The Undying Starlight

On Valentine's Day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Overwhelmed by shock and fear, I called my husband, Karsten.

"Kars, I'm on a business trip and about to board the plane. I'll bring you a gift when I get back. Love you."

Before I could finish, the busy tone on the phone left me with a wave of disappointment.

I returned to the villa where my parents had lived, wanting to cry my heart out in front of their portraits.

As soon as I stepped into the living room, I heard a woman's moans coming from my parents' bedroom.

"Darling, Valeria's parents' portraits are over there. Doing it here feels like we're being watched. Let's change rooms." The voice of my husband, who was supposed to be on a plane, was dripping with desire.

"They looked down on me when I had nothing, broke us apart, and forced me to marry Valeria. Now, let them watch how I shower you with love."

I stood in the villa where I had grown up, feeling as if I had fallen into an icecold abyss. In between Karsten and Theresa’s ragged breaths were filthy words that tore at my very soul to pieces.

I clamped my hand over my mouth, desperate to stifle my sobs. Using the last of my strength, I slowly backed out of the villa.

Before my parents death, they had a will to be buried in their distant hometown, thousands of miles away from the urban city. I wanted to keep a part of them close to me so I refused Karsten’s suggestion to sell our old villa. There, I kept their portraits and hired a housekeeper to clean regularly, so I could stay by the portraits and pray for them whenever I missed them.

Today I got diagnosed with breast cancer. I was overwhelmed with fear and grief. I came to the villa hoping to cry my heart out and find some semblance of comfort.

However, my husband who was supposed to be thousands of miles away in the city were in the old villa. Worse, he was entangled with his exgirlfriend in front of my parents’ portraits.

I had the impulse to burst in and pull those two shameless people apart, but I didn’t have the strength for that. Even if my life was ticking away, there were more important things I needed to finish before I could face my parents.

In the end, I retuned to the home Karsten and I shared back in the city. The first thing that greeted me was our photo wall. Countless pictures of us embracing, smiling. Ah, how painfully ironic they looked now.

I reached out, my fingers grazing Karsten’s handsome face in the photos. It was that unfairly beautiful face that had me spellbound. He used to be just a nobody at Thalmann Legacy Holdings.

At that time, I was fresh out of college and visited the company to see my father.

Among the exhausted, greasyhaired, middleaged programmers sat Karsten—dressed in a crisp white shirt, his features delicate and refined. His youthfulness radiates a college heartthrob charm. I fell for him at first sight.

Staring at the wall covered in memories, tears flowed uncontrollably down my face. After crying my heart out, I went to the study. I hadn’t even reached the safe when my phone rang.

“Valeria, I still advise you to start treatment as soon as possible. Your breast tumor is less than one centimeter, and there’s no spread to the lymph nodes. It’s still in the early stages.”

“Ludwig, you don’t have to comfort me. My mom died of this disease. I know exactly how dangerous it can be.”

His voice was gentle. “Your mom was diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the treatments back then weren’t as advanced as they are now. You have to trust me—I got the title of ‘the youngest specialist in breast cancer’ for a reason after all.”

I took a deep breath, memories of Karsten’s betrayal flooding back. I refused to die early and let my father’s hardearned legacy fall into Karsten’s hands.

“Alright. Once I’ve taken care of everything, I’ll entrust my life to you.”

Ludwig let out a soft laugh and said, “As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

My eyes burned, tears threatening to fall again. When I received my diagnosis this morning, I really wanted to hear Karsten say those words for me.

“Thank you, Ludwig.” My voice was tight. I quickly ended the call since I didn’t want my childhood friend to notice something was wrong.

I sat there in a daze for a moment before forcing myself to regain my composure. I opened the safe and took out a document—an agreement signed by Karsten.

I thought Karsten would stay with Theresa for a few days, but he came home on the same night.

“Vali, look what I got you for Valentine’s Day!” Kars was full of affection as he handed me a gift box.

