Breathe Your Last With Me

I was appointed to finish a mission in a novel, which was to make the aloof, domineering CEO fall for me.

It took me eight years to get close to Ethan. I even ruined my own face to save him.

On the day the bandages came off, he got down on one knee to propose to me.

He said I was his true love and that he would never let me down in this lifetime.

But after we got married, he found a stand-in for me and spent every day being lovey-dovey with her.

He wouldn't even spare me a glance.

I confronted him.

He looked at me with disgust. "Sophia, do you think any other man would want you besides me? Not only did I not mind your ugly face, but I've married and been supporting you, which so many girls covet. You should be grateful for this!"

So, desiring to leave this world, I chose to end my life in front of him.

Later, it was said that the always composed CEO, Ethan Carter, went mad, setting himself on fire for his wife's forgiveness.

1

"Ms. Turner, are you sure you want to leave this world?" The system, which had been gone for so long, finally appeared before me again.

It looked at my scarred face, a hint of guilt in its voice. "Due to system maintenance, I failed to protect you. So your mission has been canceled. You're free to return to the real world. But you've lived here for nine years. Can you really bear to let it all go?"

I was about to answer when my phone chimed with a notification.

A social media account I followed had just posted something new. "What is love? Love is being together for every meal and every night."

The photo showed a woman hugging a man from behind as he cooked.

The woman was positively beaming, her eyes full of happiness.

Her radiant face bore a faint resemblance to mine before I was disfigured.

The man at the stove was tall, wearing an apron with cuteness that seemed uncharacteristic.

Only his silhouette was captured.

Despite his usual aloofness, his expression in the picture was gentle, radiating deep affection.

The two of them looked so in love, just like a loving newlywed couple.

But who would have guessed that the man in the photo, cooking for his beloved, was actually my newlywed husband?

I stared at the wedding ring on Ethan's finger in the picture.

Then I turned my own ring around my finger.

Ethan spent over two weeks searching the whole Aldoria to carefully select our wedding rings during my hospital stay, after my face was disfigured.

He said he wanted to propose to me the day my bandages came off, so the diamond ring for me wasn't perfect enough.

He promised that after we got married, he'd get me a bigger, better one.

But after our marriage, he never mentioned replacing the ring again.

His hands with the matching ring were now cooking for another woman.

Early this morning, Ethan sent me a message. "I'll be on a business trip for a few days. Don't wait up."

The coldness in his words was unmistakable.

He hadn't come home all night and couldn't even be bothered to offer an explanation.

Well, what was Ethan thinking?

Did he really think I was so foolish that I'd believe anything he said without suspicion?

Or did he simply not care whether I found out he was cheating?

I looked at the dishes and birthday cake on the table and let out a bitter laugh.

In this world, I was an orphan.

Ethan once promised me no matter how busy he was, he'd celebrate my every birthday with me for the rest of my life.

It was because he wanted me to know he would love me forever, and I'd never be alone again.

Back then, his eyes were full of tenderness when he looked at me.

But yesterday was my birthday. I cooked a special meal, waiting for him to come home and celebrate it with me.

I waited until midnight, hungry and exhausted.

All I got in return was his cold, distant message.

He'd already forgotten the promise he made to me.

While I sat alone, staring at my birthday cake, what was he doing?

He was flirting with another woman.

The gentle look on Ethan's face in that photo made him feel like a stranger to me.

I'd known him for nine years.

He was always aloof and reserved.

To help him recover from his stomach problems, I, who had never cooked before, made him new dishes every day, trying new recipes.

No matter the weather, I would send him his meals without exception.

Pampered by me, he only needed to use his hands for paperwork, so his fingers were always smooth.

All these years, Ethan had never cooked a single meal for me.

Well, whatever.

I turned off my phone, took the ring off my finger, and closed my eyes.

I spoke to the system, weary. "Take me away."

There was nothing left in this world worth holding on to.

2

The system said it would arrange for me to fall seriously ill, and once I died, I could leave this world and return to my original one.

Before that happened, I began putting my affairs in order in this world.

Ethan never contacted me again. Only Chloe's social media kept updating with their daily displays of affection.

I went to the hospital to pick up my checkup results.

The system was efficient. I was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, with less than a month left.

