When I returned to the hospital room, Emilio was gone. All that remained was a payment receipt with his signature, which had been left on the bed.

The nurse explained, "He paid the bill and left in a hurry. He probably had something urgent to handle."

I stared at the receipt. After a long pause, I asked softly, "What was he like when he left?"

The nurse thought for a moment before saying, "He didn't seem okay. His eyes were red, like he'd been crying."

Crying?

I gripped the paper tighter. I'd underestimated how much Emilio cared for Amber.

"Are you okay, miss? Are you feeling unwell again?"

I shook my head and turned to the nurse. "Please process my discharge."

She looked surprised. "But you're still—"

"I don't want to stay here anymore." I didn't want to stay in a place that still carried the faint scent of Amber's perfume.

Instead of going back to the villa I shared with Emilio, I went to my own home.

Christopher was shocked to see me. "Calista, weren't you in the hospital? Why are you back so suddenly?"

I welled up and threw myself into his arms, allowing my tears to soak his shirt.

"Oh, my. What's wrong, Calista?" Amber's voice rang out.

I pulled away from Christopher and turned to her. "Why are you here?"

Christopher explained, "We're having a welcome-back party for Amber here. She's the star of the show today."

My eyes met Amber's. Hers were filled with clear provocation and mockery.

Christopher ruffled my hair. "Calista, what's wrong? Why were you crying? Did someone upset you?"

I shook my head and wiped my tears haphazardly. "It's nothing."

Then, I headed toward the door.

"Hey, where are you going? Calista, what's wrong?" Christopher started to follow, but Amber grabbed his hand.

She said softly, "Let me talk to her. You don't understand how women feel."

The sound of high heels followed me. Amber leaned close and whispered, "Calista, shall we have a chat?"

I shook off her hand and said coldly, "We have nothing to talk about."

Instead of getting angry, she laughed. "Oh, really?"

She leaned in further, her voice low enough for only me to hear. "After all, we've both slept with the same man."

I jolted.

Amber led me back to the living room, where her friends were gathered. Their eyes brimmed with malice. She must've already told them who I was.

Still, she put on an act and introduced me to the crowd. "This is the piece of trash Emilio hasn't gotten around to throwing out."

Her offensive words made me turn to her coldly. "And what are you? A manipulator who wants to trick Emilio into falling for her by playing hard to get?"

Amber faltered, clearly not expecting me to fire back. Her expression darkened instantly, but her friends jumped in to attack me.

"A manipulator?"

"Ha! At least Amber genuinely won Emilio over, unlike you!"

"Yeah. Didn't she come in crying earlier? She's pathetic."

"Wanna bet how long it takes for Emilio to dump her?"

"I say one day!"

"I say one hour!"

I hurled a glass onto the floor, the sound echoing sharply.

The room fell silent, but Christopher rushed out from the kitchen. Amber immediately picked up the glass shards, gently holding my hand and asking if I'd been burned.

In that moment, I wasn't repulsed. I merely felt relieved.

So, this was the scheming woman Emilio had been unable to forget all these years. I suddenly wondered how he would react if he knew that all his pain and hysteria over Amber were just part of her game.

Of course, that had nothing to do with me anymore. I turned and headed to Christopher, saying, "I heard from Mr. Slater that you wanted to set me up with someone."

He blinked, then chuckled. "Yeah. He even told you about that? Since when did you two get so close?"

For a moment, I was tempted to tell him that Emilio and I weren't just close. We kissed every day, touched each other, and called each other pet names.

But all I did was smile bitterly and say, "We're not close. As for that guy you wanted to introduce me to—I'm game."

I kept my head lowered as I walked out, adding the guy's contact on my phone. His profile picture was a seascape, old-fashioned and quaint.

Soon, he responded to my message with one of his own. "I'm Rowan Sterling."

The name felt familiar, like I'd seen it somewhere before.

Suddenly, my phone was snatched away. Emilio had shown up at some point, looking displeased. "Why didn't you tell me that you got discharged?"

His gaze flicked to my phone, and he frowned. "Rowan Sterling? That's a guy's name. Who is he? Why haven't you mentioned him before?"

I grabbed my phone back, ignoring his barrage of questions. I said coldly, "You left without a word, too, didn't you?"

He stiffened. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Christopher waved him over. "Perfect timing! Today's Amber's welcome-back party. Come have a drink."

Emilio looked at Amber, who stood in the center of the crowd. He growled, "A welcome-back party I wasn't told about?"

Sensing the tension, someone chimed in, "Oh, Amber only invited close friends. Don't take it personally."

"Yeah, and her crush, Jon Clarke, is here. It'd be awkward to invite you."

