshua’s enraged voice rang out not far away. “What did you do, Rain?!” Chapter 7 Joshua was still mad, but he remembered that Rain was supposed to be discharged today. He fought his anger and went over to the hospital, only to see Rain’s assistant kicking Faye. He immediately threw away the roses in his hand and helped Faye up. Then, he turned around and snapped at Rain, “Rain, you’re being unreasonable!” It had been a long time since someone pulled such a cheap trick on Rain. She could not be bothered to argue and said, “You can call the police.” Faye’s expression changed. “There’s no need for that,” she hurriedly said. “Joshua, I’m sure Rain didn’t do it on purpose. I’m fine.” She winced and put her hand on her waist before sucking in a sharp breath. From a corner Joshua could not see, she mouthed these words to Rain as a challenge, “Think he’ll trust me or you?” Joshua’s expression was dark. He gave Rain a cold look before he turned around and supported Faye. “I’ll send you to the Outpatient Department.” “Sorry for the trouble, Joshua.” Before they left, Faye gave Rain the look of a victor. However, Rain ignored her. No matter how she provoked and insulted her, they did not compare to the hurt that Joshua inflicted on her all the time. If Joshua had believed in her, Faye’s cheap tricks would not have worked. Ultimately, Joshua would always be on the side where Lily was involved, even if the person in question was not Lily and only her sister. Rain stood where she was before looking away. Her eyes landed on the roses on the floor. The wind blew, and the roses swayed precariously on their stems, just like their crumbling marriage. Rain silently said, “Seventh time, Joshua.” With that, their relationship reached a completely new low point. Joshua refused to go home, and Rain stayed in her company. While Rain had been hospitalized for a month, she had fallen behind on a lot of her work. This led to her working overtime for days. Even if their relationship was a mess, she still had to live her life. Suddenly, she received a message notification on her phone. It was Faye. She had sent a photo of her with Joshua. However, she soon deleted the photo. Shortly after, Rain saw Faye posting on Twitter. [Thanks for taking care of me even when I’m sick.] With it was a photo of Faye lying in bed while Joshua was feeding her soup. It looked so incredibly romantic that it was an eyesore. But no emotion appeared in Rain’s eyes because she knew that Joshua only loved Lily. No one else would ever win his heart, including Rain herself. Unfortunately, not long after, this belief would be shattered. After working overtime for half a month, Rain finally finished dealing with her work. So, she visited the hospital for a checkup. “Your recovery is going well. From today on, you’ll have to undergo physiotherapy.” Rain pondered over the doctor’s instructions and decided to go home. After all, she could not keep staying in the company. Besides, she had physiotherapy equipment at home. So, it would be easier for her recovery if she stayed at home. However, the moment she opened the door, Rain froze. At the center of the living room was her husband, whom she had not seen for a long time. He was kissing someone else. When they heard the sound of the door opening, they turned around belatedly. Joshua’s eyes were still dilated with passion, and his gaze was unfocused. Slowly, clarity returned to his eyes, and his face turned pale. He shoved Faye away and felt at a loss as he stared at Rain. “...Honey.” Rain turned tail and left. Panic filled Joshua’s heart. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm. “Honey, I can explain.” Rain stopped, but her expression was cold. “Okay. Go on.” With a pale face, Joshua said, “I thought Faye was Lily, and I…” Rain took a deep breath and laughed in exasperation. She pointed at Faye. “So, if Lily were standing here today, you would’ve kissed her and even slept with her?! Do you realize that you’re married, Joshua?!” When she saw Joshua looking everywhere but at her, Rain realized that she had been wrong. Faye really did need just her face to win Joshua over. She never felt so defeated before. Even though her heart was already numb, why did it still hurt? She no longer wanted to stay in her “house.” Bit by bit, she pried Joshua’s hand off her arm and walked away. However, Faye stood in her way with regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Rain. I just love Joshua too much and pretended to be my sister to seduce him. It’s all my fault. Don’t blame him. He did nothing wrong.” Her words made Rain want to laugh. She looked past Faye to stare at the pale-faced