Eleanor studied the phone's contents carefully, her expression unchanged. After a long moment, she set it down gently.

"I didn't do any of that," she said evenly.

"Then who was it, if not you?" Harrison snapped, refusing to believe her. "Besides you, who would have the motive to target her like this? Who else would use such vicious methods?"

Winona's quiet sobbing beside him only fueled his anger further.

A sudden wave of exhaustion crashed over Eleanor. Even defending herself felt unnecessary now.

She looked calmly at the man she'd once loved and watched him glare at her for another woman.

A faint, almost imperceptible, smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "What now?"

"You're going online right now and posting a statement to tell everyone this was all a misunderstanding and clear Winona's name," Harrison said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Eleanor laughed in disbelief, as though she'd just heard the biggest joke of the century.

"Harrison, are you out of your mind?" she said slowly and clearly. "I didn't do it. Why should I bother to clarify things for her?"

"Harry…"

Winona's timid voice cut in at just the right moment.

She stood behind him in a plain hospital gown, her face devoid of color.

When she saw Eleanor, her body recoiled instinctively before she forced herself to step forward, swaying as though she might collapse at any second. "Eleanor, please stop arguing. This is all my fault… I'll leave after the baby's born. Don't argue with Harry because of me."

The chill around Harrison vanished instantly. He caught Winona as she wavered and spoke gently, "Don't say things like that. I'll take you back to rest."

He turned to Eleanor. "Think it over carefully and apologize to Winona. Otherwise, you won't like the consequences."

Without another glance, he left with the sobbing Winona in his arms.

The mansion fell into dead silence.

Eleanor stood there for a long time before bending down and sweeping the shattered phone into the trash with a blank expression.

It felt like clearing away something utterly insignificant.

…

Three days later, it was Eleanor's scheduled prenatal checkup.

Eleanor changed into loose clothing and drove out on her own. The car had barely left the neighborhood when an out-of-control truck slammed into her vehicle from the side.

The world spun violently.

In the instant before she lost consciousness, her hands moved instinctively to shield her abdomen.

…

When she woke again, she was in a dusty, abandoned warehouse. Several thugs surrounded her, their gazes full of ill intent.

"You're awake? Tough luck that you survived."

Eleanor tried to run, but one of them grabbed her hair and slapped her hard across the face.

"Where do you think you're going?" the leader scoffed. "Mrs. Luther, don't waste your energy."

Blows rained down on her as she struggled desperately, only to be met with even more brutal violence.

A sharp pain tore through her abdomen. Eleanor's face went white as she curled up on the ground, clutching her stomach with everything she had.

"Please… Don't hit my stomach…"

Her voice shook as she begged. "Please… I can give you all the money you want…"

The leader paused, crouched in front of her, and patted her face with malicious amusement. "Oh? There's something valuable in there, too? Too bad. Someone else paid more than you."

He leaned close and whispered, "Mrs. Luther, next time, remember not to offend the wrong people."

Eleanor's pupils shrank.

Was it Winona, or was it…

Before she could finish the thought, she was hauled up and thrown down a staircase.

Her body tumbled over the cold concrete steps, her bones feeling as though they were shattering piece by piece as agony consumed her.

In the final moments before everything went black, she faintly heard the leader making an impatient phone call.

"Mr. Luther, everything's been handled. She's been dealt with. Don't worry. We made sure she learned her lesson, and we made sure Ms. Birch got her revenge."

When Eleanor woke up, the first thing she smelled was disinfectant.

She was lying in a hospital bed. Almost instinctively, her hand moved to her lower belly, but the space beneath her palm felt empty.

The realization hit her all at once, and a pain far sharper than any physical wound tore through her chest and spread outward until her limbs felt numb.

Her baby was gone.

Tears slipped down the corners of her eyes without a sound, soaking into the pillow.

The door opened, and Harrison walked in, his eyes still bloodshot.

Seeing that she was awake seemed to loosen something in him. He crossed the room quickly and stopped beside the bed, his voice hoarse. "You're awake. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want me to call the doctor?"

Eleanor didn't respond. She just looked at him, her gaze hollow.

The look made Harrison uneasy. He instinctively avoided her eyes and reached for her hand. "Eleanor, listen to me. I already reported everything to the police. Don't worry. Whoever did this to you, I won't let them get away with it."

Eleanor slowly pulled her hand back, avoiding his touch.

His hand hovered awkwardly in the air. He swallowed and softened his tone even more.

"I know you're hurting. I'm hurting, too. About the baby… We can still have children. Once your body recovers, I'll take you away for a while. We can go anywhere you want. We can clear our heads and—"

"Get out," Eleanor finally said.

Harrison froze. "Eleanor, you—"

"I told you to get out," she repeated, refusing to even spare him a glance.

For several days after that, Harrison came every day.

He brought his tablet and sat beside her bed, enthusiastically showing her travel plans, jumping from the clear blue waters of Mardor to the snowy peaks of Sylora.

"What do you think about this place, Eleanor? It's private, with standalone villas over the water. We can watch the sunrise and sunset every day and not think about anything else."

"Anything's fine," Eleanor replied absent-mindedly, her eyes fixed on the window.

"What about Sylora?" he continued, swiping through the photos to pique her interest. "We can go skiing over there. You always said you wanted to see the snow-covered mountains. I can hire the best instructor."

"Okay."

His smile stiffened, but he kept going anyway.

That afternoon, a man in a tailored suit walked out of Eleanor's ward just as Harrison arrived carrying a thermal flask.

Harrison paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the stranger before flicking back toward the room. "Who was that?" he asked casually.

"An insurance salesman," Eleanor replied, her tone flat.

She didn't elaborate, and Harrison didn't press the issue.

He walked in and opened the thermal flask. The familiar smell of shrimp bisque drifted through the room.

"Have some," he said, lifting a spoon toward her lips. "Winona made it herself. She said it'd help with your recovery."

The moment she heard Winona's name, nausea surged up violently. Eleanor forced it down and turned her head away. "Take it away. I don't want it."

Harrison was about to say something else when his phone rang. Winona's name flashed across the screen.

He answered almost instantly. "Hello? What's wrong, Winona? Don't cry. I'm already handling it. Okay, okay, it's my fault. Don't be mad. I'll come over and be with you right now."

He hung up, stood, and was already turning toward the door when he added, "Remember to eat. I'll come back later."

"Harrison," Eleanor said, reaching under her pillow and pulling out several sheets of paper. "Sign this."

"What is it?" he asked, his tone casual.

"It's a company document that requires your authorization. Joseph sent it this morning and said it was urgent."

Harrison took the papers, flipped straight to the last page without reading, and signed his name in one smooth motion.

Watching him, Eleanor curved her lips into a faint, mocking smile. "You're signing anything. Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out one day?"

Harrison laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair, his touch familiar and intimate. "Why would my wife do anything to hurt me?"

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. The warmth of it made Eleanor's entire body stiffen.

"Rest well," he said. "The doctor said you can be discharged tomorrow. I've already arranged the flight. After that, I'll spend some quality time with you."

The door closed, shutting out the rest of the world.

Eleanor picked up the divorce agreement and stared at the bold signature that read Harrison's name before letting out a humorless laugh.

She pulled out her phone, bundled together the explicit videos and every provocative message Winona had ever sent her, and forwarded them all to her attorney.

After that, she retrieved the suitcase she'd packed long ago, went downstairs, and got into the car that had been waiting by the road.

As the car pulled away from the hospital and turned at the intersection, it passed a familiar car that was speeding in the opposite direction.