"Crush? Jon Clarke?" Emilio's expression darkened completely at that. I knew he was on the verge of losing it.

If I weren't there, he might've already stormed over to Amber to confront her.

I smiled bitterly at the sight of his furious, trembling figure and turned to Christopher. "I'm heading home."

My steps were unsteady because my fever hadn't fully subsided. Emilio instinctively reached out to steady me but stopped when he glanced at Amber. His hand dropped silently.

"Calista, you don't look well. Why don't you let Emilio take you home? He's got nothing better to do here, and I'm busy entertaining other guests, anyway." Amber brushed past Emilio and grabbed my hand.

He turned to look at her, the sorrow in his eyes piercing my heart like a sword.

I shook my head. "There's no need to trouble Mr. Slater."

Emilio froze. He stepped forward to follow me but ultimately stopped himself. In the end, Christopher was the one to take me home. I leaned against the car window without saying a word.

My phone pinged with a message from a number I didn't recognize. The sender revealed that she was Amber, and she sent a photo of Emilio's profile as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Oh, he's so petty. The moment you left, he punched Jon and dragged me away. Poor guy—he was just playing along with my act. I'll have to make it up to him later.

"You still don't know how to handle men, Calista. You need to be hot and cold; be nasty one moment and nice the next. Keep them on a leash, and they'll never forget you."

I zoomed in on the photo, noticing blood at the corner of Emilio's mouth. It was probably from his fight with Jon.

"Calista, what's going on with you?" Christopher pulled over and turned to look into my red-rimmed eyes. "You've been off all day. Tell me what happened, and I'll take care of it for you!"

I pursed my lips. Just as I wanted to speak, a Porsche pulled up in front of us. Emilio and Amber got out.

He yanked her out of the car, and they started arguing again. But this time, it didn't end with them parting ways. He suddenly pinned her against the car door and kissed her fiercely. He gripped her waist and deepened the kiss.

I started trembling as I watched them quietly.

Christopher noticed me staring and chuckled, thinking I was curious. "Don't be so surprised. That's just how they are. One second, they're fighting. The next second, they're getting a room. I'm used to it by now. After all this time apart, Amber still has Emilio wrapped around her finger."

He glanced at me, panicking when he saw me sweating profusely. "Calista, what's wrong?"

I clutched my abdomen and said weakly, "Take me… to the hospital…"

When I woke up in the hospital again, Christopher stood by the bed, his face dark with anger. He threw a pregnancy test report at me. "Calista LeBlanc, who is the father?"

I pursed my lips and gripped the bedsheet, saying nothing.

He went on for a while, but I stayed silent. Then, Emilio walked in, and my heart leapt to my throat.

"Why are you here?" Christopher asked, puzzled.

Emilio said calmly, "I heard from a colleague that your sister was sick. As her boss, it's normal for me to check on an employee, right?"

Christopher frowned but didn't think much of it. He said impatiently, "Get out. I need to talk to her."

Emilio was taken aback. His gaze landed on the report.

I coughed, and Christopher quickly hid the paper behind his back, shouting, "Get out!"

Emilio hesitated but ultimately left the room. It was just me and Christopher now.

His tone was grim as he repeated, "Who is the father?"

I wanted so badly to tell him it was the man he'd just kicked out. But what right did I have?

Emilio had just called me his employee, and last night, he'd kissed another woman like his life depended on it. How could someone like that deserve to be my child's father?

I smiled bitterly and snatched the report from Christopher. Then, I tore it to shreds. "Don't ask, Christopher. This is my business."

He barked out an exasperated laugh and stepped back. "Fine. Fine! You're all grown up now, and I can't keep you in check anymore! Did you stop to think about what would happen when Mom and Dad find out about this, Calista? You're carrying the child of a man you refuse to name!"

Guilt flooded me when I saw his face become blotchy with rage. Finally, I looked up at him solemnly. "Give me a little time, okay? I'll tell you everything."

Christopher looked into my eyes for a while before leaving, slamming the door behind him.

Emilio was startled by the loud bang. He slowly walked into the room and asked, "What were you two talking about? Why was he so mad?"

When I didn't answer, his head shot up sharply. "You didn't tell him about us, did you? Calista, I told you—"

"I didn't," I cut him off, irritated.

Even now, he was terrified that I might reveal our relationship to Christopher. Of course, he was—he'd cheated right in front of Christopher. He wouldn't have the nerve to own up to anything.

"Sorry," he said. "I got ahead of myself."

Emilio sat by my bed and gently touched my hand, which was hooked to an IV. "Why were you in such a rush to leave the hospital? Your fever hasn't broken."

I didn't respond. Instead, I fixed my gaze on his neck, where a mark that I hadn't left stood out.

