I asked the nurse to throw those things away for me, then lay back on the bed and fell asleep. I didn’t know how long I had been sleeping, but I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. When I opened my eyes, I saw the bed was covered with bright, fresh roses.

My throat felt itchy and tight. I quickly covered my mouth and nose.

"Who sent these roses? Take them away!" I coughed painfully as I shouted.

Just then, Michael walked in with his assistant. His face was dark.

"Useless. Don’t you know the lady is allergic to roses? Get them out of here!"

The assistant started crying as she carried the flowers away. Michael gently wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. As soon as he touched my skin, which was already red and itchy from the allergy, I trembled.

"I’m sorry, Elizabeth. The assistant went to the wrong room. Are you alright now?"

The wrong room? Just then, Regina entered the ward with a pale face. She glanced at the roses still being removed and laughed coldly.

"So, the surprise you mentioned was fake. I waited the whole day for it."

"I’m sorry for disturbing your relationship."

She turned to leave.

Michael looked nervous.

"No, it was a mistake. Elizabeth is allergic to roses. I would never give them to her."

Regina's eyes turned red.

"Really?"

"Of course. If you don’t believe me, feel my heartbeat."

Michael took her hand and placed it on his chest. Then, slowly, they moved closer to each other and kissed. I got out of bed, my face swollen. I forced a smile, though it looked worse than crying

"Michael, let’s get a divorce."

When he heard that, he pushed Regina away and stared at me.

"What did you say? Say it again."

I was about to speak when Regina interrupted me. She looked pleased but wiped her lips as if it meant nothing.

"Mrs. Coldsworth, don’t get the wrong idea. I kissed Mr. Coldsworth because of hormones. It didn’t mean anything."

"Honestly, women shouldn’t be too selfish. Many women want a man like Mr. Coldsworth. But he only keeps you around. You should be grateful."

I didn’t even look at her. I just said calmly, "Didn’t your mother teach you not to interrupt people when they’re speaking? Or did you not have a mother?"

Regina’s eyes turned red immediately. Seeing this, Michael raised his hand and slapped me without thinking. It was the first time he had hit me in our eight years of marriage. He seemed to regret it right away, but still stood firm.

"Elizabeth, don’t go too far. You’re an orphan yourself. How can you say something so cruel?!"

I didn’t want to argue anymore. When I left home, my family didn’t help me at all. They even locked my records.

That was why Michael only knew me as an orphan.

But now, who was really in the wrong?

"Yes, I’m cruel, but it’s still better than getting someone pregnant before our divorce!"

"I already told you, what happened with Regina was an accident. You’re hurt and it’s hard for you to get pregnant now. Do you really want me to die without children or grandchildren?!"

Michael’s eyes were cold.

"Elizabeth, when did you become so heartless?"

My lips trembled.

"Why is it hard for me to get pregnant? Don’t you know the reason?"

Michael’s expression changed. He looked nervous, like he wanted to explain.

"Enough! Stop fighting. It’s all my fault, okay?"

Regina screamed, pushed Michael away and ran out of the room. Michael turned to glare at me.

"If anything happens to the child, I won’t forgive you."

"And don’t talk about divorce again. That trick is getting old."

After Michael left, I lost all my strength and collapsed to the ground. The doctor gave me allergy medicine and I applied for discharge as soon as I finished taking it. I went home carrying a divorce agreement that only needed his signature.

As soon as I opened the door, a crystal glass fell at my feet. It hit my knee, which turned purple right away. I knelt on one knee in pain and couldn’t stand up for a long time.

"I’m not as delicate as you rich people. Take all these things away. I don’t want them!"

After smashing the glass, Regina also threw down the limited-edition bag nearby. The things I once wanted but couldn’t have were now trash in her hands. Michael stood nearby holding a bowl of soup, looking helpless.

"Alright, then don’t take them. But drink this soup to warm your stomach. Don’t starve the baby."

"Why are you so clueless? This isn’t what I wanted!" Regina shouted as she pouted.

"I regret asking you to be my baby’s father. I didn’t think you would get me pregnant so fast. I don’t understand why your wife has tried for years but can’t get pregnant."

In the past, no matter how careful I was, Michael was easily annoyed. Now, Regina refused him again and again, yet he didn’t seem upset at all. He didn’t even notice my swollen knee.

He just said to me calmly, "You’ve been pregnant before. You should know what pregnant women like. Go make a bowl of the soup you used to drink for Regina."

"I won’t. I’m not your nanny."

I turned to go upstairs.

Michael grabbed my wrist.

"Can’t you stop being selfish? When the baby is born, he’ll call you mom."

Looking at his handsome face that once felt like a gift from heaven, I suddenly felt sick. I handed him the divorce agreement.

"Sign it and I’ll make the soup."

Michael signed without even reading it. He looked like he expected it.

