Iris’s POV

The nearest hospital belonged to the Dempseys.

The attending doctor looked at the bullet graze on my shoulder, hesitation written all over his face.

“Ma’am… Mr. Dempsey arrived before you. He’s already called all the medical staff over. He wants a full-body checkup done for another woman.”

“Where is he?”

Actually, I already knew.

After the doctor pointed it out, I walked straight to the exam room.

“Marty,” my voice came out tight, strained, “giving her jewelry wasn’t enough for you? You had to throw in my life, too?”

He turned around at the sound of my voice. His eyes flicked over my pale face, drained from pain, and something like discomfort flashed across his expression.

“Iris, pushing you at the bar… That was my fault. But Madz’s a dancer. She can’t have scars on her body.”

“And besides, I calculated it. That bullet wouldn’t have killed you.”

“And what if it did?” I let out a cold laugh. “Marty, all these years, did you ever give a single damn about me?”

His brows pulled together. The arm he had around Madisen loosened slightly.

“So you’re Mrs. Dempsey.” Madisen stepped away from him, lifting her gaze to meet mine. “He saved my life today. I’m grateful for that. But I have zero interest in getting involved in whatever this is between you two. He’s the one who keeps chasing me. Maybe you should keep your husband in check.”

She looked at him, saying, “Mr. Dempsey, I’m not doing the exam. And I won’t be seeing you again.”

She turned to leave after that. But Marty immediately grabbed her, then scooped her up into his arms.

“Iris, you’ve gone too far,” he hissed, glaring at me. “There is no ‘what if.’ You’re perfectly fine right now. You even have the energy to stand here and give Madz a hard time.”

I stood there like stone, cold seeping into my bones.

Just like that, he turned to leave. Instinctively, I reached out to grab him, but he shoved me off, irritation clear on his face.

“Enough! Jeez, Iris, when did you become this unreasonable?”

“It’s just a flesh wound! A few stitches and you’ll be fine. If you’re that worried about scars, I’ll pay for the best damn cosmetic treatment!”

“But didn’t you see how badly Madz was shaken? Psychological trauma can affect someone for the rest of their life, you know.”

“I need you to understand me and be mature about this. Stop making everything about relationship shits right now!”

The force hit hard. My lower abdomen slammed hard against the edge of the table. In an instant, pain exploded through me, dropping me to the floor.

The medical staff who saw it rushed over with a wheelchair, but Marty snatched it first.

“Who are you trying to fool? Madz’s legs are weak from fear and she can still walk. You’re not that fragile.”

Just like that, he pushed her out and left me behind.

My colleague finally arrived, helping me up. By the time I forced myself into the exam room, cold sweat was soaking my back.

“I-Iris… Blood! There’s so much blood!”

Her voice shook. I looked down and saw the blood pouring down my legs.

The pain in my shoulder and my abdomen hit me all at once. I couldn’t hold on anymore. Next thing I knew, my vision went black.

When I woke up, the attending doctor stood in front of me, guilt written all over his face.

“Mrs. Dempsey… you were two weeks pregnant. But now…” he began.

Then, he quickly added, “Your body is not in a good condition to begin with. The pregnancy wasn’t stable and with the impact earlier… I’m afraid… it just wasn’t meant to be. Don’t worry, you and your husband can still have children in the future.”

Tears spilled out before I could stop them. My whole body started shaking.

Maybe it’s better this way. After all, there is no future between me and Marty.

“Doctor.” I wiped my tears and stopped him before he left. “Please don’t tell him about this.”

He looked surprised for a moment, then sighed and nodded.

“I understand. You’re worried he’ll feel guilty, that it’ll hurt him if he finds out.”

I just smiled. I didn’t say a word. After he left, I picked up my phone and called HR to process my resignation.

Then, just as I expected, Dad called.

“I agree to your terms. The fifty million advance has already been wired to your account.”

I checked the transfer right away. “The remaining half? You give it to me on the wedding day. Or there is no wedding.”

“Iris. Do you really have to be this calculative?” His voice sounded tired. “You’re my only daughter.”

“Well, my mom wasn’t your only wife,” I shot back bluntly. “Don’t forget: you had another child, too. Your affair was what got him killed.”

I hung up. Then, I transferred the fifty million straight to the care facility I had already arranged.

There’s only one week left before the arranged marriage.

Anyone who doesn’t love me? I don’t give a shit about them anymore.

Iris’s POV

What Marty pulled at the bar blew up overnight.

