With Matthew away, Meghan couldn't be bothered to keep up the act, smugness written all over her face. "Why should I give the blood to your daughter? Are you blind? My son is injured!"

Danielle's voice cracked with a sob. "He only has a scraped knee, but my daughter has a coagulation disorder. If she doesn't get a transfusion soon, she could die!"

A doctor outside overheard the commotion and stepped in, his voice hesitant. "What's going on? If there's enough blood, could you spare some for this lady's child?"

Danielle snapped her head up to look at the doctor as if he were her last hope, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "I'm begging you. My daughter needs RH-negative blood immediately. If we wait any longer—"

Meghan cut her off with a scoff and rolled her eyes. "Doctor, my husband is the major shareholder of this hospital. You're aware of that, aren't you?

"He personally ordered that all RH-negative blood in this hospital be reserved for my son. Are you trying to lose your job?"

Those words pushed Danielle over the edge. She lunged forward and snatched the bag of crimson blood right off the IV stand.

Meghan shrieked and stomped her feet. "How dare you try to take the blood meant for my son? Security! Call security now! This crazy woman is trying to rob my son of his life-saving blood!"

Security rushed in and instantly seized Danielle's arms.

Meghan puffed up like a peacock. She lunged forward to snatch back the blood bag and shouted at the guards, "This bitch tried to steal my son's life-saving blood! Get her out of here immediately!"

As they dragged Danielle from the hospital room, a burning rage surged through her chest. "There was clearly enough blood in this hospital. She just refused to share it! I'm calling Matthew right now!"

The hospital's director, Carl Trevino, was alerted to the commotion. When he arrived, he overheard her words and frowned immediately. "Wait. Which one of you is Mrs. Gardner?"

The next second, Meghan thrust her phone in front of Carl's face, displaying a digital marriage certificate. "Take a good look! I'm the one legally married to Mr. Gardner! Taylor is his legitimate son!"

She shot a venomous glance at Danielle from the corner of her eye. "That daughter of hers is nothing but an illegitimate child."

As soon as she finished speaking, the patients walking by in the hallway gathered around, their judgmental whispers stinging like needles.

"Good grief, is the mistress really that brazen? How dare she take the blood meant for the wife's son?"

"The child of a woman like that is better off dead!"

Danielle's heart ached with grief. Thinking of Olivia's pale face in the emergency room, her legs buckled, and she dropped to her knees before Meghan. "I'm begging you… Please save my daughter…"

The surrounding chatter ceased abruptly as every eye fixed on the absurd scene.

Meghan didn't even blink as she casually dialed Matthew's number. The moment the call connected, her voice carried a hint of feigned hurt.

"Matt, please come save Taylor. Ms. Bradford hates me so much that she's trying to take the blood reserved for him. She's trying to kill us!"

Danielle broke free from the guards and screamed into the phone. "Matthew, Olivia is bleeding! She has a coagulation disorder and needs a transfusion now! Tell the hospital to give us some blood, or she'll die!"

There was a brief silence on the other end before Matthew spoke with suppressed irritation. "Danielle, I authorized that blood for Taylor. He needs it now. Stop making a scene and causing trouble."

Danielle screamed at the top of her lungs, "Olivia is just a month old! She'll only need a tiny amount of blood! Taylor only has a scratch, but Olivia is fighting for her life in the emergency room!

"I'm asking you one last time. Your daughter's life is on the line. Will you give her the blood or not?"

Only static buzzed through the phone.

After a long pause, Matthew's voice finally drifted back slowly, tinged with suspicion. "How could a newborn have a coagulation disorder? Danielle, would you really curse your own daughter just to get your way?"

Tears streamed down Danielle's face. "Matthew! Your own child is dying! Do you not understand me?"

Carl suddenly leaned toward the phone, his voice dripping with flattery. "Mr. Gardner, should we remove this woman? She seems mentally unstable and keeps insisting she's your wife."

There was another pause on Matthew's end, and when he finally spoke, his voice was as cold as ice. "My wife is Meghan Landry. She is currently tending to our son, Taylor. I… don't have a daughter."

The crowd seemed relieved, their gazes turning even more contemptuous toward Danielle.

Meghan let out a cold laugh and hurled the bag of RH-negative blood onto the floor in front of Danielle. "That illegitimate child of yours isn't worthy of this blood."

She ground her heel into the red puddle, speaking with venom in every word. "I'd rather pour it out to water the flowers than give it to you."

