Outside, a storm was raging.

"I don't know how this got here..." I explained, panicking.

The pain in my stomach was still a dull ache, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Landon's face was a grim mask as he dialed Renee's number.

On the other end, Renee, who had just found out what happened, immediately apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Captain Rexford. That Corbin Nash character bribed Elara's assistant to slip the card into her bag."

"It's my fault for not managing my staff properly. I'll fire the assistant right away. You've been with Elara for so many years, you know what kind of person she is..."

Landon hung up and saw me clutching my arms, silent.

My arms were raw and bleeding from my own scratching, my face pale, but my eyes were shot with red.

It was obvious. My depression was hitting me hard.

Landon frowned, stepped forward, and forcibly held my arms down.

He then opened the medicine pouch on the table, fed me the pills, and began to clean my wounds.

The stinging sensation brought me back to my senses. I realized I was having an episode.

I looked at Landon, helplessness and fear washing over me, and tears streamed down my face without my realizing.

I trembled as I clutched his shirt, the words tumbling out uncontrollably. "Landon, let's get married, okay?"

Landon's movements stopped.

He glanced at me, seeming to hold something back, then looked down again. "We'll talk about this after you get better."

But for me, those words were the final straw.

An immense wave of grief swept over me, and I struggled to choke back my sobs. "I know. It's because I'm sick. I'm always troubling you, making you take care of me..."

"But Landon, I really can't live without you..."

I wiped at my tears, but they were endless, soaking the front of Landon's shirt.

Landon tossed the cotton swab aside and stood up, looking down at me with frustration.

"I never thought that, but can you just stop this?!"

"Look at you! Do you look like a normal person right now?"

I looked down at myself with a desolate expression:

My arms were a tapestry of old scars from past episodes. There was dirt and dried blood under my nails, and my fingertips still held strands of hair I'd torn out.

Every time an episode hit, I would descend into a frenzy of self-harm. It was no wonder this sight repulsed him.

My expression slowly shifted to one of utter despair, the pain in my heart unbearable.

Finally, my heart turned cold, inch by inch.

After a long time, I whispered, "You should go... I'm tired. I want to sleep."

This was our home.

But Landon never stayed for long, always treating it like a hotel.

Landon looked at me in silence, his thoughts unreadable.

Finally, he cleaned everything up, picked up his clothes, and left.

He was gone.

Once again, I watched his back.

Watching that figure walk away without a hint of reluctance, so decisively every time, a thick wave of despair swallowed me whole once more.

It made even breathing feel painful.

The next second, I grabbed a fruit knife, the sharp blade pressing against the side of my neck.

Suddenly, the sound of fireworks exploding outside startled me.

My eyes fell on the calendar on the wall—

Today was Landon's birthday. It was midnight. His birthday had arrived.

I snapped back to reality.

How could I let my lover's birthday become the day of my death?

With that thought, I dropped the knife.

Through the large window, bursts of fiery bouquets bloomed in the night sky.

But from the street below, I heard a woman's cheerful shout.

"Happy birthday, Captain Rexford!"

That joyous voice forced me to the window.

And I watched as Landon walked, step by step, towards Lila Monroe, who was holding the firework launcher.

I watched as they embraced, right under my window.

I felt my already shattered heart burn to ashes.

I stared at the scene, motionless, for a long, long time.

Only after they left did I dial Landon's number.

His voice was a little unsteady. "What is it now?"

I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to be calm, gentle.

As if I were personally carving out my own heart, I spoke softly.

"Landon Rexford, let's break up."