[#DempseyHeirDropsFortuneOnDancerButGetsColdShoulder]

[#HeroMomentMartyDempseyRisksLifeToSaveDancerAtGunpoint]

Hashtags like that kept trending. Everyone was waiting to see how I’d react.

But I couldn’t be bothered. I logged out of every single social media account without a second thought.

Suddenly, the hospital room door opened. I looked up and saw my guest. It was Madisen.

“Everything outside is a complete mess, and you’re just sitting here like nothing’s happening?”

Her tone was pure provocation, but I didn’t feel a thing.

“I’ve got nothing to hide. Why wouldn’t I be calm?” I retorted flatly. “Mistresses are the ones who should feel guilty.”

Her beautiful face instantly iced over.

“Who the hell are you calling a mistress?”

“Bitch, not everyone is as lucky as you. I had to become a dancer just to survive, but I’ve always kept myself clean. I’ve never slept with any client.”

“I’ve seen plenty of rich, powerful men. Marty is just one of many who’ve chased me. But someone willing to risk his life for me? That’s a first.”

Her expression suddenly softened, and her tone shifted.

“So I came to tell you that after the shooting, I realized how sincere his feelings are. I’ve decided to give him a chance.”

“I’m Madisen Moyland, and if I’m going to be anything, it’ll be the wife, never some secret mistress!”

I stared at her. For a long second, I burst out laughing.

“Wow. What a fiery declaration. Too bad, a mistress is still a mistress. Even if you claw your way up, you don’t get to rewrite what you are.”

I swung my legs off the bed, walked up to her and slapped her hard.

She wasn’t ready for that. She dropped straight to the floor, and a gemstone pendant slipped out from the loose collar of her hospital gown.

It was a flawless pigeon-blood red. The sunlight caught it, and its fiery sparkle almost hurt my eyes.

When Marty and I were approaching our second anniversary, he’d gone through jewelry magazines and quietly enlisted people to attend auctions, spending a fortune to buy this gemstone.

I thought it was a surprise for me. God, I was so fucking happy.

But on the actual anniversary, I sat there all night beside a table full of food I cooked myself, waiting until he stumbled home drunk.

He said there was a sudden business engagement, and the gemstone was really just carefully prepared to please a client’s wife.

Seeing how uncomfortable he looked, I even felt bad for him. After that, I put even more of myself into managing family matters.

Turns out, every bit of it was real feelings traded for fake bullshit.

I let out a slow breath and shook my head at his mistress.

“Get out. Now. Don’t soil my eyes with your presence, or I won’t go easy on you.”

“And one more thing. This title? Mrs. Dempsey?” I looked her up and down. “Even if I throw it away, it still won’t ever be yours. You’re not even fit to stand on the same level.”

“Bitch!” Her shock twisted into anger. Just as she propped herself up, the door slammed open. It was Marty.

“Iris! Damn it, I was seriously wrong about you! I didn’t think you could be this arrogant and controlling!”

His eyes quickly landed on the red mark on Madisen’s face. He rushed over and helped her up.

“Madz is too kind. She was worried about your injury and came to check on you, and this is how you treat her?”

“I’m the one who overstepped.” Madisen gently touched his hand, smiling softly. “Mrs. Dempsey is probably just in a bad mood from her injury. Don’t be mad at her, Marty.”

Marty froze. When he realized what had happened, he excitedly pulled her into his arms.

“Madz, what did you just call me? You finally said it like that…”

The way they looked at each other made my stomach churn. Disgust clawed its way up my throat.

Madisen leaned against his chest, shooting me a smug look.

“This is really my fault,” she said softly.

“Marty, I only just realized how sincere you are. I want to reciprocate your feelings, but I don’t want to ruin your marriage with her.”

“That’s why I came today to talk to Mrs. Dempsey. I was going to keep my feelings hidden. I didn’t expect to upset her.”

That expression, seventy percent pitiful, thirty percent sweet, had him completely hooked.

“It’s not your fault,” Marty said immediately. “She’s the one being narrow-minded.”

Then, he demanded, “Iris, apologize to Madz. Right now!”

I let out a cold scoff and turned, just wanting to get back to the bed, but a sudden sharp pain hit my lower abdomen. I froze.

Madisen stepped forward, supporting me, then leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper by my ear.

“Mrs. Dempsey, whether it’s the necklace or that title, if I want it, there’s nothing I can’t take.”

“You didn’t know, did you?” she murmured. “Marty drank two whole bottles for me just to get me that necklace.”