Watching Kaia's retreating back, Darcy felt a pang of deep sadness. Kaia had come to the Gale household when she was eight. Ione had treated her like her own daughter, and Darcy had always seen her as a real younger sister. Growing up, the best food and the nicest things always went to Kaia first. Darcy would always say gently, "It's okay. I'm older than her. I should take care of her." In college, when money was tight and Kaia's grades weren't good enough for a regular university—ending up in a pricey community college with tuition costing tens of thousands of dollars a year—Darcy and her mother still didn't give up on her. They scrimped and saved to pay her tuition, which was why Darcy herself had to work part-time jobs through her own studies. Later, the Lark family showed up, claiming Kaia was their long-lost biological daughter. Kaia left for the Lark family without a backward glance.Darcy and her mother never blamed her. Who wouldn't want a better life? But the Larks didn't treat her well. The daughter they had raised from childhood saw Kaia as a threat and made her life difficult. So, Kaia turned back to the Gale family. In the past, Darcy's heart ached for her, feeling that fate had been unfair to her. But now, Kaia was belittling her in front of her rival. She'd even brought up Darcy's part-time student days as a point of mockery. The younger sister she had protected and loved since childhood had, just like that, gone rotten. Darcy's heart clenched with pain. This year was truly unlucky. First, love betrayed her. Now, family was stabbing her in the back. Maybe I should find some time to go to church. Darcy wiped her tears and headed down to the supermarket on the lower level.After buying what she needed and grabbing a quick bite, she took the escalator back up to the first floor. As she stepped off, she came face-to-face with Kaia, who was standing by the entrance of a luxury boutique. Kaia's face was a mask of panic. Her eyes kept darting nervously toward the inside of the store. Only when she confirmed that Zora was still engrossed in conversation with a sales assistant did her held breath finally release. "Oh! Darcy! What a coincidence, you're shopping too!" Kaia said with a forced laugh, grabbing Darcy's hand and pulling her toward a corner away from the store. She didn't stop until she was sure they were out of sight from inside. Darcy pulled her hand free, her expression cool. Kaia didn't think much of it; Darcy had always been reserved, steady, and not very expressive. The adults had always praised her for it. But Kaia often wondered how someone as aloof as Zane could be interested in someone like Darcy. Someone bright and outgoing like Zora was clearly a better match for him! Seeing Darcy reminded Kaia of something. "Darcy, who drove you here?" she asked curiously. She'd thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but the person who got out of that Rolls-Royce really was Darcy. And she was sure the driver had been a man. Darcy frowned, tightening her grip on her shopping bags. She didn't visit Mom in the hospital. She didn't ask how I was after my long business trip. But she has time to interrogate me about who drove me here. It seemed she and her mother had spoiled Kaia far too much.Darcy's face turned cold. "Mom had her surgery today. Instead of questioning me, you should find the time to visit her. She misses you." Kaia was taken aback, confused by Darcy's sudden coldness. She pouted. "Oh, I know." Still not giving up, she pressed, "So, whose car was it? I thought I saw you getting out of a Rolls-Royce. Zane doesn't own a Rolls, does he?" Darcy's heart sank completely. She held no more expectations for Kaia. Naturally, she had no intention of telling her about working at Stratagem Tech. "You saw wrong." Darcy's voice was flat. "I'm heading to the hospital now. Are you coming with me?" Kaia looked uncomfortable. "I... I'll go tomorrow." "Fine. I'm leaving then." No sooner had Darcy left than Zora appeared, carrying two shopping bags. "Kaia, where did you go? I bought two bags. I think the pink one's totally your style. Take a look!" Zora handed one of the bags over. Kaia was thrilled. Oh my God, so is this what it's like being friends with an heiress? I got a luxury bag just like this? Her biological parents always claimed to love her, but they had never bought her anything luxurious. She opened it. The pink bag was the exact model she had been coveting for ages. Her eyes lit up. "Wow, Dr. Moss! You read my mind! Thank you so much! I love this bag!" "Glad you do!" Feeling like she should do something in return, Kaia said, "Dinner's on me. What are you in the mood for?" Zora smiled. "Don't be so formal with me. Let's just grab something light. I'm trying to watch my figure anyway." Such a thoughtful, considerate Zora made Kaia feel even more convinced she was backing the right person. Thinking of Darcy's sudden coldness tonight, Kaia brushed it off. She's probably just taking out her frustrations on me because she's fawning over Zaneand he's rejecting her. Honestly, I'm the real victim here. ... At the hospital, Ione was chatting with the caregiver. When Darcy arrived, the caregiver quickly stood up to pour her a glass of water. Darcy put away the daily necessities she'd bought and walked over to Ione's bedside, leaning down. "Mom, how are you feeling after the surgery? Is there any discomfort?" Even though she'd already checked in with the caregiver and the surgeon via WhatsApp that afternoon, Darcy was still worried.Ione gave a warm, kind smile. "I'm fine, feeling quite good. It's you I'm worried about. You look tired and stressed. It must be from overwork. I'm going to have to scold Zane. How can he be such a fiancé, not even giving you a proper break before your engagement?" Hearing this, Darcy looked down. She hadn't told Ione about her leave of absence, nor about her plans to call off the engagement and resign from SummitCore. So Ione still thought she was working herself ragged for Zane's company. Looking at her mother's still somewhat rosy complexion, Darcy thought about telling her the truth. "Mom, there's something I need to tell you." "What is it?" "About my engagement with Zane... I want to—" "Cough, cough, cough..." Ione was suddenly wracked by a coughing fit, clutching her chest in discomfort.The caregiver, quick on her feet, immediately pressed the emergency call button by the bed. A nurse came to check, then called for the surgeon. After a flurry of activity, Ione's color finally returned to normal. The surgeon reminded Darcy once more, "It is crucial for the patient's recovery to remain emotionally stable after surgery. A stable mood aids healing. At her age, if she doesn't recover properly, the risk of the condition recurring is very high." Darcy pressed her lips together and nodded. "Okay, Doctor. I understand." Seeing her mother's pale face, Darcy sighed. It looks like I'll have to wait to tell her about calling off the engagement. ... Time flew by, and it was suddenly Friday. The weather had turned sharply colder. Before leaving home in the morning, Darcy saw the weather alert on her phone and put on a heavy coat. Scrolling down to check the temperature trend for the coming days, her eyes landed on a note she had saved. "Remind Zane to watch his diet. The weather's turning cold. Be careful of his stomach acting up." She remembered. A month ago, while restocking Zane's first aid kit, she'd noticed the forecasted temperature drop. To make sure she wouldn't forget to remind him to eat, she had set this reminder on her phone. Back in the startup days, Zane had pushed himself too hard, frequently forgetting to eat, which led to a chronic stomach condition. Even though her careful attention had helped him recover about seventy or eighty percent, his stomach would still act up immediately if he skipped meals or had too much cold food. But now, these reminders were useless. The woman by his side was no longer her.Darcy smiled bitterly to herself and deleted all the reminders and calendar alerts.