Beneath the Mask: The Billionaire's Hidden Pain

In the ICU ward of the hospital.

A frail middle-aged man lay quietly on the bed, the monitor beside him beeping softly, a reminder that his life was still hanging in the balance.

"God, if you can really hear my prayer, please let my father come back to life. He's my only hope right now," Olivia whispered, her pale face pressed against the glass as she gazed at her father, Ryder Smith.

Suddenly, she heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching. Turning around, she saw William Brown walking toward her, a test report in hand and a look of deep concern etched on his face.

Olivia had a bad premonition. She hurried to William and asked anxiously, "What happened? Has my father's condition worsened?"

William shook his head, his expression serious as he looked at her. "Olivia, your father's condition is stable for now. But you really need to start worrying about your own health."

Olivia took the test report from him and glanced at it. Suddenly, everything went dark, and she felt herself teetering on the edge of collapse. Thankfully, William was there to catch her just in time.

The report revealed the harsh truth: Olivia had stomach cancer, and the cancer cells were already beginning to spread.

"I'm fine," she insisted, stopping William in his tracks as he reached out to help her. Gripping the edge of a chair, she slowly pulled herself up from the ground, her frustration boiling over as she grappled with the unfairness of it all.

William studied Olivia's pale face, his heart heavy with concern. "You really need to get admitted to the hospital right away. I'll do everything I can to help you, and honestly, your chances of survival are still pretty good."

He held back some of the harsher realities, wanting to give Olivia a glimmer of hope. In his view, a 10% chance and a 15% chance didn't make much difference.

But to his surprise, Olivia shook her head, firmly rejecting his treatment plan. "Thank you for your concern, William, but I don't plan to undergo any treatment."

She stood up from the chair, and prepared to leave.

"Even if you don't care about yourself, think about your father. Do you really want me to break this bad news to him when he wakes up?" William's voice had a touch of reproach, as he hoped to convince Olivia to reconsider treatment.

Olivia didn't expect William to say that. She looked up at William with pleading eyes.

"Please don't tell my family about my condition. You know my father's situation. I don't want them to worry about me anymore."

William was silent for a moment in the face of Olivia's request and could only nod.

"I know it's hard for you to process right now, but I want to give you some time to think it over. In the meantime, I'll go ahead and arrange a treatment plan for you."

William's tone was very sincere and serious.

William and Olivia graduated from the same university, both studying medicine. William was Olivia's senior, and they had worked under the same professor, so they had some acquaintance.

Olivia knew that William was genuinely concerned about her and that he could be stubborn in some aspects, so she didn't refuse his kindness.

"Thank you, William. I'm going home now."

Olivia expressed her gratitude to William and then turned to leave the hospital.

William watched Olivia's haggard figure, feeling a deep sadness wash over him.

Olivia used to be the brightest presence in college, even more talented in medicine than he, a genius.

But for some unknown reason, she had to leave school early.

Leaving the hospital, Olivia looked around the road with a confused expression, not knowing where to go. She took out her phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally dialed her husband's number.

Daniel Wilson was at the hospital with Ava Davis for their children's check-up.

"Mr. Wilson, your child is very healthy."

The doctor handed the diagnosis sheet to Daniel. Daniel looked at the sheet and smiled. Looking at the two sleeping babies, he couldn't help but reach out and play with their noses. The babies, feeling ticklish in their sleep, grunted in dissatisfaction and squirmed. Daniel's smile deepened.

Suddenly, the phone in Daniel's pocket rang. He took out his phone and glanced at the caller ID, and his smile instantly disappeared.

"I'll take this call outside."

Daniel whispered to Ava, then turned and walked into the hospital corridor.

Daniel didn't notice the look of jealousy and anger in Ava's eyes as she watched his back. She had already guessed who was calling Daniel.

'I'm the one Daniel loves the most, so why did he marry Olivia? When will that bitch finally die?' Ava cursed Olivia viciously in her heart.

In the corridor, Daniel answered the call. Before Olivia could speak, he said, "You should know what I'm doing right now. You've ruined my only good mood."

Olivia was silent for a long time before she finally spoke, "I don't care what you're doing. Didn't you want a divorce? I've already signed the divorce papers."

Daniel was stunned. He had been constantly pressuring Olivia to divorce him so he could marry Ava, but Olivia had always refused. Now that she suddenly agreed, Daniel was a bit surprised. More importantly, he didn't feel as happy as he had imagined.

Holding the phone, Olivia's heart was also trembling as she recalled those unbearable memories.

Years ago, Olivia and Ava had an accident together. Unfortunately, both women were pregnant at the time. What truly made Olivia feel betrayed was that her husband Daniel didn't choose to save her first but chose to save Ava.

Both women were sent to the hospital, and both gave birth prematurely.

Fate's unfairness descended at that moment.

Olivia's child died, while Ava gave birth to twins.

"No one knows how much courage it took for me to make this decision." Olivia laughed into the phone, her tone full of sarcasm.

"Where are you now?" Daniel asked, sensing something unusual in Olivia's words.

"I'm at home. If you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself." Olivia's tone sounded a bit lazy, which made Daniel feel a surge of anger because he didn't feel respected.

"Fine, wait for me at home. I'll be there soon."

Daniel squinted his eyes and hung up the phone angrily. After saying a word to Ava, he quickly left the hospital.

'Looks like I should head back too, or Daniel will go crazy if he finds out I'm not home,' Olivia thought, pouting a little at the idea. With that, she hopped into a cab and made her way back home.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, bringing some warmth to the house, but Olivia was wrapped in a blanket, curled up on the couch.

Under the blanket was a thin figure, and her face, covered by her hair, seemed to show the outline of her cheekbones.

'Why does this woman look even thinner than before?' Daniel thought, then shifted his gaze from Olivia to the table, where the signed divorce papers were placed.

Daniel picked up the divorce agreement and glanced at it. The content was the same as what he had said before, but there was an additional requirement: Daniel had to pay $10 million in alimony.

When Daniel saw the last item about the alimony, he laughed angrily and grabbed the cup on the table, smashing it hard on the ground.

The sound of breaking glass startled Olivia, waking her up from her slumber.

"I was wondering why you were willing to get a divorce. Turns out it was for the money?" Daniel sneered as he looked at Olivia, who was sitting up from the couch.