He noticed my stare and quickly adjusted his collar. "It's a mosquito bite. The weather's been warm lately."

I looked away and said softly, "Must be a lot of mosquitoes."

How else could there be so many love bites on that small patch of skin?

Emilio was relieved by my response. He poured me a glass of water and made small talk. Suddenly, he glanced at his watch. "I've got some company business to handle. I'll head out now and send Laura to stay with you."

He was lying again.

Before, when I'd merely sprained my ankle, he'd chosen to stay by my side, even if it meant missing multimillion-dollar deals. At that time, he said I was more important than anything in the world.

But now, I knew that while I might outshine the world, I would always lose to Amber.

Sure enough, an hour later, Amber posted on her social media. The photo showed no faces, just two hands clasped under a sunset.

The caption read, "How long will it take to let go this time?"

I had to admit that she knew how to play men. Instead of saying she loved Emilio, she hinted that they would part again if he didn't try harder.

When I snapped to my senses, I saw a comment below from Emilio. It was short and simple. "Never."

I smiled, gave the post a like, and took a screenshot. Then, I stumbled out of bed and went to the clinic I'd visited not long ago.

This time, I said firmly, "Doctor, I don't want the baby."

The doctor was taken aback. "Ms. LeBlanc, are you sure?"

I nodded with a smile. "I'm positive. After all, the child's father doesn't want it anymore."

After scheduling the abortion, I left the hospital. Amber sent me another message. This time, it was a photo of two plane tickets. She and Emilio were going on vacation.

At the same time, Emilio messaged me. "Babe, I'm going on a business trip. I'll be back soon."

I smiled. After years of lying to Christopher, Emilio could spin falsehoods without batting an eye. I didn't reply to him, but I replied to Amber. "Have a great trip."

They were embarking on their journey together, and I was ready to start my own.

I returned to the villa and began packing my things. I took only what was mine and threw out everything tied to Emilio, like the wooden carving he'd given me and the first racing medal he'd won.

When I was done, I looked back at the empty house, my eyes stinging. This place had seen our laughter, our intimacy, and the countless "I love you" we'd exchanged.

I wouldn't be coming back here anymore.

I rented a small apartment to stay in temporarily and started drawing again.

In university, I studied design and even won several prestigious international awards. But to be with Emilio, I'd chosen to work as an ordinary industrial product designer at his company.

Truthfully, I didn't enjoy it. I loved designing jewelry and clothing—beautiful things always brought me joy.

Life began to settle into a quiet routine, but Amber wouldn't let me have peace. Every day of her vacation with Emilio, she sent me messages.

One showed her lying on a beach while he massaged her with essential oils. Another showed a tangled bedsheet with their hands tightly intertwined. One more even showed scattered clothes on the floor and a trash can overflowing with condoms.

My heart, though already numb, still ached. My stomach twinged with pain, too.

But it was fine. Soon, it wouldn't hurt anymore. With a little more time, I wouldn't hurt anymore, either.

I blocked Amber everywhere and threw myself back into drawing.

…

A week later, Emilio and Amber's vacation ended, but only he returned.

Amber had been abducted.

Unexpectedly, the next time I saw Emilio was at my home. His hair was disheveled, his face was bruised, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He was frantic, almost deranged, as Christopher held him tightly, keeping him in place. "Have you lost your mind? You want to trade your life for hers? I've already sent people to investigate this, so don't worry! Amber will be fine!"

Soon, Emilio's parents arrived and ordered their bodyguards to pin Emilio down.

"If you dare go to that hostage exchange today, consider yourself disowned! Amber Granger is just an ordinary woman, but you're the Slater family's heir! Your life is worth millions of hers, and yet you want to trade it for her? You're insane!" his father yelled.

His mother, Mrs. Slater, sobbed beside him. "Exactly! I heard that Crimson Flame is the one who abducted her—haven't you heard of that gang before? No one comes out of their hands alive! Their hostages leave with missing arms or organs at best!

"You almost lost a limb racing for her before. Have you forgotten that pain and torment? I won't let you do anything stupid for her again!"

But Emilio wasn't listening. He thrashed like a madman, shoving past everyone as he bolted out of the house. In the chaos, he knocked me to the floor.

Blood instantly gushed down my legs, and I curled up in agony.

"Calista!" Christopher shouted and ran to me.

My vision blurred as I clutched my abdomen. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emilio glance back at me. His gaze was shocked—he hadn't realized it was me he'd pushed.

But his attention was fleeting. He turned away after a brief pause and jumped into his car, speeding off.

The roar of the engine was deafening, and the thick exhaust fumes choked me until my nose prickled. I watched as the red Porsche vanished into the distance. Then, I slowly closed my eyes.