At that moment, Danielle felt her heart shatter, and even breathing became painful. The VIP room door slammed shut with a heavy thud, sealing Meghan and Taylor away from the chaos outside.

Danielle stumbled back to Olivia's hospital room and cradled her cold body, tears falling onto her pale face. As despair slowly overwhelmed her, her phone screen lit up.

Meghan had posted on social media again. In one photo, she smiled brightly while holding Taylor. The other was a screenshot of a money transfer from Matthew with a note saying, "I love you. Take good care of Taylor."

As Danielle stared at the photos, her blood ran cold while Olivia's breathing grew shallow in her arms.

Just then, a crisp male voice came from the doorway. "Hello. I have RH-negative blood. I can provide a transfusion for your daughter."

Thanks to the 400 ml of blood donated by that kind stranger, Olivia's life was spared.

A wave of irony hit Danielle. Olivia's biological father controlled the hospital's entire blood bank, yet he refused to spare her even a single drop. Meanwhile, a complete stranger had donated blood and disappeared without leaving any contact information.

Color slowly returned to Olivia's cheeks, and she instinctively searched for milk.

Sandra looked at Olivia and voiced her lingering suspicions in a low whisper.

"Mrs. Gardner, something feels wrong. I've always been meticulous with Olivia and never let anything sharp near her. The doctor said her wound was caused by a blade, but she had been lying safely in her crib the entire time."

Danielle's chest tightened, and she immediately went home to investigate.

She then discovered several sharp utility blades hidden in the folds of the crib's velvet sheets, stained with Olivia's blood.

Her mind reeled from the shock. She had asked Matthew to buy this crib during her postpartum recovery.

Matthew never cared about domestic details, simply instructing his assistant to get the most expensive model available. Meghan had handled the purchase, and Danielle was certain that she had hidden the blades there.

A chill creeped up Danielle's spine.

She wondered if Matthew knew that Meghan had tried to kill Olivia, and whether he would seek justice for her if he found out. Yet her questions remained unanswered.

Danielle curled up in the corner of the couch, holding Olivia tightly. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Don't be scared, Olivia. Mommy won't let anyone hurt you again."

She felt relieved that in just two more days, she could leave with Olivia and start anew.

…

The moment Matthew returned from his business trip, he launched into a tirade at her.

"Danielle, you've been acting so spoiled lately! I was only away for a few days, and you caused a scene at the hospital. Did you even think about my reputation?"

Danielle felt a chill run through her body.

Matthew glanced at the sleeping Olivia in her arms and frowned deeper. "Using Olivia for your schemes is so disappoint—"

Danielle cut him off coldly. "Matthew, we're done."

He stiffened and gripped her arm tightly. "What do you mean, we're done? Danielle, we grew up together and have known each other for over a decade! How can you make such a big deal out of something so trivial?"

Danielle couldn't believe that he still had the nerve to bring up their history. Feeling a sharp sting in her chest, she raised her voice. "Didn't you say on the phone that Meghan was your wife and Taylor was your son?"

Matthew's eyes darted, and he looked away. Guilt flashed on his face. "That was an emergency! The staff at that hospital follow my wife's orders. What if I told the truth and they listened to you instead, refusing Taylor the transfusion?"

Danielle's heart throbbed with pain. Just as she was about to expose the fact that they weren't legally married, his next words left her speechless.

"I get it now. Are you jealous of Meghan?"

Matthew narrowed his eyes as he studied her, his tone full of certainty. "You know you're the only one I love, yet you use Olivia to compete for my attention out of jealousy. Is it because she has a son and you only have a daughter? Is that why you deliberately caused trouble?"

Before Danielle could respond, his phone suddenly rang.

Matthew glanced at the caller ID and said to Danielle, "Don't go to the office. Stay home and reflect on your behavior instead."

He then left in a hurry.

Danielle fought to suppress the hatred boiling in her chest. Her marriage certificate with Matthew was fake, so she didn't even have the right to sue Meghan to recover the marital assets.

Even so, she refused to let a single dollar of what belonged to her slip away. She carefully went over her shares once more, planning to contact the other shareholders to sell them at a low price.

Just as she arrived at the office, Sandra called. "Mrs. Gardner, you need to come back immediately!

"A woman claiming to be Mr. Gardner's assistant forced her way in with a child. She says Mr. Gardner personally gave her permission. I can't stop them!"

Upon realizing that the intruder was Meghan, Danielle's pulse quickened. She gripped her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"I'm coming back right now."

She drove home as fast as she could.

