When Lenora woke up again,she was already lying on a hospital bed.

Noticing that she had awakened,Dale,who had been guarding her for an unknown amount of time,quickly reached out to check her forehead.

“Do you still feel unwell?You had a high fever and fell into a coma.The doctor said that if you had arrived any later,you might have died.I’m sorry.I didn’t know my mother had taken you away.”

With guilt in his eyes,he took out a delicate box.

“Megan heard that you were hospitalized and felt very sorry.She specially chose this gift for you as compensation.”

After opening it,a chubby porcelain doll with bright red lips and white teeth appeared,looking cute and innocent.

But the moment Lenora saw the doll,she thought of the child she had lost.Her heart twisted with pain.

“Take it away.I don’t want it.”

Her voice trembled with emotion,and while pushing it away she almost knocked the porcelain doll over.

Dale’s face immediately turned cold.

“What more do you want?She has already apologized.”

Megan,who had just walked in,spoke with a pretend look of sadness.“It’s okay.I know she didn’t do it on purpose.She’s just…”

“Shut up.I don’t need your fake kindness.”Lenora grabbed the porcelain doll and smashed it hard onto the floor.

Megan covered her chest and stepped back,her eyes full of fear.

“Lenora,have you gone crazy?In your current condition,how can you attend the family gathering later?You might get thrown out as soon as you arrive.”

Dale hesitated for a moment,then pressed his lips together and said,“Lenora,maybe you shouldn’t go to tonight’s banquet.”

Megan showed a confident smile,as if victory was already in her hands.“Don’t worry,Lenora.I’ll take your place and properly welcome the guests!”

After saying that,she held Dale’s arm and walked out closely beside him.

Dale only frowned slightly and did not refuse.

Not long after they left,a commotion suddenly came from outside the hospital room.

“Oh no,the hospital is on fire!”

Lenora forced herself to get out of bed,but she discovered that the door was locked from the outside.

Thick smoke entered her nose,making her lungs uncomfortable.She coughed violently and struggled to call for help.

The television suddenly flickered on,showing a live broadcast of the banquet.

The camera focused on Dale and Megan.A reporter asked curiously,

“Mr.Steele,we’ve heard that you are planning to divorce Miss Quay and form a marriage alliance with the Jaslin Family.Is that true?”

“That’s nonsense.”

Although Dale denied it,there was a hint of affection in the way he looked at Megan.Their silent interaction was captured by the camera and magnified for the audience to see.

Lenora slowly stopped trying to call for help.She stared blankly at the two people on the screen,her eyes filling with tears.

The burning flames entered the room and woke her from her daze.

Her eyes suddenly turned sharp.Without hesitation,Lenora opened the window and jumped from the eighth floor.

She felt as if every bone in her body had shattered.The extreme pain made her mind go blank.

Around her,she could hear the noisy and anxious voices of the crowd and the rescue workers,but she could not hear clearly or understand them.

Her mind was awake,yet she could not control her body.She felt like an animal in a slaughterhouse,completely at the mercy of others.

When she woke up again,Lenora felt dazed.All she could see was a glaring white light.

A nurse smiled and handed her a phone.A message had appeared on the screen.

[The marriage alliance between the Steele Family and the Jaslin Family is confirmed.The wedding date is coming soon!]

When she opened the message,the engagement photo of Dale and Megan appeared in front of her.

Lenora looked at the brand-new wedding ring on his index finger with a mocking expression.

So,during the few days she was unconscious in the hospital,Dale had agreed to marry into the Jaslin Family and publicly announced the engagement.

The door opened,and Dale walked in.

He was holding a bouquet of flowers,and his eyes were full of helplessness and guilt when he looked at her.

“I’m sorry,Lenora.Megan is pregnant with my child.I have to take responsibility for what I’ve done.”

“Don’t worry.This is just a fake wedding to calm the public.I won’t register the marriage with her.Megan has already agreed that after the child is born,it will be raised by you.”

“After a couple of years,when everything settles down,I will definitely make it up to you.”

For a moment,the hospital room was completely silent.

Dale took a deep breath,as if he wanted to say something more.

Suddenly,a sharp scream came from outside.Almost instantly,Dale recognized it as Megan’s voice.

Without hesitation,he rushed out and quickly found her room among two rows of almost identical hospital rooms.

“Megan,are you okay?”

Lenora watched his disappearing figure and lowered her eyes in disappointment.

No wonder she had not seen him when she woke up this time.It turned out he had someone more important to take care of.

