Loved Too Late

Kara clutched her heart in pain. She slowly crouched down and curled into a ball.

When Bennett stepped out and saw this, he was terrified. Rushing over, he scooped Kara up in his arms. He looked genuinely anxious and distressed. "Kara, is it your heart again? The doctor said you can't get too worked up!"

"B-Bennett, my medicine. It's in my pocket," Kara gasped.

Bennett quickly carried her to the bedroom, carefully laying her on the bed before fishing out her heart medication from her pocket. Only after she had stabilized did he realize that he was drenched in cold sweat.

Under his care, Kara's heart condition hadn't flared up for almost four years.

But this time–

A dreadful realization struck Bennett. His throat went dry, and it took him a while to find his voice. "Kara, did you see anything in the room on the third floor just now?"

"Do you mean the secret room?" Kara smiled bitterly.

Back when they first started dating, everyone had told her that Bennett had a secret room where he kept something very important to him.

She hadn't looked into it at the time.

Now she finally understood. The thing hidden in that room was the person he cherished the most.

Under Bennett's searching gaze, Kara shook her head. "I didn't see anything. I collapsed before I could."

Bennett let out a long sigh as if he had narrowly avoided disaster.

He hurriedly picked up the phone to call the family doctor, completely missing the moment when the last trace of hope faded from Kara's eyes.

Kara's heart condition was a chronic illness. It couldn't be cured, only managed.

The doctor prescribed alternative medicine, and for the next week, Bennett personally took care of everything. He stayed in the kitchen for hours each day, carefully brewing the medicine before feeding it to Kara, spoon by spoon.

"Kara, this medicine is too bitter. I bought your favorite chestnut cake to help with the taste." Bennett's voice was filled with affection.

Kara smiled a little.

The chestnut cakes from the north side of the city were always in high demand. To get a box, one had to line up at 3 o'clock in the morning.

He had put in the effort.

If she hadn't uncovered the truth, she might have really believed he loved her deeply.

Even during their afternoon naps, he would hold her hand tightly.

Kara looked around at the wall of dolls that covered an entire side of the bedroom. She felt a deep bitterness in her heart.

She loved claw machines, so Bennett had scoured the entire city for the latest ones, helping her win over ten thousand plushies. In the center of them, two porcelain dolls stood side by side.

Kara fetched a small stool. She climbed onto it to reach the two porcelain dolls.

"Kara, why didn't you call me when you woke up? If you wanted these dolls, you could've just told me. It's too high up. What if you fell? That would break my heart!"

A large hand suddenly reached over her head. Bennett asked in a curious tone, "What do you want these dolls for?"

"Nothing. They just looked a little dusty, and I wanted to wipe them clean."

"The maids can take care of that–"

Before Bennett could finish his sentence, his phone rang. He picked it up, and his expression instantly changed. "How could you be so careless? I'll be right there!"

Through the phone, Kara clearly heard the voice on the other end. It was Vanessa's, and she was choked with tears.

Bennett hesitated. "Kara, a friend of mine is in trouble–"

"Go ahead," Kara said flatly.

Her indifference made Bennett feel inexplicably irritated.

But the voice on the other end was pressing him, and he didn't have time to explain. "Wait for me at home. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He hastily handed the dolls to Kara before turning to leave.

In his rush, the dolls grazed Kara's fingers before slipping from her grasp.

They shattered against the floor.

Amidst the shards of porcelain, a folded piece of paper tumbled out.

"Natalie, my one and only love. I will always be your knight in shining armor."

A jagged shard cut across Kara's hand, but she didn't feel the pain.

Her phone screen kept lighting up with Vanessa's messages.

"See? Didn't I tell you? The reason he loves winning plushies with you is that my sister loved claw machines too! Kara, you're just a stand-in.

"Guess what I told him over the phone? I said my sister's grave had some issues, and Bennett rushed off in a panic. Hahaha.

"Oh, by the way, doesn't Bennett have a secret room full of my sister's things? The password is her birthday! You should check it out. You'll be in for a surprise."

Images of countless AI-generated face swaps flashed through Kara's mind.

Her insides twisted like they were being wrung dry.

She stood at the door of the secret room, lifted her hand, but let it fall again.

She would be leaving soon.

Who Bennett loved no longer had anything to do with her.