Nicholas rushed over from another hospital the same night.

When he saw that Quinn had regained consciousness, he rushed over happily and pulled her into his embrace.

"You really scared me! It's all my fault for causing you to fall sick. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you!" Nicholas said.

Quinn looked at him and gently pushed his arms away. "Thank you for taking care of my grandfather. You must be exhausted."

Nicholas glared at her and said, "Didn't I tell you not to be so courteous with me? Your grandfather is like my own—it's only right for me to take care of him.

"But you don't have to worry—Grandpa will be fine. He just had surgery, and I've arranged for several caregivers to take care of him."

Nicholas then took out the sweets he had brought and placed them on the table in front of Quinn. "I heard that sweets will help you recover faster when you're sick, Quinn. These are all my favorites, so go ahead and try them!"

He looked at her excitedly, yet she only stared at the sweets without any appetite.

Sadness clouded Nicholas' gaze when he saw the way Quinn refused to eat. "It's fine if you don't like them, but you've been cold to me for the past two days, Quinn. Are you angry at me?"

He started tearing up as he said, "You know that I'd be upset seeing you unhappy, Quinn."

Quinn instinctively wanted to pull away when she realized that he was holding her hand.

At that moment, Nicholas' phone rang. He accepted the call irritably, but worry soon clouded his features.

"How did this happen? Where is she now? Alright, I'm coming over now. Make sure to protect her—don't let anything happen to her!" he said.

Nicholas ended the call and rushed off in a hurry, forgetting to even inform Quinn.

After he left, she opened her phone and saw that something had happened to Jasmine again. However, she also spotted her own name in an inconspicuous corner.

Jasmine had actually stolen an important role from Quinn behind her back.

This role was a crucial turning point for Quinn. If things went well, it could even take her career to the next level.

But now, Jasmine actually took the liberty to forge Nicholas' signature on the document. She had even seized the opportunity when Quinn was sick to discuss the replacement of the role with the production team.

The production team wouldn't have bothered with Jasmine if she was doing it alone. However, she now had Nicholas backing her up.

Although he had the resources, he was always careful of his reputation.

If it was any other artist in his company, Nicholas wouldn't have hesitated to fire them. However, Jasmine was the one behind such action this time.

In order to cover up this situation, he spared no expense in buying trending topics and used his financial power to pressure the production team into replacing Quinn with Jasmine.

However, Nicholas never took Quinn's situation into account. If she was replaced, she would lose any chance of accessing good resources in the industry.

Her heart sank when she read the official announcement from Jasmine's account. At the same time, criticism flooded her own comment section.

Quinn had just finished reading through the hateful comments by the time Nicholas returned.

Dark circles weighed his exhausted eyes, and his steps were even unsteady. But it was evident from his relaxed expression that he had resolved Jasmine's crisis, resulting in his good mood.

Nicholas walked over to Quinn and linked arms with her affectionately. "Let's head home to sleep tonight. It's more comfortable sleeping at home than in the hospital."

Upon hearing his words, she softly asked, "Are you concerned about me?"

Nicholas was taken aback. He started laughing and said, "Of course—who would I be concerned about if not you? No one else is worth my time other than you."

Quinn wondered if it was the same for Jasmine.

She looked out the window. She couldn't make out anything in the dark—just like how she couldn't make out Nicholas' thoughts.

She could no longer distinguish between his truth and lies.

As soon as they arrived home, Nicholas fell onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.

Quinn then went downstairs to sleep in the study.

…

Quinn was roused by the abrupt doorbell the next morning. She got to the door and realized it was Jasmine. "Where's Nicholas, Quinn? Is he home? I need to see him urgently."

Before Quinn could reply, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw that Nicholas had rushed over without even putting on his shoes.

"It's too early for you to be coming over, Jasmine. Did something happen?" he asked.

"My father is sick! Can you come to visit him with me, Nicholas? I'm so worried," Jasmine said, tearing up.

Nicholas immediately went to get changed and put on his shoes. He rushed back soon after.

Quinn called out for him as he was about to leave. "Nicholas, today—"

Before she could finish speaking, Nicholas interrupted her. "Let's talk about it when I get back, Quinn."