"Are you jealous of the gift I bought Regina? Fine. You can buy one too if you want, as long as you behave."

I had never asked him for money. Even when he was so poor he couldn’t afford to eat, I never begged my father. I stayed by Michael’s side through everything.

Now, Michael thought I was a woman who only cared about money. I put the divorce papers away and went to the kitchen to make the soup. After I finished this bowl, I would leave him for good.

As I poured the soup into the bowl, my phone rang again and again.

It was an unknown number.

"Elizabeth, your mother is in critical condition and being rescued in the hospital. She’s crying and wants to see you one last time … "

I hadn’t seen my parents in ten years since I left home after a fight. When I heard this, my legs almost gave out. I wiped away my tears and got ready to go to the hospital.

When I placed the soup on the table, I was still in a daze.

Michael noticed something was wrong.

"Elizabeth, what’s going on?"

I shook my head. My face was pale and I didn’t want to say much.

"Something happened. I need to go out for a while."

My background had always been hidden. Now that we were getting a divorce, there was no point explaining anything. Regina picked up a small bowl of hot soup and brought it to me.

"Mrs. Coldsworth, you’ve worked hard. You should drink some soup before you leave."

I raised my hand to stop Regina.

"No need-"

Before I could finish, she suddenly let go. The hot soup spilled all over me and some of it splashed on the back of her hand. She quickly covered her hand and started crying.

"Mrs. Coldsworth, I was just trying to be nice and offer you soup. But you wanted to burn me? Fine. But what if you hurt the baby in my belly?"

Regina grabbed onto Michael’s sleeve.

"I will leave after I give birth, but now I’ll have a scar. What if I can’t get married in the future?"

Michael’s eyes were full of pain.

"You will still be able to marry. I will marry you!"

Michael looked at me without noticing that my arm had been burned by the hot soup and was now blistered.

"Elizabeth, don’t go too far!"

He then picked Regina up and told his assistant to drag me into the car. When we arrived at the hospital, Regina kept crying and shouting that she would have a scar. I was sweating from the pain, but I still heard Michael’s cold voice.

"Elizabeth hurt you, so I’ll give you her skin!"

I trembled in fear, but then I saw someone familiar nearby. It was my mother’s personal maid. I listened closely and heard them speaking.

"Why hasn’t Miss Elizabeth come yet? Madam is dying!"

In that moment, all the fear inside me disappeared. When I thought about my mother, tears streamed down my face.

"Michael, I’ll give Regina the skin graft, just let me see my mother one last time. She’s next door!"

Michael laughed with anger.

"You’re an orphan. How could you have a mother? You should pick a better time to lie!"

Regina leaned against him, looking very weak.

"Mrs. Coldsworth, don’t you want to save me? Forget it. I’ll just lose the baby and leave. It’s all my fault."

She said that, but she didn’t move.

Michael gritted his teeth and signaled the assistant. The assistant locked the door. Outside the room, I heard my mother’s maid crying. I became more anxious.

"I’m begging you, the woman next door really is my mother! Please go ask!"

The assistant finally spoke.

"The one next door is Mrs. Emily Lovell from the Lovell Family, the richest family in London’s elite sociery. Elizabeth, your last name is Campbell. How could you be related to the Lovell Family?"

As soon as he said that, Michael sneered again.

The doctor prepared to push Regina into surgery. Michael forcefully lifted me. As soon as we left the room, I began to scream.

"Mom, it’s me, I’m Elizabeth!"

I saw people turning their heads. But the next second, Michael covered my mouth and held me tightly. He sneered.

"You’re still pretending."

My tears soaked his hand. I kept screaming, but it was all muffled. Right before they pulled me into the operating room, I heard a loud cry from my mother’s ward.

"Madam! Madam, don’t go!"

I stopped struggling and went limp in Michael’s arms. But he thought I had given in. They tied me to the operating table. Michael told the doctor not to use anesthesia.

A piece of skin was cut off.

I cried silently but didn’t say a word. Michael wiped my tears and whispered in my ear.

"After she gives birth, everything will return to normal."

No. My mother was gone and the baby was lost. Thinking of that, I looked up and fainted.

They left me in a regular hospital room and forgot about me. I stayed there until a tear touched my lips. I opened my eyes and looked at the man.

"I’ve become like this. Do you still like me?"

***

To make Regina happy, Michael took her abroad to recover. He only asked his assistant to send me some food. Regina was treated like a queen overseas and got everything she wanted. But whenever she mentioned the divorce I asked for, Michael became cold.

"I will not divorce Elizabeth."

A week later, Regina opened a package and ran into Michael’s arms with a smile.

"Mr. Coldsworth, you are so fake. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t divorce?"

Michael’s eyelids twitched.

“What divorce?”

Regina raised her red lips, pulled out the purple-red notebook she had hidden and slowly opened it in front of him. Something Michael never imagined appeared in front of him at that moment.