Hearing their conversation, I felt the blood drain from my face.

As it turned out, the sister who had always looked after me and acted like she didn’t like Steve had another side to her. Worst of all, the real reason Steve married me was for half of the inheritance my parents left me.

In that moment, I finally understood that besides the family tied to me by blood, no one would ever truly love me. All the so-called help and salvation I thought I had found was nothing more than a carefully scripted performance by Steve. He had faked it all just to get his hands on the money. He just couldn't keep up the act until the end, and his real motives finally slipped out.

That entire night, I couldn’t close my eyes. I lay awake as the sky outside slowly lightened into a dull gray.

At dawn, Steve stormed into the room, his face twisting in anger. He threw a bunch of roses at me.

“Alright,” he snapped. “We’re even now. That day, I was just panicking because of what happened to Quinn. I didn’t mean to kick you. And besides, it’s your fault anyway, isn’t it? If you hadn’t drugged her, none of that would've happened. You brought it all on yourself.”

Next to him, Quinn clung to his arm, her eyes glistening with fake tears. In a sickeningly sweet voice, she chimed in, “Yeah, Summer. I’ve worked with Steve for so many years… Of course, feelings grew. That’s only natural.

“I understand you must be upset, but the baby is innocent. And it’s Steve’s baby too. You can’t blame him for getting mad. Please, just forgive him, okay?”

They painted themselves as the victims, pretending to apologize, but every word was directed at blaming me.

While I stayed silent, the nurses in the room started chiming in, trying to persuade me.

“That other woman’s just a fling. You’re the one who’s a real match for Mr. York. If you play your cards right, he’ll come running back to you.”

“Exactly! You know what they say—it’s only temporary. Men make mistakes. It’s practically built into them!”

“Here’s what you do: forgive him now, get your bestie to help you bring that mistress down, and you’ll win. You’re gorgeous, honey. Getting a man back won’t be hard for you.”

Listening to them, a cold and bitter smile tugged on my lips. I hadn’t even said a word, yet somehow, they had already forgiven Steve for me. They even thought they were doing me a favor by offering advice on how to ‘win him back.’

Even Jacqueline, the one who played the loyal friend act so well, took my hand and earnestly said, “Summer, listen to me. I hit him for you yesterday. He knows he messed up. He’s willing to change. Think about it. The Yorks have money and power. You’re not going to find another chance like this. Just forgive him this once. If he screws up again, I’ll beat him up again, okay?”

Beat him up? Really?

I let my eyes slowly drift over to Steve. There were only a few Band-Aids on his neck. Then, I noticed that Quinn had matching Band-Aids on her neck, too.

I didn’t let my expression change, but inside, I was laughing coldly.

Yeah, they hadn’t been fighting. They'd probably just gotten a little too rough in bed.

Even though I didn’t want to deal with them anymore, I couldn’t even take care of myself right now. My only family was overseas, and I couldn’t risk making a move yet. So, I forced a fake smile onto my face and accepted their ‘apology.’

Steve looked smug—like he thought I finally knew my place—and left satisfied.

After the room finally emptied, I picked up my phone. With trembling fingers, I dialed an international number.

“Ash,” I said. “I’m ready. I’ll accept the blind date you arranged.”