Chapter 1
Olivia and I had been betrothed since childhood—childhood sweethearts, two peas in a pod. From a young age, my parents told me Olivia would be my future wife and that I should treat her well. Of course, that’s exactly what I did. Before high school, I saw Olivia as a little sister. Until one ordinary day, when Olivia came running towards me in her plain school uniform, ponytail swinging. She stood in the sunlight, and crashed right into my heart. Back then, Olivia’s skin glowed so brightly. As she ran towards me, she also ran straight into my heart. Olivia had always been clingy with me, sharing all her girlish secrets. As she put it: “Whether we end up as husband and wife or just friends, we’ll always be soulmates. You understand me, and I understand you.” At the time, I knew we didn’t have some grand, sweeping romance. Even if I liked her, I couldn’t say it out loud. My father had taught me from a young age that a man’s duty was to build his career. I had to keep my emotions in check—even if I liked someone, I couldn’t show it too much. My main task was to expand the family business. In our social circles, everyone talked about how the Thompson and Foster families would make a powerful alliance. Three years ago, the Foster family suddenly went bankrupt without any warning. My father told me to cancel the engagement. He said the Thompson family couldn’t be dragged down by anyone. It was the first time I’d ever defied my father. I rushed out in the pouring rain to find Olivia, but got into a car accident on the way. The good news was, I wasn’t seriously injured. The bad news was, I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. Terminal. I cried for a long, long time that day. I don’t know if it was because I couldn’t control the fate of Olivia’s family, or because I was facing my own imminent death. Perhaps it was both. I followed my father’s orders and went to break off the engagement with Olivia. As luck would have it, the Foster family was in the middle of liquidating assets for auction, with many people waiting to watch the spectacle. I knew that even if I had to end the engagement, I shouldn’t humiliate Olivia and her family in front of so many people. Even if I couldn’t offer help in their time of need, I shouldn’t be throwing stones. Unfortunately, my father kept pressuring me, telling me this was the perfect opportunity. I gritted my teeth, unable to look Olivia in the eye. There was a watery sheen in Olivia’s eyes—helplessness, despair. She looked at me like I was her last lifeline. My voice shook as I spoke. Each word was agony. Sadly, there was no turning back for me, or for the Foster family. Olivia was wrong—she didn’t understand me at all. Otherwise, how could she not see my struggle at that moment? That’s when I knew for certain that I loved Olivia. It wasn’t habit or childhood indoctrination. It was that gut-wrenching pain of loss. Once news of the broken engagement got out, Olivia became a laughingstock. I agonized and wrestled with myself, wanting to tell Olivia the truth. But I couldn’t be that selfish—at the very least, I couldn’t make things even worse for her. Later, rumors spread in our social circles that Olivia had found a rich benefactor. This mysterious person had invested in her, allowing her to rebuild her fortune. Seeing her today, the dark clouds that had hung over Olivia had dispersed. She still shone brightly, standing in the spotlight.