Sandra paced the foyer, anxiety etched across her face. When she saw Danielle return, she rushed over, her voice choked with tears. "Mrs. Gardner, I couldn't stop them. Mr. Gardner personally called and told me to let them in."

As Danielle stepped inside, she found Taylor sprawled on the floor playing marbles, sending colorful glass marbles scattering everywhere.

The moment he spotted her, he shrieked, "Mommy, look! That mean lady who tried to take my blood is back!"

Meanwhile, Meghan stood by the crib, her fingers hovering over Olivia's cheek as she cooed at her.

"Get away from my daughter!" Danielle shouted.

She lunged forward and shoved Meghan aside.

Meghan stumbled back a few steps but didn't get angry. Instead, a smile tugged at her lips as she looked at Danielle.

"Let me remind you of something, Ms. Bradford. Matthew and I are legally married. That makes you the shameless mistress. This house is part of our marital assets, and I can kick you out whenever I please!"

The words hit Danielle like a punch. Her chest ached with every breath, yet she had no way to refute them. "I've long stopped wanting a piece of trash like Matthew. I'll be leaving."

She gritted her teeth, her knuckles whitening with tension. "But until then, get out! Otherwise, I'll call the press right now and expose your disgusting affair.

"At least in public, everyone in Khester still recognizes me as the only Mrs. Gardner. I'd love to see whose reputation suffers most if you push me to the edge."

Meghan was hit where it hurt and screamed in fury, "Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty? The law is on my side! You're the one who should get out, you bitch!"

Danielle lifted her gaze calmly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "If I leave him, I still have the entire Bradford family behind me. But what about you? You're just a housekeeper who seduced her boss.

"Even if you married Matthew, do you really think he'd ever acknowledge a woman like you in public? I bet your relationship will always have to stay a secret."

Meghan's eyes burned with resentment. She raised her hand and struck Danielle's face hard. "Shut up!"

The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the living room.

Danielle's cheek burned, but she didn't even flinch before delivering an even harder blow in return. She knew the security cameras in the room would clearly show who started the fight.

At that moment, an unnatural whimper came from the crib.

Danielle spun around, her pupils shrinking in horror. Taylor quickly pulled his hand out of the crib, but Danielle saw clearly that he had just shoved a glass marble into Olivia's mouth.

Danielle's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She lunged for Olivia, scooping her up and patting her back with trembling hands. "Spit it out! Please, spit it out!"

"Danielle, what are you doing to Olivia?"

Matthew's furious voice suddenly rang out from the doorway. He rushed into the room, and his face instantly darkened at the sight of Danielle "mishandling" Olivia.

Meghan immediately clung to his arm, her eyes brimming with tears as she tried to defend Taylor. "Matt, thank God you're back! Taylor just adores Olivia and wanted to play with her using marbles. I didn't expect Ms. Bradford to overreact like this."

Ignoring the provocation, Danielle plunged her shaking fingers into Olivia's mouth, her voice breaking as she urged, “Good girl, just spit it out… Mommy's right here…"

Matthew couldn't stand what she was doing and grabbed Olivia from her arms. "Are you crazy? You're going to hurt her like that!"

Another sharp slap rang out as Danielle struck Matthew squarely across the face.

He clutched his cheek, stunned. "How could you hit me?"

The noise startled Olivia in his arms, and she suddenly gagged. A round glass marble rolled out of her mouth, thumping onto the carpet. She immediately broke into a heart-wrenching wail, her face flushing red.

Danielle shouted with reddened eyes, pointing at the marble on the floor. "Do you see that? That brat shoved a marble into your newborn daughter's mouth! Are you blind?"

She snatched Olivia back, holding her tightly as she glared at Meghan and Taylor with hatred.

Matthew's expression finally shifted, and he turned to pull Taylor toward him. "Taylor, apologize to Ms. Bradford and Olivia right now."

Taylor burst into tears, kicking and rolling on the floor. "Bad Daddy! You're being mean to me! I don't want you anymore!"

The two children's wails combined into a deafening chorus.

"Alright, Taylor is just a child," Matthew said. "He didn't know any better. There's no need for him to apologize."

He quickly pulled Taylor into his arms, patting his back with a worried expression. But when he turned to look at Danielle, his gaze turned cold.

"Kids can be rough when they play. Do you really need to make such a fuss? You're the adult here, Danielle. Try to show some maturity for Olivia's sake!"

His words tore through Danielle's heart. She pointed at the door and used all her strength to slap Matthew across the face once more.

"Get out!" she screamed. "Take your wife and son and get the hell out of here!"