Quinn could only swallow her unspoken words when she saw Nicholas hurrying away.

He seemed to have forgotten about their appointment with the reporters. On the day of their engagement, he had contacted several reporters to come over for an interview, hoping to document their pre-wedding preparations.

Today was the day of their appointment.

Quinn was about to contact the reporters to cancel today's interview, but they had already arrived.

A reporter asked, "Do you have anything to say regarding the fact that you knowingly became someone's mistress, Quinn?"

Another said, "I heard that you've been arrogantly canceling confirmed collaborations, and Jasmine ended up having to fix your mess. Are these things true?"

"Where's your professionalism as an actress, Ms. Quinn Sullivan? Can you offer the public a proper explanation regarding the recent events?" someone asked.

Quinn's heart sank instantly upon hearing the reporters' aggressive questions.

Even though they were aware of the recent events, since Nicholas had invited them over to record their warm daily life, they wouldn't have come up to her with these blunt questions.

Someone must have been pulling the strings behind the scenes with all those questions.

Upon seeing the growing crowd of reporters and paparazzi, Quinn could only retreat back into hiding in the house. Unfortunately, the crowd refused to leave and remained waiting outside.

As the sky grew darker, the crowd grew, yet Nicholas did not come back. She tried calling him multiple times, yet nobody picked up.

Quinn had been kept awake from the commotion outside, unable to sleep. By dawn, she could clearly feel her heart acting up, yet the crowd outside still hadn't dispersed.

She knew she would be surrounded at once if she showed herself now. Those reporters and paparazzi wouldn't listen to her explanation anyway.

Feeling the uncomfortable tightness in her chest, Quinn reached out for her phone. Her hands trembled as she dialed Nicholas' number once again.

The call finally got through, yet it was Jasmine who picked up. "Are you looking for Nicholas, Quinn? He was busy the entire night and just fell asleep. If there's nothing important, you can just call him again later."

Quinn wondered what Nicholas had been busy the entire night with.

Jasmine continued, "We'll be going to the hospital to visit my father later. I'll end the call now, Quinn."

Quinn ended the call with a bitter chuckle when she found out that they weren't even in the hospital last night.

Looking at the crowd outside, she clutched her chest and curled up on the couch. She broke into a cold sweat from the excruciating pain.

Nicholas only returned during the afternoon. He rushed in hurriedly after sending the reporters outside away.

Quinn's heart was already in unbearable pain then. She struggled to get up to go to the hospital when she saw the reporters had finally dispersed.

Just as she passed by a bookshelf, a sharp pain shot through her chest. She subconsciously reached out to steady herself on the shelf, only to knock over a glass music box sitting on the bookshelf by accident.

Quinn collapsed at the same time the music box fell to the ground. She broke up in cold sweat from the excruciating pain.

However, Nicholas rushed over and pushed her away. Instead, he picked up the music box behind her and carefully checked if it was broken.

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle bitterly upon seeing the sight. She couldn't believe a music box was actually more important than her to him.

Upon noticing her gaze, Nicholas carefully placed the music box back onto the shelf before walking over to help her up.

Quinn pushed him away with all her might just as he reached out for her. Under his shocked gaze, she struggled to get up by supporting herself with the nearby table.

Nicholas said, "Are you blaming me now, Quinn? This music box was something Jasmine's mother left for her before she passed away. She gifted me this music box, and I have to cherish it. After all, this was from her mother."

Quinn looked up and chuckled. "Of course, the music box would be more important than my illness then. You'd better check if the music box is still working."

Nicholas finally realized something was wrong when he saw her pale complexion.

"What's wrong, Quinn? Why are you looking so pale? Wasn't everything alright when you were discharged?" he asked, concerned as he reached out to help her up.

At that moment, Quinn was overwhelmed with so much pain she couldn't utter a single word.

Upon seeing her hand pressed firmly against her chest, Nicholas suddenly realized something.

With a trembling voice, he asked, "Do you have a heart disease, Quinn?"

Jasmine's call came in at that very moment.

Nicholas helped Quinn up. He rejected the call after giving it a glance.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Quinn? I'll bring you to the hospital at once!" His phone rang again as soon as he spoke.