…

When I woke again, my stomach was flat. The heartbeat was gone. I'd already decided not to keep the child, so why did losing it still hurt so much?

Christopher sat beside me. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he hadn't slept in days. When he saw I was awake, he tensed. "Calista, you…"

He slammed his fist against the wall. "Damn Emilio! I wish he were dead! He caused your miscarriage!"

I smiled weakly. "It's okay. I didn't want the baby, anyway."

Judging from what he said, Emilio was probably fine.

Christopher showed me a video from the abductors. In it, Amber was bound tightly, while Emilio was pinned down by a group of men. He roared, "Let her go! Didn't we agree on a life for a life? I'm here now, so release her!"

The leader sneered. "Release her? It's not that simple. I hear you're the Slater family's heir. That's quite the prize—I've never had a rich boy kneel to me before. Do it and prostrate yourself before me, and I'll let her—"

Before the man finished, Emilio got to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor so hard that it instantly drew blood.

The leader sat up, intrigued. "You're desperately in love with her, aren't you? Too bad I was just messing with you."

"You!" Emilio's eyes were bloodshot. He choked up as he asked, "What will it take for you to let her go? Name it, and I'll do it."

The leader twirled a knife before holding it inches from Emilio's eye. "Your eyes look nice. I want them."

Without a second's hesitation, Emilio said, "Deal."

The leader grinned and plunged the knife toward his eyeball.

Emilio screamed in agony, clutching his face as blood streamed down.

The video ended there.

Christopher locked his phone and sighed. "Thankfully, they were rescued. Emilio's eye is fine—the cut wasn't deep. He's insane for going that far for Amber. If she'd died, he'd probably have gone with her."

"She won't die," I said flatly.

I knew because I'd clearly seen her sitting in that chair and smirking as she watched Emilio struggle. She was far more terrifying than I'd imagined.

Christopher sighed and pulled a tiny piece of clothing from his bag. "I thought I was going to be an uncle."

I stared at the tiny garment, unable to snap out of it.

I didn't cry upon seeing Emilio and Amber's intimate photos, nor did I cry when he caused my miscarriage to save her.

But now, I couldn't take it anymore. I threw myself into Christopher's arms and sobbed until I couldn't breathe.

He stroked my head gently. "It's okay. I'm here for you. But if I find out who the bastard is who got you pregnant, I'll tear him apart!"

Suddenly, I realized that even without Emilio, there were still so many people who loved me.

While Christopher stepped out to buy food, I started opening the gifts my friends had sent to me during my hospital stay. Among them was a small box containing a piece by my favorite designer, Diske. It was an amethyst necklace.

It was a piece I knew Diske had refused to sell despite the bidding price going up to three million dollars. What was it doing here?

I searched for the gift card to see who sent it, but there was no name.

As I puzzled over it, the door was kicked open. Emilio stormed in, looking livid. He snatched the necklace and hurled it to the floor. "How can you be in the mood to mess with this junk? You almost got someone killed!"

I stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"Stop playing dumb!" He shoved me onto the bed. "Amber told me everything! She heard the mastermind talking to you on the phone! Tell me the truth—was it you who had her abducted?"

In that moment, it all clicked. I looked at him coldly. "Oh? She heard that? Did she tell you what I said?"

He froze.

I scoffed. "So, you don't even know what I supposedly said, but you're ready to condemn me because of something Amber threw out there. You've never explained your relationship with her to me from the start, Emilio. And now, you're attacking me for her…"

My voice trembled, and my abdomen cramped in pain. My face became as white as a sheet.

Emilio faltered. Just then, a nurse burst into the room and cried, "Ms. Granger's having a panic attack! You need to come now!"

When Emilio heard that, his face filled with panic and concern. He steadied himself against the wall and hurried off, but he paused at the door to look back at me. "I'll get to the bottom of this. If it really was you, we're done. I won't be with someone so vicious."

With that, he left the room.

The moment he was gone, my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

When Christopher returned, he saw me on the floor and dropped the lunchbox he held. "Calista!"

After settling me back in, he grabbed the nurse. "What the hell happened? She was fine when I left!"

She stammered, "I-I don't know… All I know is that Mr. Slater was here, saying something about breaking up with Ms. LeBlanc. Then, she fainted…"

"Breaking up?" Christopher froze.

The next second, he charged upstairs like a madman. He kicked open the door to find Emilio at Amber's bedside, gently feeding her soup.

"Christopher? Why are you—"

Christopher knocked the bowl from his hands. "You want to break up with Calista? You're the bastard who got her pregnant, huh?"

"What? Pregnant?" Emilio was stunned.