He Wanted Me to Take the Poison for His First Love

"Thera's getting married! She's living with Harriet now, right? They're both wearing matching couple rings in the photos!"

"What does the caption mean? 'Someone else in the world to love you'? Could she be pregnant?"

"Some mistress, no matter how much she bullies Thera, at least Thera’s finally getting her happiness!"

It was as if they were trying to make sure I heard it.

Bill even shoved his phone in my face, pointing to the man's hand with the ring.

There was a small mole on the tip of the index finger—a mark that belonged only to Harriet.

"See? Harriet wouldn’t want someone like you—poisonous and toxic! He and Thera are fine! You’ll never tear them apart!"

"Mm."

He could say whatever he wanted.

It didn’t matter to me anymore.

After all, I didn’t love him anymore.

I didn’t attend Thera’s birthday party.

Instead, I lay on the cold bed in the lab, staring blankly at the monitoring equipment.

Richard, who was still somewhat on good terms with me, spoke up.

The toxins in my body were too mixed, too deeply ingrained. They had already invaded my internal organs.

Even if he tried his hardest, all he could do was extend my life by a few more years.

It couldn’t be cured.

Like a wilting rose, no matter how much water you pour, it would only rot away slowly.

"Cathy, let’s go abroad. Maybe there's still a slim chance over there."

Richard’s eyes were bloodshot, his face bruised.

But when he looked at me, he still forced a smile.

I bit my lip, looking at the hopeful expression in his eyes, and reluctantly nodded.

"Alright."

"But this time, I don’t plan on coming back home."

I couldn’t understand what was going on in Richard’s eyes, nor could I understand why he wanted to spend all his savings on me.

Wouldn’t it be better for him to use that money to live his own life?

When I woke up, the sky was covered in dark clouds, the last sliver of sunset completely gone.

The door was slammed open.

Harriet, his face dark with fury, threw a stack of photos at me.

I glanced at them; they were all pictures of when Harriet and I were together, when we were in love.

"Why didn’t you go to Thera’s birthday? Did you send Richard to her birthday party to say those things? Do you know what people are saying about her? They’re calling her a mistress who stole her sister's boyfriend!"

"Cathy, Thera has been good to you, hasn’t she? Do you really have to destroy her to survive? You can’t stand to see her happy, can you? How shameless are you?"

I remained silent, watching him lose control.

By the time he was done, he was frozen in place, stung by the calmness in my eyes.

As if suddenly remembering something, he lowered his gaze, defeated.

But in the next moment, he straightened up, emboldened.

"What’s going on between you and Richard? Just because he’s defending you, do you think you’re innocent? I’ve seen him follow you more than once in secret! Can you really believe nothing’s going on between you two?"

"You cheated first! Did I do something wrong by being with Thera? Cathy, you can’t have everything! Aren’t you the most shameless one?"

"Go clear things up with everyone! Clear Thera’s name! Otherwise, I’m not going to work on your antidote anymore! You need to know that only I have the formula for it! If you don’t want to die, go apologize to Thera on your knees!"

I stayed silent for a long time.

Before his impatience reached its peak, I agreed.

Harriet’s family was wealthy and powerful—Richard couldn’t compete with him.

It didn’t matter what happened to me.

It was just a meaningless reputation. It wasn’t important.

Anyway, I didn’t have much time left.

Maybe because I agreed so quickly, Harriet looked at me with a complicated expression.

A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes.

"If you’d just listened sooner, would all of this have been necessary? Cathy, Thera was right. Your temper would’ve settled if you just tried."

"After this is over, I’ll come and take you home."