I swallowed the hatred surging inside me and forced myself to act as if I hadn’t seen him with his ex.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a business trip? Why did you come back so soon?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day. There’s no way I can leave you alone at home.”

If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I might have been fooled by the tenderness in his gaze, fooled into believing he loved me with all his heart.

I casually took the gift and unwrapped it to hide the bitterness twisting my face.

The gift was a set of lacy, seductive lingerie.

“Do you like it? Size 36C—I’ve always remembered your measurements.”

My fingers tightened around the box, my grip unconsciously firm. Among the clothes scattered across my parents’ villa’s living room today, I had seen an identical set of lingerie.

But when I looked up again, my face was already adorned with a smile. “Mhm, I love it.”

Karsten pulled me into his arms, his breath warm against my ear. He said, “Babe, will you wear it for me tonight?”

I glanced at the faint red marks on his neck—traces of another woman’s kisses. My stomach twisted. A wave of nausea hit me, and I bolted to the bathroom, dry heaving over the sink.

Karsten appeared behind me moments later, his hand warm and gentle as he rubbed my back.

After rinsing my mouth, I turned to face him. His eyes sparkled with joy.

“Babe, you went to the hospital this morning, right? Were you trying to tell me… are you pregnant with our child?”

I studied his excitement, the eagerness in his voice, the light in his eyes. And I thought of his lies. His betrayal.

Slowly, I wiped the water from the corner of my mouth. “Yes,” I said. “I am.”

Karsten spun me around in excitement, his joy so genuine it didn’t seem fake at all. Then it hit me—our agreement clearly states that if we have a child, he gets 10% of Thalmann Legacy Holdings.

I wasn’t giving birth to his child; I was giving birth to his ticket to wealth and power. No wonder he was ecstatic.

Watching his overexcitement, I could hardly wait to see his face when all his dreams crumbled to dust.

“Vali, you should stay home and take care of yourself. Don’t worry about the company—I’ll handle everything.” His tone was light, almost cheerful.

So, he had his eyes on the company too.

A year into our marriage, my father passed away. On his deathbed, he held my hand, his grip weak but urgent.

“Vali, Thalmann Legacy Holdings is my safeguard for you. But you trust too easily. Promise me—no matter what—you’ll always keep the Thalmann Legacy firmly in your hands.”

Losing him shattered me, but grief had to wait. After arranging his funeral, I stepped into my role without hesitation.

Over the past year, I had gradually handed over the company's management to Karsten, convinced that my failure to conceive was due to stress. The traditional medicine practitioner he found for me insisted that overwork was the culprit.

For six months, I faithfully drank the bitter herbal concoctions prescribed to me. Yet, the pregnancy I longed for never happened.

Desperate, I turned to modern medicine, subjecting myself to weekly procedures and tests. Ironically, it was through these hospital visits that my breast cancer was discovered—still less than a centimeter in size.

I exhaled slowly. “Alright then, I’ll head to the company soon and make the necessary arrangements. After that, I’ll focus on resting at home.”

Karsten’s brows furrowed for the briefest moment before his expression smoothed over. “Alright, but promise me you won’t overwork yourself. If you feel unwell, come home and rest.”

In that moment, he looked every bit the devoted husband, the expectant father.

I wondered if he would still smile at me like this after I returned to the company and laid bare all his carefully deceitful plans.

Once arriving at the company, I never expected the first person I’d run into would be Theresa.

I had to be honest—I was the one who stirred up trouble with Theresa first.

After falling for Karsten at first sight, I joined the company under the guise of an ordinary employee just to get close to him. It was only after starting work that I learned he had a girlfriend—Theresa, a recent graduate newly hired by our company.

As fate would have it, Theresa and I went to the same university. She was famously known as the campus beauty.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. So, I pestered my father to implement a strict company policy forbidding workplace relationships. The new rule led to a huge fight between them. Neither was willing to give up their highpaying job for the other, so they broke up.