“Mr.Steele!”A doctor stepped forward and explained on Megan’s behalf.“Miss Jaslin has a blood clotting disorder.She is bleeding and urgently needs a blood transfusion.But her blood type is very rare—Rh-negative.”

Dale seemed to think of something.Grabbing the doctor’s shoulders,he said,

“Lenora also has Rh-negative.Take hers!”

“But she has just—”

“There’s no‘but.’A life is at stake!”Dale interrupted impatiently.However,when he turned around,he hesitated for a moment.

Seeing his awkwardness,the doctor quickly led him into Lenora’s room.

“Lenora,please save Megan.The child in her belly must not be harmed.”

Looking at the anxiety in his eyes,Lenora felt her heart twist in pain.When she had miscarried,had he ever been even one percent as worried as he was now?

Dale did not give her any chance to think.With just a glance from him,the nurses immediately held Lenora down on the hospital bed.

Before she could react,a thick needle had already been pushed into her vein.

The doctor looked at her with pity and skillfully operated the blood-drawing machine.

The hospital room door closed,blocking the view from outside.Lenora knew that resisting was useless.Two lines of tears slowly slid down her face.

‘Dale,from now on,we owe each other nothing.’

When Lenora woke up,no one was around.

Her heart felt completely calm.She quietly picked up her phone and sent a message.[How long until the divorce paper is ready?One month is too long.Come pick me up in three days.]

The other side replied almost immediately.[Okay.I’ll come pick you up in three days.]

After receiving the confirmation,Lenora’s expression looked a little better.

Just then,the real estate agent sent a message saying the house had been sold.Soon after,the payment notification arrived as well.

Lenora forced herself to leave the hospital and personally arranged the relocation of her adoptive parents’graves.

Using the money from selling the house,she chose a very good spot in a cemetery in the suburbs.She also hired a priest to chant prayers and blessings for them.

For two whole days,Dale did not even notice that she had left.

Finally,on the day she returned to the hospital for a follow-up check,Dale came to see her.

“I’m sorry,Lenora.Megan’s pregnancy isn’t stable,so she can’t be left alone.How are you feeling?I brought you some nourishing soup.”

Lenora looked at the man busy taking care of things,her expression cold.

Dale placed the soup in front of her,carefully blowing on it to cool it before bringing it to her lips.

“I should have discussed the blood donation with you.But the situation was urgent.I had no choice but to weigh the pros and cons…”

“I know I wronged you.If you want to blame someone,blame me.But please don’t take your anger out on Megan and the child in her belly.They are innocent.”

To Lenora,these words sounded especially ridiculous.

How was Megan innocent?

One deliberately seduced him,and the other acted like a hypocrite.What a perfect pair of shameless lovers.

She should have seen through everything and left earlier.Maybe then her adoptive parents would not have…

Lenora clenched her fingers tightly,her eyes darkening.“Alright.I won’t drink the soup.Just take me home.”

Her indifferent attitude made Dale feel a strange sense of unease.But he still stood up and went to arrange her discharge from the hospital.

Not long after he left,a man dressed in black and wearing a baseball cap suddenly rushed into the room.He covered Lenora’s nose and mouth with a cloth soaked in medicine.

She did not even have time to cry for help before her body went limp and her consciousness became blurry.

She could feel the man covering her body and carrying her out of the hospital.

Faintly,she heard Dale’s suppressed roar.“Where is my wife?How could she disappear?”

He looked like an enraged beast,his eyes red with fury.

Lenora struggled to stay conscious and weakly called for help in the direction of his voice.“Dale…help…”

The man seemed to hear her and suddenly turned his head.

The next moment,Megan suddenly rushed into his arms and said while sobbing,“Dale,is Lenora angry with me?Is that why she left without saying anything?”

Dale held her in his arms with concern and gently comforted her.“Be good.Don’t think too much.Maybe she just went out to clear her mind.”

Even though she had already decided to let go,Lenora still felt a deep bitterness in her heart.

To save herself,she struggled to hook her leg around a passing doctor.

The doctor stumbled and turned around.He quickly noticed something was wrong.When he saw the red hospital clothes under the loose coat,his expression became serious.

“Who are you?Where are you taking this patient?”

With his loud shout,the people around immediately gathered and surrounded them.

They were all strangers,yet they stepped forward without hesitation to help her.

But outside the crowd,her husband was holding his lover and watching coldly.

“Dale,could this be a medical dispute?That’s so scary…”

Dale,who had been drawn by the commotion,withdrew his gaze and held the woman in his arms a little tighter.

“Don’t be afraid.I’ll protect you.”

In just a short moment,the kidnapper managed to break through the crowd with the help of an accomplice and forced Lenora into a van.

