"Miss Bennett, are you really sure about walking away with nothing?"

"You're legally Mr. Dawson's wife. By law, you're entitled to half of his assets. That's at least hundreds of billions from Dawson Group - money most people couldn't dream of in ten lifetimes."

Aurelia Bennett's gaze slid past the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the dazzling nightscape of Northvale stretched out - the heart of Finnian Dawson's business kingdom.

And she had once been the invisible queen of that empire.

"I'm sure," she replied calmly, then without a pause, signed her name at the bottom of the divorce papers.

The lawyer hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, but finally sighed and packed up the documents before leaving.

When she was alone, Aurelia slowly pulled out another report from her bag - mid-stage cervical cancer.

What irony. Just this afternoon Finnian had sent her the eighth divorce agreement. And almost at the exact same time, the doctor told her she had cancer.

If untreated, she might die - not only that, she might never be able to have kids.

She had wanted a child so badly once.

A tiny human who shared both her and Finnian's features. But now, even that little hope had slipped through her fingers.

She had no time to process the pain before her phone chimed with an email. It was from Serena Hughes - a prenatal checkup report.

A blurry ultrasound image, attached with a caption: [I'm carrying Finnian's baby. Three months in.]

Aurelia's hand clenched involuntarily, nails cutting deep into her palm. So, it wasn't that he didn't want a child. He just didn't want one with her.

In that moment, her heart and body both gave up completely.

In truth, she had known Finnian longer than he ever realized.

It all started back in college - during the finals of an inter-school business strategy competition. He represented the economics department, the top of his class. Standing on the stage under bright lights, he laid out his proposal with clarity and precision, his confidence far beyond his years.

She had sat in the crowd - just another face in an unremarkable seat - but her heart raced at every word he spoke.

Of course he won. No surprise there. After the awards ceremony, he was surrounded by people. She only watched from a distance.

He was young, brilliant, untouchable - like a star high above.

Later on, through mutual friends, she'd hear occasional tidbits - he had a girlfriend, a dance major from the arts school. Serena. Everyone said they were the perfect couple.

So Aurelia buried her feelings deep and never thought of reaching out.

Until that day she saw Finnian lying in a pool of blood after an accident. She dragged him, with all her strength, to the hospital.

Doctors delivered the worst - he might be crippled for life. Panicked, she called the only number she had for Serena.

There was a tiny trace of impatience in Serena's voice. "Miss Bennett, is it? Thanks for calling. But my flight to Pariven is tomorrow. That's my dream - I can't give it up."

"Finnian will understand. From now on, he's in your hands."

Click. Call ended.

Aurelia stood outside the OR with that cold phone in hand. A chill ran down her spine.

The woman he loved most, ditched him when his life hung by a thread.

So she stayed.

That first year Finnian worked to heal his legs was the hardest but somehow the happiest time of her life.

He had relapses. Many times he hovered near death. She stayed by his side without rest - cleaning his wounds, holding his hand through nightmares, whispering comfort while he gritted his teeth through agony.

Whenever he was burning up with fever, he'd murmur her name over and over again - "Serena."

But all Aurelia did was tighten her grip on his hand and whisper, "I'm here, I'm right here."

Through the long, grueling rehab, she was his only constant.

Every time the pain and frustration got to him, and he lashed out by throwing things, she'd quietly clean up the mess without a single word of complaint.

The day he fully recovered, the stars in the hospital garden looked exceptionally bright. He stood there, tall and composed beneath the night sky.

And in that moment, Aurelia knew - her one and only excuse to stay by his side was about to be gone.

Panic and heartache crushed her all at once. Under the cover of night and with trembling resolve, she tiptoed forward and kissed him softly.

He froze - not kissing back, but not pushing her away either.

The next day, he came to her with complicated eyes and said, "Let's get married."

No proposal, no ring, not even a simple "I love you."

But back then, Aurelia was too overwhelmed with joy to care.

She thought it was his way of acknowledging her effort, his willingness to try.

Naively, she believed that if she loved hard enough, worked hard enough, she'd eventually win his heart.

She ignored her family's loud objections and went with him to register their marriage, heart set and without hesitation.

No wedding, no ring, no announcement.

From an anonymous caregiver, she became an anonymous wife. Three years of being married in secret - she was the only one living in that bubble.

But reality shattered her perfect illusion.

Finnian went back to his corporate world like nothing happened, busier than ever.

Even though they shared that chilly, upscale apartment, days could pass without her seeing him once.

He never brought her to events. In business interviews, there he was - always alone, or with some sharp-suited male assistant.

The world didn't even know he was married.

She tiptoed around their home life, memorizing all his likes and dislikes.

She taught herself to cook all his favorite dishes - though he rarely came home for dinner.

She pressed every shirt he owned, filled his closet with freshly laundered clothes - never knowing whose arms he'd meet while wearing them.

For three whole years, she guarded an empty home, believing in a one-sided love story.

Then Serena came back. That was the last straw.

Two months ago, headlines everywhere screamed about Serena's high-profile return.

Paps caught Finnian picking her up from the airport - carrying her luggage, leaning in to listen, his face relaxed and... soft, in a way Aurelia had never seen.

That night, all her buried hurt, jealousy, and longing exploded.

She demanded answers: why go see your ex behind my back?

He didn't even blink. "What right do you have to question me?"

His cold words sliced deep. She snapped and threw Serena's past abandonment in his face.

She thought it'd wake him up, make him see who really stood by him.

She miscalculated. That hit a raw nerve. He stormed out, leaving her alone on the living room couch, watching the night turn into morning - and with it, her heart tumbling into darkness.

The next day, she received the first divorce papers.

Then the second, then the third... until number eight landed on her lap today.

That's when it hit her - four years of loving him, from the shadows and then as his wife... had all been a cruel joke.

Aurelia didn't take a single thing from the Dawson house.

Just a few old clothes and the diagnosis paper.

It was late when she stepped out into the night.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't touched in years.

"Hey, it's me... I messed up. Can you come get me?"