I seized the opportunity, staying by Karsten’s side, showering him with affection when he was vulnerable and heartbroken. At first, he was cold and aloof and kept his distance from me.

Until one night, he got drunk, his eyes hazy as he looked at me and asked, “Valeria, if you want to be my girlfriend, you’ll have to quit a job that most people would kill for. Are you willing to do that?”

I was grateful for my privileged background—I never had to choose between love and my career. So, after Karsten became my boyfriend, I left the company.

Back then, I didn’t think of myself as a homewrecker. I had simply used the power of wealth to place a small obstacle in their way.

If Theresa’s love had been real, she could have found another job. But instead, she let go of Karsten. And when she saw him with someone new, she came crawling back, hoping to reconcile.

Too bad for her—I wasn’t about to let anyone steal what was mine.

When I returned to the company, it wasn’t as just another employee, but as the Thalmanns’ heir. Theresa didn’t have the power to compete with me, and I made sure she knew it. In the end, I had my father write her a glowing recommendation letter and sent her off to another company.

Today, as I returned to the company after receiving my diagnosis, Theresa was dressed in a slightly provocative business suit.

A gentle smile played on her lips. “Ms. Thalmann, we meet again. Surely, you’re not so petty that you can’t tolerate my presence here, right?”

I really had been away from the company in the past year—so much so that I hadn’t even noticed Karsten bringing his exlover back into the firm as his secretary.

Calling me out in front of everyone… Was Theresa trying to use the moral high ground to corner me?

Too bad for her—I never cared much for morals.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Grimm, but anyone my father saw fit to send away has no place in my company.”

Theresa’s smile faltered, just for a moment, before she turned to Karsten for help.

“Vali, Ms. Grimm was specially recruited by a headhunter. Maybe we could…”

“Mr. Schauer,” I cut in smoothly, “do I need your permission to fire one of my employees?”

Ludwig had warned me to schedule my surgery as soon as possible—I didn’t have time for their games.

“Process her compensation accordingly. Mr. Schauer, if Ms. Grimm needs assistance, feel free to submit the request on her behalf. I’ll personally approve it.”

Karsten’s face darkened, and Theresa trembled with anger. Other senior employees who were hoping to watch a dramatic showdown between us three were left stunned by my straightforward approach. They were exchanging uneasy glances.

Some even cast curious glances at Karsten and Theresa. Even if nothing was going on between them, people’s imaginations would run wild with how I executed my actions. Considering how messy things actually were, it wouldn’t be long before everyone started connecting the dots.

Once rumors spread, leaving Thalmann Legacy Holdings would make it difficult for Theresa to find another job.

Back in my office, Karsten struggled to keep his anger in check. “Vali, why did you do that? There’s nothing going on between me and Theresa.”

I couldn’t be bothered to entertain him, my focus locked on the documents I had prepared in advance.

“With Theresa resigning, some personnel adjustments need to be made.”

As I listed off the names, Karsten’s expression shifted from shock to a deep, brooding anger. After all, these were the very people he had painstakingly positioned within the company.

“Why? Vali, are you targeting me?” His voice was rough, laced with frustration.

“Of course not. Thalmann Legacy is expanding with a new branch in Saltwater City. I want you to oversee it personally—along with your trusted team.”

Karsten opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off.

“All of this time, you’ve worried that the employees are mocking you behind your back, calling you a freeloader. I’m giving you the platform and the funds to prove them wrong.”

I paused, locking eyes with him.

“Take your team to Saltwater City and make a name for yourself. I don’t want to let our child grow up thinking their father is a spineless parasite.”

For a split second, I saw hesitation flash across his face. I was convinced he wouldn’t dwell on Theresa any longer.

True to my thoughts, Karsten accepted my words. He was too ambitious to pass up the opportunity. “Vali, thank you. I won’t let your kindness go to waste.”

Kindness? Hardly.