My attending doctor, Grace Hill, was a close friend. She stared at the report in disbelief, her eyes red and swollen.

I saw her hands shaking uncontrollably and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Grace. This is fate. I've come to terms with it."

Grace wiped her tears away, not daring to say anything that might upset me. She glanced down the hallway behind me. "Ethan didn't come with you? This is huge, and he's not by your side?"

I forced a smile and put the report away. "He's busy, still on a business trip."

Grace furrowed his brows with displeasure. "What a lousy husband he is. He was all tears and promises when he proposed, but now he's nowhere to be found in such a dire state. No matter how busy he is, he should be here for your checkup. Nothing can be more important than family."

My smile started to falter, and for once, I fell silent.

Grace seemed to understand something in my silence.

She'd always had sharp instincts.

"What a jerk. You've given him everything all these years. You even ruined your face to save him. How could he..." Grace couldn't hold back anymore. She hugged me and burst into tears.

She insisted on seeing me off when I left, afraid I'd disappear the moment she let go.

But I never expected to run into Chloe outside the OB-GYN department.

She was the woman Ethan had an affair with.

She was waiting in line with a friend, her features faintly resembling mine.

Grace couldn't help but cast a glance at her.

As we passed by, I overheard Chloe whispering to her friend. "That's the ugly woman Ethan married."

At her words, her friend looked up and openly sized me up, then curled her lip in disdain. "How ridiculous it is you're said to be her stand-in! She looks old and ugly. You're way prettier than her."

Chloe pouted in feigned disagreement. "Don't say that. I heard she chased after Ethan for eight years. All of Ethan's friends say she's his true love."

Her friend, annoyed, deliberately raised her voice at me. "If you ask me, that ugly woman is merely after your boyfriend's money. So she shamelessly pestered him, made everyone falsely believe they were dating, and forced Mr. Carter to marry her. It's said she even ruined her own face for Mr. Carter. She's really gone all out. Humph, I've seen plenty of women like her. Chloe, you're just too kind and innocent. If you had tried to make Mr. Carter marry you, she would have been divorced long ago!"

Chloe tugged at her friend and sighed. "Alas, women like her are pitiful. With such low self-esteem, she can only rely on such shady means. She doesn't even know what true love is. True love doesn't care about looks or status. Even if Ethan is married, he won't leave me."

As she spoke, a blissful smile spread across her face. She unconsciously caressed her belly.

Her friend replied with a bitter smile. "Chloe, I really envy you. If you really are pregnant, Mr. Carter will definitely ignore all those gossips and divorce that ugly woman to marry you."

Chloe's smile was sweet. "I don't care about that. As long as Ethan loves me, I'd still be his wife, even without a marriage license."

I hadn't even gotten angry yet before Grace lost her temper.

She suddenly charged at Chloe and slapped hard across her face.

3

Grace didn't hold back. Chloe fell straight to the floor from the slap.

But Grace wasn't finished.

She pointed right at Chloe's nose and fired off a barrage of curses. "How can you not feel ashamed of being a mistress at all? What a two-faced bitch you are! How dare you be so self-righteous?! You could've been a decent girl, but why did you choose to have an affair with a married man? You should be concerned about your reputation. But before his wife confronts you, you're even boasting about your disgrace. Yuck, so disgusting."

Grace was already suppressing her anger after she knew I was cheated on, and now Chloe's shameless words made her lose control completely.

Naturally, her curses at Chloe were quite harsh.

Her voice was loud and clear, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the hospital.

She didn't care at all about her image as a doctor to stand up for me.

She never even considered what punishment the hospital might give her.

But honestly, all those things Chloe and her friends said didn't matter at all.

After I found out about Ethan's affair, I was in agony for a long time.

After the heartbreak, all that was left was numbness.

Now, I was dead inside.

I had no interest in the details of their love story, and I wouldn't feel heartbroken for Ethan anymore.

But I couldn't let Grace get in trouble because of me.

"Grace, that's enough. Let's go." I tugged at Grace's arm, trying to take her away.

Suddenly, Chloe cried out, clutching her stomach as if in pain.

Her friend immediately crouched down to check on her, shouting, "Chloe, what's wrong? Did she hurt you?"