Watching the van quickly disappear from sight,Dale’s eyes filled with suspicion,and an uneasy feeling rose in his heart.It felt as if something very important had just been forcibly taken out of his life.

He forcibly suppressed the uneasiness and took a deep breath.“Alright.Nora has probably already gone home.I’ll accompany you to your prenatal checkup first.”

In Lenora’s ears,the doctor’s loud shouting still echoed.“Stop them!That patient is in danger!”

Through the rearview mirror,Lenora saw Dale supporting Megan as they walked away together.

The light in her eyes suddenly faded,and she fainted.

When she opened her eyes again,Lenora found herself in a dilapidated factory building,tied to a chair.

A masked kidnapper took out a phone and grinned viciously.

“Mrs.Steele,we’re only after money,not lives.We’ll trouble you to give Mr.Steele a call and let him reward us brothers with a few million to spend.”

Lenora did not refuse.Calmly,she recited the phone number.

Beep.The call connected.

The kidnapper aimed the camera at Lenora and threatened,“Mr.Steele,your wife is in our hands.If you want her released,transfer 700 thousand dollars to this account…”

On the screen,Dale was wearing a groom’s wedding suit.His handsome brows were tightly furrowed,and his voice sounded impatient.

“Lenora,what trick are you playing again?I’m holding my wedding right now.If there’s something to talk about,we’ll discuss it when we get home.”

Through the camera,Lenora looked at the lavishly decorated venue.It was far more grand than the wedding she once had.

Various live broadcasts were running,and many wealthy elites were present.

How could this possibly be fake?

Like an outsider,she met Dale’s eyes through the screen and said calmly,“I’ve been kidnapped.”

Meeting her calm,watery eyes,Dale’s brows twitched,and panic surged in his heart.

Could it be…this wasn’t a fake?

His body instinctively moved toward the exit.

“Dale,where are you going?”Megan tightly grabbed his arm,tears welling up in her eyes.“You promised me you’d give me a perfect wedding.”

The commotion attracted the attention of the surrounding guests,who began whispering among themselves.

“Didn’t Mr.Steele already divorce his wife?”

“This looks like a jealous ex-wife trying to steal the spotlight.How could someone as sensible as Mr.Steele gets confused at a time like this?”

“I bet Mr.Steele won’t leave.Both the Steele and Jaslin families value this marriage alliance very much.I heard even the Cardos Family—the richest in Kosciel City—received an invitation and specially sent congratulatory gifts.”

Hearing this,Dale’s steps faltered,and he could no longer move forward.

Megan bit her red lip and covered her face as she cried.“I know you can’t let her go.Just go…I’m willing to step aside and fulfill your happiness.”

After saying that,she turned and ran out of the banquet hall.The next moment,a sharp screech of tires sounded outside the hotel entrance.

“Ah!”

Megan’s scream pierced the air.

“Megan!”

Dale suddenly snapped back to his senses and rushed out.

Megan lay on the ground,and bright red blood quickly spread beneath her.

The bride had been hit by a car,throwing the entire scene into chaos.

With trembling hands,Dale lifted the bride from the pool of blood and spoke coldly into the microphone,“From now on,Megan is my wife.”

As soon as he finished speaking,he hung up the phone without hesitation and turned it off.

The video feed was cut off.

Inside,Lenora felt no waves of emotion,as if she had already expected this outcome.

But the kidnappers were furious.One of them raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.“Damn it!We kidnapped a useless woman!”

The leader of the kidnappers glared viciously.“That bitch Megan actually tricked me.”

“Boss,I told you we couldn’t trust that woman.Last time we followed her instructions to kidnap Dale,we almost ended up in jail.And this time we worked for nothing again!”

Hearing this,overwhelming hatred surged in Lenora’s eyes.

So that kidnapping had not been an accident.During this period,every time she closed her eyes,the horrific scene of her adoptive parents’deaths would appear in her mind.

The hatred of her parents’death,the pain of losing her child.

Lenora stared fiercely at everyone present.In her heart,there was only one thought.Revenge for her adoptive parents and that innocent child.

Her nails dug deeply into her flesh as she forced herself to remain calm.“Give me some time.I can get 700 thousand dollars.”

“You?”

The kidnapper looked at her suspiciously.

Lenora nodded and motioned for him to untie the ropes.

After she was freed,she picked up the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

“I’ve been kidnapped.Send 700 thousand dollars.”

Half an hour later,a helicopter suddenly appeared above the factory building.

At the same time,a steady and domineering male voice rang out from the sky.

“Who dares to kidnap the little princess of the Cardos Family?”