Divorce requires a onemonth coolingoff period, but my surgery can’t wait. I needed to hand over the company to a professional manager to avoid any loss of control.

As for Karsten and Theresa... I’d deal with them once after I survived the surgery.

On my third day back to the company, Karsten left for Saltwater City with his loyal team, brimming with confidence.

Before leaving, he held my hand, his voice tender as he said his goodbyes. “Vali, take good care of our child while I’m away. I’ll fly back every month to be with you.”

Too bad for him—I’d already discovered that Theresa was on the same flight. He planned to use my money to keep his mistress hidden away in Saltwater City. Karsten really thought he was so clever.

I was genuinely shocked when my secretary showed me the expense reports Theresa had filed over the past year. More than 450,000 dollars a month, covering her rent, four new outfits every month, and other extravagant expenses.

Clearly, Karsten had approved every penny himself. That would be the only reason why the finance department hadn’t dared to question it.

“Contact the legal department and recover the improperly reimbursed funds.”

Sam, my executive secretary, who had been with me for years, gave a knowing nod. “Ms. Thalmann, you’re finally back. The company could really use some restructuring.”

I leaned in and quietly gave Sam a few instructions before quickly organizing a meeting with the senior management.

Three days later, once everything was in order, Ludwig personally came to take me to the hospital.

In the car, he kept a light, cheerful demeanor. “Vali, tell me what you’re craving. After your surgery, I’ll cook it for you.”

I knew he was trying to ease my nerves. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was seventeen. By the time they found it, it had already spread to her liver. Even though she underwent surgery, she didn’t last more than six months.

I had the same disease now. I would be lying if I wasn’t the least scared.

“Do you think... maybe I got sick because I was so anxious about getting pregnant this past year?” I watched the scenery blur past the window, my voice soft and distant.

“It could be genetic... but extreme mental stress might also be a contributing factor.” Ludwig’s brow furrowed ever so slightly before he quickly changed the subject.

“Where’s Karsten? Why is he not by your side when you’re about to have surgery?”

I thought about it for a moment—there was no point in hiding it from Ludwig. “He cheated on me. Once the surgery is over, I’m divorcing him.”

The words had barely left my mouth when Ludwig slammed on the brakes, nearly sending me headfirst into the dashboard.

“Ludwig! What the hell? If the illness doesn’t kill me, you will!”

Luckily, the roads weren’t busy. Any other time of day, this reckless driving could’ve caused an accident.

“He cheated on you?” It was only then that I noticed the rare, murderous glint in Ludwig’s eyes.

“Yeah... he got back together with his ex.”

Ludwig pulled the car over to the side of the road. “So, what’s your plan?”

“Divorce him. He’s leaving with nothing.”

Ludwig turned to look at me, his chest rising and falling with barely contained anger. “Well, at least you’re using your head,” he said coldly.

For a moment, he looked exactly just like he did back in high school, and I couldn’t help but stare at him, momentarily lost in thought.

Ludwig felt my gaze and seemed a little unsure of how to respond.

"Hold on tight—we need to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

The car sped through the streets, and before I knew it, I was settled into the special ward he had arranged for me in advance.

With the priority access, my test results came out quickly.

"Vali, I'll personally perform your surgery tomorrow. I’ve already worked with my mentor overseas to create the best possible plan—breast conservation won’t be an issue."

I didn’t know why, but back when I thought I could rely on Karsten, I was terrified—afraid of the illness, afraid of what lay ahead.

But after discovering how he had insulted my parents and betrayed me, I had no one left to lean on. And somehow, I wasn’t afraid anymore.

"With you here, I feel at ease," I said.

Just then, my phone started ringing nonstop.

Ludwig handed it to me, and the moment I glanced at the screen, my expression darkened.

It was a trending news alert from my secretary, Sam.

[Thalmann Legacy Holdings’ Valeria Caught Cheating During Pregnancy—Exclusive Photos!]