"Oh, please, drop the act. I slapped you, instead of kicking you in the belly. Why are you holding your stomach?" Grace was furious and still wanted to argue with them, but I held her back.

Because, in the crowd that had gathered, I spotted Ethan.

He hadn't noticed me. His eyes were fixed on Chloe as he pushed past people, striding over.

With everyone watching, he swept Chloe into his arms.

But instead of checking her stomach, he anxiously examined her face with care.

A bright red handprint was already quite obvious on Chloe's cheek.

Ethan's face was sour, and his demeanor intimidating. "Who slapped her? Show yourself! You're so in trouble!"

Chloe's friend immediately pointed at Grace. "Mr. Carter, Chloe and I were just waiting in line when this crazy woman rushed over and started hitting and kicking her!"

I lowered my gaze.

Ethan was always cold and hated public displays of affection.

In the nine years I'd known him, he'd never once held me like that in public.

He'd never lost his temper for my sake, either.

It seemed he wasn't always so aloof. It depended on who was by his side.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Shielding Grace, I stepped forward and said, "I slapped her. So what?"

When Ethan saw it was me, his anger faltered.

A look of shock crossed his face as he blurted out, "Honey, what are you doing here?"

4

What a cruel scene.

He called me honey while holding another woman in his arms.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Ethan, don't you think you need to explain yourself?"

He frowned slightly, reading my expression before responding, "When did you find out? So that's why you haven't replied to my messages?"

Ethan hated it when I didn't respond to him right away.

But the last message in our chat was from the early hours of my birthday.

He'd been with Chloe, telling me he would be on a business trip.

I used to reply to every single message from him, always putting him first, never once ignoring him.

This was the first time I'd left him hanging.

I gave a cold laugh. "What do you want me to reply? Congratulations on your new fling?"

Ethan's brows knitted together. His gaze flickered over the ruined half of my face, a flash of disgust in his eyes before he looked away.

He was impatient, trying to keep his temper in check. "Sophia, watch your mouth. You shouldn't make a scene here."

"Ethan, don't be angry," Chloe whimpered, tugging gently at his collar.

Her face was pale but delicate, which indicated her youth. Her tears made her look even more pitiful. "I knew this would happen when I chose to be with you. People around me have called me every name in the book. I've gotten used to it. It's just that she slapped me in public. I can handle it."

"Chloe..."

Ethan wiped away her tears, his expression softening as he looked at her forced bravery.

Chloe managed a weak smile, and then turned to me. "Sophia, I never wanted to ruin your relationship with Ethan. I'm young and naive about love, not like you. I don't care about money or status. As long as Ethan and I love each other, that's enough for me. No matter how you insult me, I can take it."

She pouted, playing the part of the fragile, resilient girl.

I was about to say something when suddenly I felt short of breath, the taste of blood rising in my throat.

I steadied myself against the wall, retching dryly.

It must have been my illness acting up.

Chloe's face went pale, probably because she thought I was trying to mock her.

She cried even harder, clutching her stomach and whining in Ethan's arms.

He comforted her patiently, the two of them lost in their own world.

Grace was shaking with anger. "Ethan, you're unbelievable. Do you remember all those promises you made when you proposed to Sophia? You've just gotten married, and you're already keeping a mistress! This two-faced bitch is just pretending to be fragile. If she were really so weak, how could she have the energy to seduce you? Do you even know who the real patient is here?"

"Enough!" Ethan snapped, his eyes cold as he glared at Grace. "This is between Sophia and me. You'd better mind your own business."

He fixed his gaze on me again with coldness as if I were a stranger to him.

He said, "Keep your friend in line."

He also said, "Sophia, not only did I not mind your ugly face, but I've married and been supporting you, which so many girls covet. You should be grateful for this!"

A sharp pain shot through my chest, sweat breaking out all over my body. I was shaking so badly I could barely keep my balance.

Grace hurried to support me, frightened.

So this was how Ethan had always seen me.

He looked down at me, and his contempt almost crushed my self-esteem.

Ethan scooped Chloe into his arms and rushed into the obstetrics department.

I stared at the medical report that had fallen to the floor during the commotion, now wrinkled from his trample.

Suddenly, I was curious about how Ethan would react if he realized he did such horrible things to me in the last months of my life.

Would he feel as heartbroken as I was now?