The shrill ringing of the ringtone pierced through their ears, and Nicholas rejected the call once again.

"I'm fine, there's no need to go to the hospital. I'll be alright after some rest—" Before Quinn could finish speaking, she saw his phone lighting up again.

She pushed his hands away and said, "Just take the call. It might be something urgent from the company."

"Sit down and rest for a bit then, Quinn." Nicholas helped Quinn over to the couch before walking over to the side to take the call.

However, gone was his usual gentle tone. He spoke coldly, "What's wrong? Why are you calling me relentlessly? I've already made arrangements for the best doctors and caretakers for your father. You don't have to be so worried."

It was Jasmine again.

Quinn leaned against the couch and closed her eyes, exhausted.

Nicholas soon ended the call and returned to her side to take care of her.

…

Nicholas did not go to the company for the next few days. He stayed at home to prepare for the wedding.

Quinn's gaze darkened as she watched him clutching onto her custom-made wedding dress, twirling happily before her.

"I'm so happy, Quinn. Tomorrow's the day I finally get to marry you!" he exclaimed.

Looking at Nicholas' smiling face, her gaze inadvertently landed on the wedding dress.

She had received a video just three hours ago. In that video, Jasmine was wearing the same wedding dress, her arms intimately wrapped around him.

"Get some rest early tonight, Quinn," Nicholas said.

Quinn pretended to fall asleep, noticing the way he had slipped out. She knew he was saving the night of his wedding eve for Jasmine.

She quietly got up and began packing her few important belongings. She did not take a single gift Nicholas had gifted her all these years.

After that, she quietly waited until dawn broke. She then headed to the wedding venue.

Most of the guests had arrived. Quinn stood by the entrance, swapping out her and Nicholas' wedding photo for one of him and Jasmine.

At that moment, Nicholas hurried down from the car. "I was late because of the bad traffic along the way, Quinn. Let's get changed now!"

Jasmine, who was dressed just like a bride, followed closely behind him. She met Quinn's gaze with a hint of provocation.

Nicholas, who was anxious and in a hurry, did not notice the wedding photo by the entrance.

He linked arms with Quinn and pulled her to the dressing room. While he was changing, she noticed the lovebites that even his thick foundation couldn't quite cover.

Nicholas asked, "Why aren't you getting changed yet, Quinn? The wedding is about to start."

Quinn smiled at him and shook her head. She said softly, "I'm not in a hurry."

Nicholas was distracted by her smile. Although she was smiling gently, he was somehow feeling uneasy deep down.

He only realized that Quinn was nowhere near ready once he was done getting ready.

Amidst Nicholas' confusion, she reached a hand out to him. He took her hand, and she brought him out.

Under the watchful eyes of many guests, Quinn let go of his hand to play the video.

Nicholas shyly turned around, yet he froze when he saw images of him and Jasmine on the screen.

Panicked, he looked at Quinn and was about to say something. She interrupted him and said, "I'm here as a friend to attend your wedding with Jasmine today."

Nicholas felt his knees go weak, almost collapsing to the ground. He finally understood why he had felt uneasy earlier.

Although Quinn had been smiling, her gaze was cold. She was looking at him as if looking at a stranger.

"What are you talking about, Quinn? Today is our wedding day!" Nicholas walked over to her and grabbed her arm, trying to make one last effort.

"No, today is your and Jasmine's wedding day." Quinn gestured for him to look at the invitation card and photos in the venue. Only then did he realize that Quinn's name and photos had been switched to Jasmine's.

Nicholas said, "That's impossible! Something's wrong… Quinn—"

However, his voice was covered by the recording played in the video. It was the conversation he had with Jasmine on the day of his engagement.

"You're the only one for me even if I marry her, Jasmine," came his voice.

Nicholas' mind went blank that very moment. He realized that Quinn had known about everything from the start.

Glancing at Quinn, who was in front of him, he tightly gripped her arm. Only one thought remained in his head—he couldn't let her leave.

She pushed his hand away. With a calm and gentle smile, she said, "We're done, Nicholas. I wish you a happy marriage with Jasmine."