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?”

In just a moment,dozens of sniper rifles locked their sights on the kidnappers.Their faces turned deathly pale.

Greck Cardos stepped out of the helicopter,dressed in a suit,with sharp brows and commanding eyes.

When he saw Lenora tied to the chair,his fists quietly clenched.

“My dear girl,Daddy came too late.”

He gently untied his daughter,but the anger in his voice could not be hidden.

“You were in such danger,yet that brat from the Steele Family not only ignored it but even dared to publicly hold a wedding!He truly has the guts of a bear and leopard!”

When he noticed the red marks on Lenora’s wrists,his expression instantly darkened to something terrifying.

“This matter cannot end like this.”

Originally,Greck had been afraid that Lenora still harbored old feelings for Dale,so he did not dare act rashly.But now the situation had already crossed the bottom line of a father.He could no longer care about anything else.

Lenora was momentarily stunned.

After her adoptive parents passed away,she had never again experienced the feeling of being cherished by family.

For the past three years,she had been extremely cautious in the Steele Family—suppressing herself and constantly trying to please them—yet she never received even a trace of genuine affection.

She never expected that this newly acknowledged father of hers…

Lenora pressed her lips together slightly and said softly,“Let me handle this matter myself.”

Greck didn’t understand.To him,Dale only had good looks.He couldn’t understand why Lenora was still protecting him,even now.

Thinking this,Greck’s brows furrowed deeply.“Do you still have feelings for him?”

Lenora shook her head and patiently explained,“I’ve already let go of that relationship.But I want to take this revenge personally.”

Her tone was gentle.

“Dad,I know you’re doing this for my sake.But please believe me,your daughter can handle this.”

When Lenora called him“Dad,”Greck was overjoyed.

The corners of his mouth lifted high into a wide smile.

Dad!His good daughter had called him Dad!

“Alright,my dear.Dad will listen to you!”

After saying that,he took Lenora’s hand and carefully escorted her onto the helicopter.

His earlier mature and steady demeanor was gone.Now he looked completely like a doting father devoted to his daughter.

Not long after they left,Dale arrived at the factory with a fierce,hostile aura surrounding him.

Strangely enough,this time he didn’t get lost.He arrived at the place with perfect accuracy.Looking at the already deserted building,his eyes darkened even more.

“Lenora!I already know this was just a show you put on.You succeeded.Not only did you ruin my wedding,you even caused the death of my child.Since you dared to do it,why don’t you dare to face me?Get out here!”

Dale’s voice echoed through the air,but no one responded.

He ordered people to search every corner.After confirming that Lenora wasn’t there,he angrily took out his phone and dialed her number.

But the only response he received was a cold automated voice.

“Hello,the number you have dialed is currently powered off.”

With a dark expression,Dale sent her messages.

[Lenora,how long do you plan to hide?]

[Go to the hospital immediately and apologize to Megan.]

[What you did this time went too far.I won’t forgive you so easily again.]

After sending several messages in a row,he suddenly noticed the red exclamation mark beside them.

She had actually blocked him.

He was so furious that he laughed instead,and the emotions he had been suppressing instantly exploded.

He hurled his phone hard onto the ground.“Lenora,you’re very good.”

Just then,his assistant hurried over.

“Mr.Steele,we found an envelope that she left behind.”

Dale’s expression softened slightly,though his face was still gloomy.

He could understand that Lenora had done those extreme things because she loved him,but that didn’t mean he had forgiven her.

This time,he was determined to teach her a profound lesson.

Looking at the large characters on the envelope—“To Dale,personally”—the agitation in his heart was instantly soothed.

He even curled his lips into a faint smile,though he tore it open with a look of disdain.

“What era is this?Still writing letters.How childish.”

In the past,every holiday,Lenora would prepare all kinds of little surprises for him,along with handwritten postcards.

The envelope she left this time must surely be her apology letter.

Dale’s brows relaxed as he casually took out what was inside the envelope.

But the moment he saw it,his body froze as if he had been struck still.

In his hand was a sheet of paper,with two clear characters embossed on it.

“Divorce Decree.”

Dale’s fingers tightened.

When he opened it and saw both his name and Lenora’s written inside,the aura around him instantly turned icy cold.