Joshua. Her sneer grew mocking. “You mistook someone else for Lily just because they look like her?” Rain pointed at Faye again. “She’s despicable, shameless, duplicitous, and a clown who only knows how to be a cheap copy of someone else. Yet, you mistook her for Lily? I guess that’s all there is to your love for her, then.” Her voice was frosty. “Or are you saying that Lily’s a despicable, shameless person with ulterior motives, just like her sister? Is that why you mistook her for Lily?” In reply, Joshua charged at her and gave her a slap. Rain’s face was whipped to the side, and she could taste blood in her mouth. Meanwhile, the panic in Joshua’s eyes had completely disappeared and was replaced with blatant hate. His voice was as cold as ice. “Don’t talk about Lily like that!” His gaze was sharp, as though he would kill her if she said another bad thing about Lily. Rain shut her eyes. This was the first time Joshua had hit her, but the pain on her face could not compare to a single bit of the pain in her heart. “Eighth time, Joshua.” Chapter 8 ‘This is your last chance,’ Rain thought. Panic filled Joshua’s heart for a moment as if he was about to lose something forever. However, that bit of panic was quickly drowned out by boiling rage. He trembled with such anger that he lost all remaining rationality. He had long since forgotten what Rain meant when she said eight times. But even if he never did, he would not care at this moment. “Apologize to Lily, Rain!” Joshua demanded coldly. Even at a time like this, he only cared about Lily. Blood filled Rain’s mouth. She sneered, but tears welled up in her eyes. In the end, she said what had been sitting at the back of her mind, “Let’s get divorced, Joshua.” Joshua was stunned for a moment. Sadly, his rage made him say something that he would regret for the rest of his life. “Fine! Let’s get divorced, then!” No one could insult Lily, not even his wife! At that, Rain wiped away the blood from the side of her mouth. The moment she suggested a divorce, she seemed to remove all the negative emotions within her. With a schooled expression, she took out the divorce papers from her handbag. “Sign these, then.” It did not even occur to Joshua why Rain had prepared the divorce papers beforehand. He just signed his name and left with a chilly expression. Rain did not chase after him. She just allowed him to get further and further away from her. Faye did not immediately follow after Joshua. Instead, she whispered to Rain, “You were much easier to defeat than I thought.” Rain glared at her. “Get lost.” When she saw the ruthlessness in Rain’s eyes, Faye was so scared that she took a step back. Then, she fled. Meanwhile, Rain stood still in the living room. After a long time, she took a deep breath, but she ended up choking on her tears. She had intentionally insulted Lily to see whether Joshua would control himself and not go berserk for the sake of their crumbling marriage. The results were obvious. Lily was like a curse that controlled Joshua, and Rain could never break it. Rain began to quietly pack her things. She intended to leave the house to Joshua, so she was not going to leave any of her belongings behind. However, eight years was a long time, and she had put in a lot of work decorating the house. So, signs of her living there could be found everywhere. Rain spent a long time packing up. In the end, she placed her hand on an old, graying metal keychain. It was the first gift Joshua gave her. At that time, Rain’s parents had just passed away from an accident, and she had lost her pillars of support. As a result, her life became hell, and she became an orphan who was also an easy target. Rain still remembered how her life was full of hardships. Her relatives wanted to snatch her parents’ legacy from her, her classmates started ostracizing her, and her friends turned into her bullies… During her darkest hour, Joshua reached out to her. “Hey, Rain. If no one will be your friend, I will. I’ll protect you.” His smile was bright under the sun. When Rain looked over, he grabbed his hair. After some thinking, he removed the keychain from his bag and gave it to her with a grin. “Here. A gift between friends.” That was the moment she fell for him. Rain took it and treasured it for years. In the present, she stared at the keychain for a long time before she kept it in a box. As she sealed the box shut with tape, the love she had for Joshua for more than ten years also seemed to be sealed up with it. With that, she finished packing. Rain cast one final glance at the place that had served as her house for eight years. Then, she left without hesitation.