A Love Beyond Life

His lips pressed into a thin line, his voice unbearably cold. "Oh, right. I almost forgot you're someone who thinks even seven million isn't enough. Why would you settle for just a hundred or two hundred thousand?"

I turned and walked away, refusing to engage any further. But Jace grabbed my wrist. "I am curious, though. If you have already taken the money, why are you still working here as a waitress? Hoping to hook another rich fool?"

I struggled to free myself from his grip, then hurried to the private dining room. After handing the dishes to the server inside, I left as quickly as possible. Another second there and I would have suffocated.

My breathing grew unsteady. I gasped for air, but it felt like no oxygen was reaching my lungs. Darkness clouded my vision and then I collapsed. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard a familiar voice calling my name, "Sharon." However, I knew it couldn't be him.

I had a long dream. It spanned the ten years from when I first met Jace to when we broke up. Back in university, I was just a broke student while he was the prestigious student council president. No matter where I worked part-time, I would always "coincidentally" run into him.

Our marriage was an accident. Right after graduation, my father fell into a gambling addiction. Not only did he lose everything we had, but he also managed to ruin a job opportunity I had already secured. Jace extended a lifeline. "Marry me and I'll fix it for you."

That's when I found out he was actually rich and didn't have to work part-time to make ends meet. He went against the world to marry me, living with me in a tiny rental apartment and taking the subway to work every day. We were once the most ordinary couple in the world. I still remember how he would beam with joy just because I cooked a meal for him, praising me, "Honey, you're amazing."

God knows how much I wanted to have a child with him. My mother died giving birth to me and my father raised me roughly. I had a weak constitution, so it wasn't easy for me to conceive. We tried everything to have a baby.

Even when his startup company was growing rapidly, he still made time to go with me for IVF treatments. The moment we found out I was pregnant, his eyes were filled with the entire universe. He hugged me tightly and said, "If it's a boy, he and I will protect you together."

Sadly, that child never saw the light of day. At the end of the dream, his cold face appeared. "Sharon, I find you disgusting. You better disappear completely and never bother me again!"

I desperately tried to grab his hand, but he drifted further and further away.

The hospital room was filled with the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. I struggled to open my eyes, only to see my father sitting by the bed, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry, Sharon. It's all my fault. I've been a burden on you."

A wave of disappointment washed over me. I forced a bitter smile, mocking myself for even thinking that Jace had come to save me. "Dad, I want some water."

"When the manager called me last night, I was scared to death," he said, his voice trembling. "Sharon, tell me the truth. What are we going to do about your health from now on?"