Chapter 5

"Bullshit! How can I possibly die in seven days? None of it is real! Tanya, I'll never believe you!" Cedric rushed at me with his fists up, but Noah quickly sent him crashing down. "Cedric, isn't it? People like you will always have to pay for your deeds in the end. Even the gods won't save you this time. Just face it." Richard hobbled over on his cane and dropped to his knees before me. "Tanya, the Stone family has wronged you. But Cedric's so young. Please, think of a way to save him. I'll give you anything you want, even my life," he helplessly pleaded, just as he had three years ago in the Hall of Judgement. "She's a fraud. Why are you begging her?" Cedric asked, dragging Richard to his feet. Under the cold fluorescent lighting, his face twisted in anger. "Tanya, you really would do anything to marry into the Stone family, huh? "Who is this stranger you've brought here? Do you think this little act can fool me? If you dare go with him today, I'll cancel the engagement right now." Every part of me hurt as I weakly said, "Do as you wish." For a brief moment, shock flickered across Cedric's face. Then, it was replaced by fury. "You said it! Don't come crawling back afterward!" "I'll take her to the hospital first." Noah shoved Cedric aside and carried me away. As things began to spiral out of control, Arianna, who had been hiding, finally stepped forward. She nervously tugged at Cedric's sleeve. "Cedric…" However, Cedric was still furious. He shoved her away and kicked the broken door behind him. Then, he walked off without looking back. He returned to our room, where the air still carried the scent of him and Arianna from their earlier indulgence. "She won't leave. She's been devoted to me for three years. There's no way she could walk away so easily. If she won't yield softly, then we'll see who's stronger." Cedric didn't understand why he felt so furious. He just knew he couldn't bear another moment of it. He immediately gathered all the reporters for a press conference, announced the cancellation of our engagement, and publicly declared that Arianna would be his only wife. After the press conference, Arianna was ecstatic. However, not a flicker of joy appeared on Cedric's face. He'd expected me to angrily confront him and try to reason with him, just as I had in the past. "She'll be back begging me in less than three hours!" At the club, he gathered his cronies. "Exactly! Everyone knows Tanya is nothing but Mr. Stone's lapdog!" "She's been trailing Mr. Stone everywhere all these years. If he's so much as an hour late, she shows up in person to fetch him. There's no way she could ever actually walk away." Listening to their chatter eased Cedric slightly, and he immediately summoned 99 hostesses, proudly waiting for me to appear. In the past, I'd always showed up, warning him not to smoke, drink, or indulge. I'd even begged him to value his life. He was certain I wouldn't give up on him, so he ignored the faint unease in his heart. But hours passed, and everyone grew exhausted, yet I still hadn't arrived. The mood cooled, and his friends sensed something was off. "Cedric, Tanya really isn't coming back, is she?" Cedric's face darkened, and the room fell silent for a moment. One friend raised a glass to break the tension. "Better if she doesn't! Who cares about her?" "Today we celebrate Cedric's freedom! From now on, he and Arianna will be together forever!" Cedric loudly agreed and reached for the glass, but his body uncontrollably collapsed backward. … When Cedric opened his eyes again, he was lying in bed at home. Richard stood beside him, listening to the doctor with a grim expression. "We've done all the tests, but we couldn't find the cause. We can only see that Mr. Stone's organs are rapidly failing. You should prepare for the worst…" But before the doctor could finish, Cedric grabbed him by the collar. "Are you working for Tanya? Did she send you to scare me because she regrets it?" He wanted to ask more but was pushed aside by Richard. "You fool! Even now, you refuse to see the truth!" Cedric finally panicked. "No, Grandpa! Tell me where Tanya is! Did you hide her?" "Shut up!" Richard slammed his cane, knocking Cedric to the floor. "I personally brought Tanya back from the Hall of Judgement! She was no liar. It was Arianna, the one you idolize, who has been deceiving you all along!" Cedric couldn't bear to hear a single word against Arianna. He sprang to his feet. "Arianna is the kindest person I've ever known! I won't allow anyone to slander her!" "Kind?" Richard roared. "You're truly blind! Bring her here!"