Chapter 7 (2/2)

The warm air in the room could be felt by both her cheeks.

‘It’s warm…’

How long had it been since she felt any warmth?

Chloe smiled right away and took the shawl hanging on a chair, wrapping it around her shoulders. Then, she rose from the bed.

There were three stove heaters in the room. They definitely weren’t there yesterday…

Did Daniel bring them in?

’It’s my fault again. Everything.’

But she recalled what happened with Eric yesterday.

‘You keep looking at me like I’m a monster.’

As she saw his sad expression, she wanted to say that it wasn’t true.

But she missed the right time to say it.

‘Should I try to talk to him again today?’

But what should she say?

Should she appease him and tell him that she never thought that he was a monster? Or should she be angry and accuse him in turn, saying that it was him who turned a blind eye to her?

She had no idea what to say.

Chloe wrestled with her thoughts as she reached over to the heater.

The warmth gradually spread over to her starting from her fingertips.

As her body warmed up, her mind became clearer. Since last night, she slowly organized her cloudy thoughts little by little.

As she felt her head aching from exertion, the answer finally came to her.

‘Whatever happens, I still have to talk to him.’

She had yet to have a chance to talk to him, so they never had the chance to know what one thought of the other. The misunderstandings between them could be resolved.

If they talked…

‘Maybe we can change.’

But what would change?

‘My relationship with him?’

Even if it did, what’s the point?

‘I’m going to divorce him anyway.’

As she contemplated, Chloe paused and retracted her hand from the heater.

‘Do I really want a divorce…?’

She closed her eyes slowly.

And thought about him.

Eric. His face, his expressions, his gestures, everything.

‘What I really want is…’

…Not a marriage that would end with a single document.

She wanted warmth. Arms wrapped around her.

A sincere love.

But…

“I’m about to di—“

Even before she could finish the word, she bent over.

Cough!

A sharp cough gnawed at her throat, then she felt something warm pooling inside her mouth.

Chloe took out her medicine bottle from the bag she brought, taking a handful of it and drinking it without any water to wash it down.

Bitterness mixed with the metallic taste.

“Haa…”

She tilted her head back with a hand over her forehead.

The sharp cough stabbed at her heart.

She bit her lips tightly to endure the pain.

It was a heart problem, this illness.

Because her heart wasn’t functioning properly, every other organ in her body started failing one by one.

Her stomach was the first to weaken after her heart, so she couldn’t digest anything properly. Then, her lungs became more inflamed as her coughing grew severe.

How much more blood had she shed over her tears? Sometimes, it was dark red blood that came out.

She’s going to die anyway.

This was an undeniable fact.

‘Even if I talk to Eric properly and finally have my love reciprocated…’

Chloe smiled bitterly.

For so long, this had been what she was wishing for, but it wasn’t what she wanted anymore.

Now, she didn’t want to be loved by him.

‘If I’m loved, then I would just want to live more!’

Chloe shut her eyes tightly.

Because she had a time limit on her life, she wasn’t allowed to have any greed to live any longer.

Even with a time limit, she was still bound like this. She couldn’t even do what she desired.

‘And Eric will have a hard time, too… If he really starts treating me like his wife…’

She didn’t know if it would be better to just divorce him while it was still like this.

While he still hated her completely.

‘It’s the best path for everyone.’

Her life, her feelings, her death. It should all be dealt with by no one but herself, so she had to make this choice. This was the right thing to do.

‘I need to get a divorce.’

It was the best choice not only for herself, but also for Eric. They would both be at peace.

Chloe thought that he would fare better alone than to be stuck with a wife who constantly emptied his pockets.

Slowly approaching the window, she saw the white landscape that was outside.

‘It snowed last night.’

They said it didn’t snow in the capital. But why did it snow like this?

The perfect white snowflakes that continued to flutter down from the sky since last night settled down upon the landscape, oblivious to all the turmoil she felt inside.

Chloe looked up blankly at the falling snow.