I clicked on it and was met with an infuriating image—me, my shirt slightly open, with a young man whose face had been pixelated. His hands were on my chest.

Because of the angle, we looked incredibly close. My expression appeared tense, as if I were trying to suppress something—almost like I was enjoying it.

Despite the censor, I knew exactly who the man in the photo was. It was Ludwig—caught in the moment he was performing a manual diagnosis on me.

Furious, I hurled my phone across the room.

Seeing my reactions Ludwig rushed to my side, tense with concern. He was completely unaware of what was happening.

“Vali, I don't know what’s going on, you need to stay calm okay.”

Seeing my heavy, uneven breathing, he gently rubbed my back in slow, soothing motions.

“There’s nothing more important than your health and tomorrow’s surgery.”

I knew he was right. I forced myself to suppress the anger burning inside me.

What infuriated me wasn’t just the false accusations—I had also dragged Ludwig into this mess. He was the youngest medical professor in his field, and the last thing I wanted was for his reputation to be damaged because of me.

“…I’m sorry,” I finally spoke with low voice.

Ludwig picked up my phone and looked at the screen. His expression darkened.

The hospital room was designed like a fivestar hotel suite. In the photo, what had been a simple medical examination now looked like something entirely inappropriate.

“This isn’t your fault. Why are you apologizing?” He handed the phone back to me. “Trust me. Let me handle this.”

I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head. “There should be security cameras in the hospital hallway. Just help me get the footage.”

Lowering my gaze, I kept scrolling through the trending post—until I saw something that made my blood run cold.

My wedding photos.

The clueless internet trolls flooded the comments with insults.

[You can tell just by looking at her—she’s got that slutty face.]

[She’s the heir of Thalmann Legacy Holdings—she can have any man she wants. Marriage? Please. Like she’d resist a cute guy throwing himself at her.]

[At least pretend to have some morals. Is this how high society plays? Damn, sis, I’m hot too—why don’t you sleep with me instead?]

Some of the comments weren’t even about me—they were taking shots at Thalmann Legacy Holdings itself.

I took a deep breath, steadying my heart rate.

“Ludwig, I might drag you into this mess,” I said, already forming a plan in my mind. The only issue was that Ludwig might get caught up in the fallout.

He scoffed. “As if this is the first time you’ve gotten me into trouble.”

We had grown up together. Even though I was a girl, I had always been the more mischievous one. Whenever I caused trouble, I’d find a way to pin it on him. If he tried to argue, I’d put on a threesecond crying performance in front of our parents, and that was that.

Like in middle school—when I set his grandfather’s prized pet bird free.

I just wanted to take a closer look. Maybe pluck a couple of tail feathers to use as bookmarks.

Unfortunetely, the bird flew out the moment I opened the cage and went straight to the top of my bedroom curtains. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t reach it.

The moment the bird took off, Ludwig was completely dumbfounded.

“Valeria, are you out of your mind? You said you just wanted to watch it eat for your essay—why the hell did you let it out?!”

We slammed the door shut and spent the next half hour frantically trying to catch it, but the bird simply fluttered around my room, completely unbothered.

Frustrated, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea.

When I brought the neighbor’s tabby cat into my room, Ludwig’s face twisted in sheer horror.

That essay on animal behavior? I got an A+. Turns out, I was the only student in class who wrote a detailed account of how a cat hunts a bird.

Ludwig, on the other hand, nearly got beaten to death by his father after taking the blame for me. His grandfather was so devastated by the loss of his beloved pet that he ended up hospitalized.

Thinking back, Ludwig had been dragged into my messes more times than I could count. But this time—I swore it would be the last.

I picked up my phone and dialed Sam.

“Ms. Thalmann, our PR team is already working to suppress the trending post. Don’t worry, we’ll get it under control,” Sam said anxiously.

“No, Sam. Don’t suppress it. Buy traffic—push it to the top. I want it trending at number one for the next week, and it better stay in the top ten for at least two.”