Chapter 5

I was the only one who laughed like a hyena at the table. Everyone looked at each other, though none of them dared to look at Luna. Instead, they all looked at me inquisitively. Since I had chosen to air my dirty laundry in public, me and Luna's relationship would definitely be the talk of the pantry tomorrow. Then again, it didn't matter to me anymore. Luna never bothered to save my pride from the start. Why should I grit my teeth and hang on? Luna and I just stared at each other from across the round table. Her expression grew darker as every second ticked by. I could tell that she was really angry this time. A while later, Luna stood up and strode out toward the private room's door. When she walked past me, she paused momentarily. "Come with me." I hesitated for a moment before placing down my fork. Then, I rose to my feet and followed her out of the room. Once we exited the private room, Luna grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the end of the hallway roughly. I had no idea how she possessed such strength to manhandle me like that. "What the hell did you mean by divorce, Edward Richardson?" she snarled out. "It's exactly what it means. It's not rocket science, is it? Feel free to sign the divorce agreement anytime you wish." Thanks to my severe illness, I had completely given up on this marriage. I didn't even want to waste my breath on Luna any longer. All I wanted was to return to the private room and continue my meal. After all, my time in this world was limited. I'd rather deal with all the bullshit in life on a full stomach. But Luna grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. "Edward, are you displeased simply because I've been guiding Samuel all this time? But this is work we're talking about! Samuel's a capable employee, so what's wrong with me guiding him? Since when are you incapable of differentiating work and personal matters?" Hah! Did she just call Samuel capable? Also, was I incapable of differentiating work and personal matters? I didn't know if I should laugh at Luna's words. "Ms. Sherwood, even if you have no idea that I was the one behind the project proposal, you should still remember that you were the one who called me over to drink on Samuel's behalf last night, right? Do you seriously think that the Samuel brat is capable of getting Mr. Hutton to sign the contract?" At first, I didn't want to argue with Luna or defend myself. But her ridiculous reasoning made me completely lose my mind. I thought she would ask me about the truth behind this project after hearing my response. What I didn't expect was to hear her words of mockery. "Edward, don't tell me you're the one who wrote the project proposal that's listed out in Sam's contract! You're just a man who's never graduated from university. Who would believe that a mere secretary is capable of coming up with an actual project proposal?" A hint of mockery could be seen in Luna's eyes. It was so easy for her to stab me right in the jugular just by saying those things to me. Honestly, I was quite curious about one thing. Would Luna still use my lack of a college degree to insult me if she were to find out the actual reason why I never got to graduate? "Am I really that pathetic and useless to you? Then, why did you even agree to marry me back then?" I asked the questions that I wanted answers to the most after managing to suppress my urge to cough. "Why are you still asking me the reason behind my decision to marry you? Have you forgotten how you had plotted against me back then? I'm only doing this much to you now, and yet, you're telling me you can't handle it anymore? "Edward Richardson, you single-handedly caused this situation! You'll do well to endure everything from now on!" Luna bellowed with bloodshot eyes. My Adam's apple bobbed up and down quietly when I heard Luna's response. I didn't know what to say. Back then, I was the one who had done her wrong. That was why I spent the last two years doing everything I could to make amends to her and obey her every command. To think that she never forgave me despite everything I had done for her… "Get lost!" Luna shoved me away with all her might before striding away hurriedly. Unable to keep my balance, I crashed down on my knees on the cold tiled floor. In the end, I couldn't withstand the pain coming from my throat anymore. After a burst of violent coughing fits, I ended up spraying blood all over the floor. It looked ghastly at first glance. The last thing I saw was Ian's panicked expression before falling unconscious. … Ian found out about my illness from the doctor. While he was mostly shocked by the news, there was sympathy in his eyes as well. He wanted to comfort me, but he didn't know how he should phrase it. I could tell how awkward Ian felt, so I just comforted him with a smile instead. "It's fine. All I do is cough violently anyway. Besides, it doesn't hurt that much. I just have to grit my teeth and endure it. I only have half a year left to live, after all." "I heard the doctor telling you that you can make an appointment to reserve the specialized drugs. Why did you turn that offer down?" Ian couldn't seem to understand my decision. "There's still hope for you to continue living. Why did you give up on it?" Just one pill cost tens of thousands of dollars. A syringe filled with potent medicinal drugs would definitely cost me at least a million dollars. How could I ever afford the treatment? I just shook my head while chuckling bitterly. "You should've heard how expensive the specialized drugs are. I'm just a secretary. How can I afford to buy the drugs?" "But Ms. Sherwood…" Ian knew that Luna and I were married. Perhaps he wanted to tell me that the money needed to buy the drugs was just chump change for a woman as rich as Luna. I just said coolly, "That's her money, not mine." At that moment, Ian finally understood my predicament. "You're right. Our wages aren't enough to pay off the medical bills if we don't have any medical insurance. Moreover, your illness is extremely severe—" "Everyone is fated to live their lives a certain way right after they are born. Everything's already set in stone." Ian could only sigh after hearing my pessimistic words. "If only you were in the sales department… You'd be able to earn extra commissions in order to get your cancer treated. Unfortunately, we admin folks can only receive base salaries. "By the way, have you heard the rumors? Apparently, Samuel's personal commission in the contract he secured is worth two million dollars…" "What? How much did you just say?" I asked. "It's about two million dollars."