The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 39

Sean Yates's eyes filled with pain as he looked at Joanna Taylor's heavily bandaged arm.

"Joanna, thank you... really."

Joanna shook her head gently.

"Between us, there's no need for words like that."

Mrs. Yates watched them and let out a quiet sigh, but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Ryan Bennett's condition had worsened. His body felt as if weighed down by an unbearable burden, every movement slow and labored. He reached for his phone, his dulled gaze sharpening the moment he saw the trending headline on the screen.

"Yates Family Heir Engaged—To a Nobody?"

The photo showed Joanna in an exquisite gown, radiant with a bright smile, while Sean gazed at her tenderly beside her. Their eyes brimmed with love and happiness.

The phone slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.

So it's finally happened.

It felt as if all strength had drained from his body.

He thought of the illness he had never confessed to Joanna, the pride and stubbornness that now crumbled to dust. He knew his time was running out—yet he couldn't bring himself to wish her well.

Ryan decided, no matter what, he had to see Joanna one last time. Even if she hated him.

But the moment Joanna saw him, her brows furrowed, her expression twisting with unmistakable disgust.

"Ryan, what do you want? To kill me again?"

Her words struck like a dagger, nearly making him stagger.

His throat tightened as if something were choking him. It took a long moment before he managed to speak.

"Joanna... I have stomach cancer. It's terminal."

Joanna looked up, startled, her eyes suddenly clouded with conflicting emotions.

Yes, she hated him. But she had loved him once. Though she had moved on, she had never wished for his death.

"Joanna, please... just stay with me for a little while. Even if it's only for a short time..."

His voice faded into silence.

Joanna pressed her lips together before finally responding.

"Ryan, I'm sorry to hear that. But we're over. I have my own life now—my fiancé, my future. I can't be involved with you anymore."

Despair flooded Ryan's eyes. He took a step forward, as if to grab her, but stopped when he saw the coldness in her gaze.

"...Fine."

Joanna looked at the man before her, ravaged by pain, and felt an unexpected pang of pity.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and gave him a brief, stiff embrace.

"Ryan, this is the last thing I can do for you."

"From now on, we go our separate ways."

The hug was fleeting and devoid of warmth, yet Ryan clung to her as if she were his lifeline, refusing to let go.

But Joanna quickly pulled away and turned to leave.

Ryan stood there, hollow, watching her figure disappear into the distance.

He didn't remember how he got home. The next thing he knew, he was picking up his phone again—only to feel as if he'd been plunged into ice.

Someone had captured their embrace and posted it online. It was already trending.

The headline was vicious: "Gold Digger Plays Two Men—Dumps Dying Ex for Billionaire's Son."

The backlash erupted like a tidal wave. Netizens hurled accusations at Joanna, flooding the internet with cruel words.

Ryan clenched his teeth and called his assistant.

"Find out who did this."

A gnawing fear gripped him—would Joanna think this was another one of his schemes against her?

But this time, it wasn't him. Very few even knew about his illness.

Who could it be?